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On the pulseof green transformation
March 8 is dedicated to International Women’s Day each year. A perfect opportunity to introduce some of our female talents and engineers at thyssenkrupp. They are the ones helping shape the world of tomorrow every day. One of them is Janaina Solvelino Brum, an engineer in reduction metallurgy at thyssenkrupp Steel.
Fascination with the blast furnace
When Janaina began studying engineering in Ouro Preto, Brazil, she had never seen a blast furnace in person. “I always wanted to become an engineer,” she says. “But I wasn’t sure which field to specialize in.” She considers it fortunate that she chose metallurgy, the field she works in today. “I really like the atmosphere here in industry and production, and I enjoy working in Duisburg, the largest steelmaking location in Europe.”
After completing vocational training as an industrial mechanic and earning her bachelor’s degree, the Brazilian-born engineer moved to Germany’s Ruhr region to pursue a master’s degree specializing in metallurgy and forming technology. After graduating in 2013, she joined thyssenkrupp Steel’s Competence Center Metallurgy. Janaina still remembers her first visit to a steel company as a student very clearly: “I remember exactly what my first tour was like. I was completely fascinated when I saw the blast furnace,” she recalls. “It was impressive to see just how dynamic the steelmaking process is.”
Probably one of the most exciting jobs of our time
Today, Janaina is helping guide this very steel production into a new era and contributes directly to the green transformation of the steel industry every day. “As an engineer in reduction metallurgy, I focus on assessing the quality of raw materials and feedstocks for pig iron production, as well as optimizing their use in the production process,” Janaina explains. As part of thyssenkrupp Steel’s Strategy 20-30 and the construction of the first direct reduction plant for producing pig iron with hydrogen instead of coal, many new and challenging tasks await Janaina and her colleagues in the years ahead.
"I'm currently involved in a project to investigate the sintering phases," explains the engineer. "It's a great opportunity to be directly involved in the transformation of this industry and an exciting time to be working at thyssenkrupp Steel!" says Janaina happily.
The path to green steel
With the green transformation of the steel industry, Janaina's department and everyday working life are also constantly changing. "Traditional pig iron production has to be completely restructured for climate-neutral steel production," says the engineer. "The metallurgy sector in particular is facing a huge and sustainable challenge." Following the first tests on the use of hydrogen in ongoing blast furnace operations in 2020 and the first CO2-reduced products such as bluemint® Steel, thyssenkrupp Steel recently took the next decisive step towards green steel with the award of a billion-euro contract to launch one of the world's largest industrial decarbonization projects.
"In the coming years, we will focus entirely on this transformation and adapt the quality assessment of raw and input materials as well as the use optimization in the production process for the direct reduction plant, which has different quality requirements compared to the blast furnace," explains Janaina.
The new plant is scheduled for completion in 2026 and will save 3.5 million tons of CO2 emissions at the Duisburg site every year from then on. The aim is to produce climate-neutral steel by 2045 at the latest. For Janaina, this is one of the reasons why she enjoys working at thyssenkrupp Steel so much."
"I enjoy my work every day!"
"thyssenkrupp Steel stands for innovation in steel and high-quality products for the most demanding applications," she says. "I think the current conversion for the future production of green premium steel is very good and thyssenkrupp Steel offers us employees many training opportunities on the way there." By converting to direct reduction, the company is not only taking responsibility for future generations and reducing its CO2 footprint, but also creating concrete future prospects for Germany as a steel location and its workforce.
For Janaina, it's a complete package! "I enjoy my work every day because it's very dynamic," she says. "As I deal with different topics, I can continuously deepen and expand my knowledge and learn something new." What she particularly likes about her day-to-day work is how diverse and varied it is and the collaboration with colleagues. Janaina also appreciates the work-life balance at thyssenkrupp Steel: "There has been a company kindergarten in Duisburg since 2013, the Stahlsternchen. I can take my child to kindergarten and go to work without worrying because I know that my child is very well looked after."
The path to becoming an engineer
Janaina advises prospective engineers to inform themselves carefully about the upcoming transformation, which will not only affect the steel industry in the coming years, but also other specialist areas of engineering. Which areas and skills will be in demand in the future? This means that appropriate specializations can be chosen during training or studies. "Internships or student traineeships are also very important. They allow you to experience work processes in practice and get a first professional impression," says Janaina. "This is a great help when it comes to deciding on a specific specialist area.