Collaboration between Tata Steel and Imperial College London to create sustainable materials for the steel sector

With support from the Transition to Zero Pollution initiative, Imperial said it leverages research partnerships with industry to convert academic expertise into workable solutions to real-world problems, including sustainability. As part of initiatives to develop cutting-edge new processes to help decarbonise steel production, Imperial College London and the Indian multinational Tata Steel have partnered to create a new GBP 10-million design and manufacturing centre. Through the development of new steel varieties, other new materials, and steel combinations with other materials, the Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Design and Manufacturing is anticipated to facilitate the creation of high-performing and sustainable products in the automotive and clean energy industries. Imperial claims that stronger and lighter steel varieties, as well as steel mixed with other materials like composites, could promote the development of clean energy production and more reasonably priced, energy-efficient automobiles. Professor Mary Ryan, Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) at Imperial College London and co-chair of the Governing Council of the centre, said in a statement on Wednesday that the new centre will work to reduce the environmental impact in steel production and in key sectors that use steel, like the clean energy sector. The centre will do this by utilising the combined expertise of Imperial and Tata Steel. Systematic transformation of industrial systems must be prioritised if we are to create a future with zero pollution. According to her, the new center's actions will help the steel industry become more advanced and profitable both domestically in the UK and internationally. Tata Steel will profit from the knowledge of Imperial academics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering as well as throughout the university, according to Imperial, a prestigious research university in the UK. Along with developing new technologies to early stages of readiness that will be made available for Tata Steel to further develop and commercialise, Imperial researchers will also be working on an accelerator programme at the centre to support the quick transfer of new insights to the industry.