SDG 9.4

SDG 9.5

SDG 12.2

SDG 12.5

SDG 13.2

China’s pledge at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 75), announced by President Xi Jinping, to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 underscores the urgency of accelerating decarbonisation across key sectors. As one of the most energy-intensive industries, the steel sector generates the highest emissions among all 31 manufacturing categories and accounts for approximately 15 percent of China’s total carbon output, making it a critical focus for national and regional dual-carbon implementation. In response to this national imperative, CSU established the Low Carbon and Hydrogen Metallurgy Research Center in May 2021. With support from the China–Brazil High-Level Coordination and Cooperation Committee (COSBAN), Vale contributed USD 5.81 million in 2022 to jointly establish the Vale-CSU Joint Laboratory for Low-Carbon and Hydrogen Metallurgy. Dedicated to advancing next-generation low-carbon and hydrogen-based metallurgical technologies, the laboratory comprises five research divisions covering iron ore beneficiation and preprocessing, clean agglomeration, direct reduction, secondary-resource utilisation, and functional material development, along with three pilot platforms focused on low-carbon sintering, low-carbon pelletising, and hydrogen-based direct reduction.