Without fossil fuels, there can be no blast furnace process – but hydrogen could play a more important role in the future. An environmentally friendly process is being developed at TU Wien by which biomass can be used to produce a hydrogen-rich gas that can then be employed in various ways in the iron and steel industry. TU Wien and voestalpine now aim to conduct further joint research on the subject. The long-term vision is a renewable energy source, firmly anchored in the design of an integrated iron and steel works.