How to Reduce CO2 Emissions
in Steel Manufacturing

Steel : one of the largest industrial emitters of CO2.

The steel industry accounts for between 4% and 7% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions globally. By 2020, the global steel production is expected to grow by 30% hence making it imperative to reduce the impact of the industry on the environment.

The estimated CO2 emission reduction potential across the industry is approximately 27 Million tonnes/year.

Here are ways in which we can reduce CO2 emissions in steel making

Optimising Energy

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Upgrade to newer technology in factories – it’s often seen that older devices consume unnecessary energy. Have energy audits conducted regularly to see how to optimise electricity usage and avoid being wasteful. Using the waste energy that occurs in the process will also result in less energy purchased and lower the overall CO2 emissions. 

Fuel Switching

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About 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a direct or indirect result of extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Fuel switching is simply the process of replacing dirty, non-renewable fossil fuels with clean, renewable fuels. In the coming years, the 4 main sectors that will undergo full switching to electricity will be industrial processes transportation, commercial buildings, and residences. Steel is a huge component of these industries.

Recycling Steel

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Recycling metal conserves natural resources by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thr process uses less energy than making metal from virgin ore. The production of new metal releases a far greater amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared with making products from recycled metal. These emissions as we know, cause harmful levels of air pollution in cities and influence climate change. Scrap steel is extremely valuable. Therefore, it should be recovered whenever it can – during which a marginal amount of steel goes to waste.

Training & Awareness

______________________________________

Companies and their workers must undergo training programmes to gain insight on steps to operate the production of steel efficiently. This further means, learning ways to optimise the use of machinery and equipment, thorough processes that tally with energy statistics and a reward system for those who meet targets.

Optimising Energy

Upgrade to newer technology in factories – it’s often seen that older devices consume unnecessary energy. Have energy audits conducted regularly to see how to optimise electricity usage and avoid being wasteful. Using the waste energy that occurs in the process will also result in less energy purchased and lower the overall CO2 emissions. 

Fuel Switching

About 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a direct or indirect result of extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Fuel switching is simply the process of replacing dirty, non-renewable fossil fuels with clean, renewable fuels. In the coming years, the 4 main sectors that will undergo full switching to electricity will be industrial processes transportation, commercial buildings, and residences. Steel is a huge component of these industries.

Recycling Steel

Recycling metal conserves natural resources by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thr process uses less energy than making metal from virgin ore. The production of new metal releases a far greater amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared with making products from recycled metal. These emissions as we know, cause harmful levels of air pollution in cities and influence climate change. Scrap steel is extremely valuable. Therefore, it should be recovered whenever it can – during which a marginal amount of steel goes to waste.

Training & Awareness

Companies and their workers must undergo training programmes to gain insight on steps to operate the production of steel efficiently. This further means, learning ways to optimise the use of machinery and equipment, thorough processes that tally with energy statistics and a reward system for those who meet targets.

European Steel Association (EUROFER) is conducting intensive research for breakthrough technologies which are predicted to reduce C02 emissions from steel making by more than 50%.  This potential however relies strongly on a substitution of local raw materials with increased imports of best performance raw materials – especially ores and coal.

Credits : 
https://climeon.com/how-to-reduce-co2-emissions-in-the-iron-and-steel-manufacturing-industries/
https://setis.ec.europa.eu/system/files/Technology_Information_Sheet_Energy_Efficiency_and_CO2_Reduction_in_the_Iron_and_Steel_Industry.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-12/documents/ironsteel.pdf
Image Credits
Image by Roman Khirpkov on Unsplash