An Integrated Analysis on the Synergistic Reduction of Carbon and Pollution Emissions from China’s Iron and Steel Industry

Decarbonization and decontamination of the iron and steel industry(ISI),which contributes up to 15%to anthropogenic CO_(2) emissions(or carbon emissions)and significant proportions of air and water pollutant emissions in China,are challenged by the huge demand for steel.Carbon and pollutants often share common emission sources,indicating that emission reduction could be achieved synergistically.Here,we explored the inherent potential of measures to adjust feedstock composition and technological structure and to control the size of the ISI to achieve carbon emission reduction(CER)and pollution emission reduction(PER).We investigated five typical pollutants in this study,namely,petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants and chemical oxygen demand in wastewater,particulate matter,SO_(2),and NO_(x) in off gases,and examined synergies between CER and PER by employing cross elasticity for the period between 2022 and 2035.The results suggest that a reduction of 8.7%-11.7%in carbon emissions and 20%-31%in pollution emissions(except for particulate matter emissions)could be achieved by 2025 under a high steel scrap ratio(SSR)scenario.Here,the SSR and electric arc furnace(EAF)ratio serve critical roles in enhancing synergies between CER and PER(which vary with the type of pollutant).However,subject to a limited volume of steel scrap,a focused increase in the EAF ratio with neglection of the available supply of steel scrap to EAF facilities would lead to an increase carbon and pollution emissions.Although CER can be achieved through SSR and EAF ratio optimization,only when the crude steel production growth rate remains below 2.2%can these optimization measures maintain the emissions in 2030 at a similar level to that in 2021.Therefore,the synergistic effects between PER and CER should be considered when formulating a development route for the ISI in the future.

Impact of material and energy flow variation-based iron /steel ratio on production cost

This paper establishes a model for the production cost of iron and steel enterprise.The variation rule of the production cost versus the iron/steel ratio for two cases, namely,fixed steel production and a fixed amount of molten iron,is analyzed,and the concept of a steel scrap threshold price is proposed.According to the analysis results,when the steel scrap unit price exceeds the steel scrap threshold price, an increase in the iron/steel ratio can reduce the production cost,and vice versa.When the gap between the steel scrap unit price and the steel scrap threshold price is relatively large, the impact of the iron/steel ratio on the production cost is more prominent.According to the calculation example,when steel production is fixed （284 358 t/month）and the steel scrap unit price is 263.2 yuan/t more than the steel scrap threshold price,an increase of 0.01 in the iron/steel ratio causes a monthly production cost reduction of approximately 750 000 yuan （2.63 yuan/t）.When the amount of molten iron is fixed （270 425 t/month）and the steel scrap unit price is 140.7 yuan/t more than the threshold price,an increase of 0.01 in the iron/steel ratio causes a monthly production cost reduction of approximately 430 000 yuan （1.5 yuan/t）.The results indicate that iron and steel enterprise should adjust the production strategy in time when the scrap price fluctuates, and then the production cost will be reduced.

Discussion on Abnormal Corrosion and Material Selection of Hot Iron Ladles with Steel Scrap Addition

The abnormal corrosion of hot iron ladles was investigated.The performance,the composition and the structure of bricks for hot iron ladles were analyzed.The results show that(1)compared with the alumina-silicon carbide-carbon bricks for the ladle bottom,those for the ladle wall have more pyrophyllite and the Al2O3 content of 36.32 mass%;their bulk density,apparent porosity and cold compressive strength are lower than the requirement of industry standard;they have poor anti-oxidation performance and are oxidized to form a porous layer during service,which loosens the brick lining structure thus leading to fracture,local wear and structural damage of bricks;(2)without preheating,steel scraps are not completely melted,resulting in slag or steel attachment at the mouth or the bottom of ladles thus increasing damage of ladles;(3)and the residual bricks react with the attached slag to form low melting point phases affecting their hot properties.The refractories for the lining of hot iron ladles must be improved in combination with process changes,not entirely by raw materials replacement to reduce costs.

The study of metal cycles in China

A model of Fe-flow in the life cycle of steel product was put forward and analyzed. Three important resource and environmental indicators for Fe-flow analysis,that is,steel scrap index,iron ore index and iron loss index were derived from this model. Illustrative examples,demonstrating the influence of the variation of steel output on steel scrap index and iron ore index were given. Case studies for estimating the values of steel scrap index of Japan,China and USA in the period of 1988-1997 were carried out. It was clarified that the main reason of severe deficiency in steel scraps for China's steel industry was its continued rapid growth. The study of iron,copper,zinc and lead cycle in China was carried out successfully according to this model.

CVD growth of graphene on copper-plated scrap steel without external carbon source

Chemical vapor deposition(CVD)using gaseous hydrocarbon sources has shown great promise for large-scale graphene growth,but high growth temperatures(typically 1000℃)require sophisticated and expensive equipment,which increases graphene production costs.Here,we demonstrate a new approach to produce graphene at low cost from scrap steel sheets treated by thermal evaporation of copper plating,which is a derivative of traditional CVD technology.Without additional carbon sources,graphene film was successfully prepared on copper-coated scrap steel sheets at 820℃.The resulting graphene has few defects and uniform morphology,comparable to CVD graphene grown at 1000℃.Finally,the obtained graphene film is used in combination with an interdigital electrode to detect NO_(2)successfully,showing excellent performance.This technology expands the application of graphene in the manufacture of gas sensing devices and is compatible with traditional microelectronics technology.

Value chain and statistical entropy analyses based on iron flows in China during 1990-2015

The iron and steel industry in China has experienced vast changes over the past thirty years.To have a precise knowledge of the circumstances behind its evolution,it is essential to perform an iron flow analysis.Accordingly,iron flow analysis for the years 1990-2015 was conducted.Firstly,the iron natural resource efficiency,Chinese steel scrap index,and Chinese iron ore support ratio which can reflect the running status of China's iron and steel industry for these six years(1990,1995,2000,2005,2010,and 2015)were analyzed;thereafter,value chain and statistical entropy analyses were conducted based on the iron flow analysis,and some interesting results were obtained.Discussions and conclusions based on the results along with the recommendations for the China's iron and industry were proposed.