Fig. 3: Processing steps and resulting import cases.
a–c, All studied value chains start with producing green hydrogen (H2) via water electrolysis. They use this H2 as a feedstock to produce intermediate products: DRI from direct reduction (DR) of iron ore (a), NH3 from Haber–Bosch synthesis with nitrogen from an air-separation unit (HB-ASU) (b) and MeOH from synthesis of H2 with CO2 from DAC (c). They convert these intermediate products into (semi)finished industrial products: semifinished steel from an EAF (a), urea from the synthesis of NH3 and CO2 (b) and ethylene from an MtO process (c). Trade may occur in between these three production steps, resulting in four import cases (base case and cases 1–3).
