The steel industry, responsible for roughly 7% of carbon emissions, has seen little innovation since the 1850s. Traditional blast furnaces rely on coal and high temperatures to purify iron ore. Laureen Meroueh, founder of Hertha Metals, has invented a new furnace that simplifies this process, turning iron ore into refined liquid steel in a single step while swapping coal for natural gas. This method slashes emissions by at least half and cuts costs by 25%, according to Meroueh.

Iryna Zenyuk, director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center at UC Irvine, notes the value in reducing the size and energy input of production systems. Hertha's approach addresses current industry needs rather than waiting for zero-carbon alternatives. Meroueh, a 34-year-old Lebanese-American and MIT mechanical engineering PhD, previously led a green hydrogen startup before founding Hertha in 2022.

The company's pilot plant in Conroe, Texas, produces one metric ton of steel daily—a significant achievement. Rajesh Swaminathan of Khosla Ventures calls the scale-up impressive, noting Hertha produced more steel with $20 million than competitors who raised $50-$100 million. Plans include expanding to a facility producing 10,000 metric tons annually by end-2027, with potential future transition to fully decarbonized hydrogen-based systems.