The world’s largest steel company is going to use rabbit gut microbes to cut its emissions.
ArcelorMittal is planning to spend €87 million (£62m) to use a microbe originally found in a rabbit’s gut to turn a waste gas, which contributes to global warming, into fuel.
Bioengineering company LanzaTech will install its technology at ArcelorMittal’s steel mill in Ghent.
The facility is expected to produce 47,000 tonnes of ethanol a year, which can be sold as a by-product of the steel-making process and used to run cars and aeroplanes.
Although carbon monoxide is not considered a direct greenhouse gas, it can lead to greater ozone concentrations in the the lowest layer of the atmosphere, contributing to climate change, the company said.
Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, added: “What we are talking about is turning an environmental liability into a financial opportunity.”
