This founder is making cheaper, cleaner steel

Hertha Metals’ founder Laureen Meroueh has developed a single-step furnace that melts iron ore into liquid steel using natural gas instead of coal, cutting emissions by at least 50% and reducing production costs 25% versus conventional blast-furnace methods. The pilot plant in Conroe, Texas, produces one metric ton of steel per day, and the company has raised roughly $20 million to expand its capacity while retaining the ability to switch to hydrogen-based decarbonisation later.