A novel industrial reactor that produces steel using only electricity hit a major milestone after producing a ton of steel at a prototype facility in Massachusetts, US. The technology was developed at MIT and is now set to help the steel industry reduce its emission footprint, a press release said.

Steel production is one of the major contributors to anthropogenic carbon emissions, responsible for up to nine percent of total carbon released into the atmosphere. For every ton of steel produced, 1.89 tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere.