Steel in the Circular Economy PDF

Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Reduce, reuse, remanufacture and recycle are crucial to a circular economy. 02 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Introduction The cir...

Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Reduce, reuse, remanufacture and recycle are crucial to a circular economy. 02 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Introduction The circular economy is a move from linear business models, in which products are manufactured from raw materials and then discarded at the end of their useful lives, to circular business models, where intelligent design leads to products or their parts being reused, remanufactured and Reduce Reuse recycled. Reduce means decreasing the Reuse is using an object or amount of material, energy, material again, either for The concept of the circular economy drives waste and other resources its original purpose or for optimal resource efficiency. It makes sure used to create steel, and a similar purpose, without that resources are allocated to products reducing the weight of steel significantly altering the and services in such a way as to enable a used in products. physical form of the object sustainable future for everyone. or material. All steel products need to be designed efficiently and to be durable, easy to reuse and remanufacture, and ultimately recycled. In a well-structured circular economy, the steel industry has significant competitive advantages over other materials. Given the inherent properties of steel, Remanufacture Recycle many of the circular economy principles Remanufacturing is the Melting steel scrap from are already well established. standardised industrial products at the end of process of restoring used their useful life to create steel-containing products to new steels. Recycling alters as-new. the physical form of the steel object so that a new application can be created from the recycled material. Case studies Numerous initiatives are increasingly emphasising the value of steel as a circular material. For examples, visit worldsteel.org/circular economy.  Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy 03 Steel in the circular economy Among the major materials used Adopting circular principles is The industry is continuing to today, steel has one of the lowest an integral part of industrial expand its offer of advanced levels of GHG emissions per tonne and societal transformation and high-strength steels which of material produced. However, is an important contributor to reduce the weight of applications, due to the scale of the use of meeting the targets of the Paris and encourage circular economy steel, the industry must reduce its Agreement. practices. impact and is therefore exploring a number of decarbonisation As a permanent material which For society, the benefits of a paths. can be recycled over and over circular economy include durable again without losing its properties, products, local jobs, reduced There is no single solution steel is fundamental to the circular emissions, and the conservation economy. of raw materials for future to reducing GHG emissions. generations. Adopting circular principles is crucial LAR EC ONOMY BEN EFIT to tackling all CU CIR S environmental Application Rail weight tracks Ra impacts, including Raw Co-products w n materials climate change. io m ct at du er Car re ial Energy components sc ns E ssio ons UC RE D erva Emi US RE Water E tion Waste Steel beams Cars Machine Efficie E tion tools UR CT ova RE FA ncy YC U C AN Packaging LE Inn Engines R EM Buildings Wind turbines Electric ts Bridges motors Job duc s pro ble Dura 04 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Reduce Decreasing the amount of material, energy, waste and other resources used to create steel and reducing the weight of steel used in products. Integrating the concept of doing more with less. Reduce in steel applications Over the past 50 years, the steel industry In construction, substituting high- has invested in research and technology strength steels for regular steels can to create new grades of advanced and achieve a CO2 reduction of around 30% ultra-high-strength steels. These grades in steel columns and around 20% in have reduced considerably the weight of steel beams due to the reduced tonnage many steel applications. of steel products needed for the same function. Optimising the weight of products is an integral part of a circular economy. Whether it is a wind turbine, By reducing weight, the amount of raw construction panel, a vehicle, or a steel materials and energy used to create the can, the application of high-strength product is decreased, reducing pressure steels means that less steel is required to on raw materials. provide the same strength and functionality. This also has a knock- Lighter weight applications which take on effect by reducing the amount of advantage of high-strength steels, such other materials required, for example as vehicles, also produce fewer emissions in foundations. In addition, the during the use phase of their life. development of better coating systems results in an extended service life and hence reduced material demand. Sharing economy In a sharing economy, individuals rent goods rather than own them. Today, on-demand services, such as BlaBlaCar or DiDi in the case of mobility, are becoming increasingly appealing. By maximising the utility of one unit (e.g. vehicle) produced, unnecessary manufacturing can be avoided leading to energy and raw materials savings. Steel’s durability, strength and environmental advantages in products have a vital role in this new, more sustainable economy.  Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy 05 WEIGHT REDUCTION BENEFITS Job creation Reduced use in R&D of raw materials Automotive Construction Packaging High-strength steels have led to Reduced considerable weight reduction in a Reduced emissions wide range of applications. transport impact Reduced energy use Material efficiency Reduce during steel production Since 1900 the global steel industry has recycled over 25 billion tonnes of Replacing energy produced from steel. This has reduced iron ore consumption by around 33 billion tonnes, as fossil fuels with energy produced well as cutting coal consumption by 16 billion tonnes. by renewable sources is becoming increasingly more important for the The industry has also dramatically reduced the use of energy. Producing one steel industry. tonne of steel today requires just 40% of the energy it did in 1960. Over the same period, steel production has increased nearly ten times. Another area that the steel industry and its customers are working hard to improve is reducing the yield World crude steel production in million tonnes loss in downstream manufacturing Indexed global energy consumption / tonne of crude steel production processes by working together with 2,000 Mt its customers. 100% 1,800 Mt A common drive to diminish the 90% 1,600 Mt percentage of offcuts, which are 80% 1,400 Mt then re-melted to make new steel, 70% will lead to greater productivity 1,200 Mt as well as energy and resource 60% 1000 Mt savings. 50% 800 Mt 40% 600 Mt 30% 400 Mt 20% 10% 200 Mt 0% 0 Mt 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 06 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Reduce through material efficiency Today, material efficiency is an integral part of the modern steelmaking process. Our goal is to use all raw materials to their full capacity, ensuring zero waste from steelmaking. This ambition guarantees that almost every co-product formed during steelmaking is used in new products. This approach minimises the amount of waste sent to landfill, reduces emissions, and preserves raw materials. The steel industry produces more than 20 different co-products. Slag is a co-product of the steelmaking processes (electric arc furnace, blast furnace, and basic oxygen furnace) and can be used to make a range of products, including cement, fertilisers, and roadstone. Process gases from coke, iron and steel production are typically used within the steelmaking plant, replacing steam and electricity, or exported to the local grid. Other co-products such as dust are used for their high metallic content. Water is recirculated within the plant, especially for cooling purposes; around 90% of the water used in steelmaking is cleaned and either reused or returned to its source. The valuable co-products, including Waste is another area in which the slag, dust, and process gases are steel industry has made huge gains fully utilised in other applications over the past decades. Working with and industries, avoiding the use of external partners, the industry has primary materials such as cement been able to find markets for around clinker or electricity generation. 98% of its solid and liquid production with only a 2% waste stream.  Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy 07 Material efficiency in steel production output STEEL PRODUCTION OUTPUT Co-products SLAG 28% Cement Fertilisers Roadstone DUST Asphalt Zinc Steel Iron 70% PROCESS GASES Electricity Heating Waste OTHER CO-PRODUCTS 2% Pencil pitch Fertilisers Plastics Paints The steel industry finds markets for around 97% of its solid and liquid co- products. 08 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Reuse Reuse is using an object or material again, either for its original purpose or for a similar purpose, without significantly altering the physical form of the object or material. Reuse in steel applications Steel’s durability enables many This allows both small- and large-scale products to be reused at the end of products to be repurposed for another their life. As well as extending the use quickly and efficiently once their product’s lifespan, reuse avoids the initial use is fulfilled. need to transport and re-melt the steel, and to create new products. This has High-speed rail tracks, for example, significant advantages for the can be designed so that once they have environment and maximises the use of been worn to a certain point and are no resources. longer usable on high-speed lines, they become suitable for low-speed tracks. In a fully circular economy, the reuse of a manufactured product is considered in the earliest design phases of its creation. Cargo containers Housing Low-speed High-speed railway track railway track Short-span bridge USE AND REUSE Cable-stayed bridge  Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy 09 USE Reuse in buildings Buildings are a prime example of where School designing for reuse is critical if we are to conserve resources. Modular design using steel construction methods and demountable connections (screws, bolts) allows buildings to be repurposed quickly and cost effectively without remanufacturing, as needs change. For example, a community might build a school to meet the needs of a growing population. Office As community needs change, the internal walls can be removed to create open spaces suitable for offices. Decades later the rooms can be re-divided to create retirement units. Integrating reuse into the economy presents a range of new opportunities for consumers and steelmakers. In our current business model, buildings are typically constructed with new steel beams as their quality and strength is guaranteed by the steelmaker. In an economy where Retirement reuse is well established, steel companies Home will continue to examine new business models and may offer services such as testing and recertifying used beams before they are reused. Documenting the chain of custody will ensure the parts can be tracked and the quality guaranteed. This provides the builder with the safety guarantee they require, low-cost fast FUTURE remodelling solutions for building owners, and a source of revenue for the steelmaker. 10 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Remanufacture Remanufacturing is the standardised industrial process of restoring used steel-containing products to as-new. Remanufacture of steel-containing products In a truly circular economy, products Once recertified, the application is then which reach the end of their life are ‘as-new’ and can continue to be utilised restored to as-new condition in a for longer. process known as remanufacturing. A key limitation to the growth of Remanufacturing involves the remanufacturing is a lack of awareness disassembly of a product, during which of and confidence in remanufactured each component is thoroughly cleaned, products. Consumers who are used examined for damage, and either to the ‘make, use and dispose’ linear reconditioned or replaced with a new or economic model, common in developed upgraded part. economies may be reluctant to adopt remanufactured goods. There is still The product is then reassembled and a significant lack of awareness of the tested to ensure performance to at social, financial and environmental least the original specification. The benefits generated by this process. goal is to restore an application which can be offered with a guarantee that is The steel industry enables equivalent to or better than that of the manufacturers to design their products original product. with dismantling and remanufacturing in mind. Remanufacturing differs from repairing/ refurbishing, which is a process limited Ensuring that components are modular, to making the product operational as standardised, and easy to remove opposed to thoroughly restoring it. means that they are more likely to be Remanufacturing is already in place in repaired or remanufactured. many industries, such as construction and farm machinery, production of truck and car engines, electrical motors, domestic appliances, and wind turbines. Steel applications Remanufacturing takes advantage of are particularly the durability of steel components. It guarantees that the energy used to well suited to create the components is preserved – remanufacturing. as only the faulty or worn components are replaced or reconditioned.  Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy 11 USE End-of-life T e stin g Remanufacturing can significantly extend the life span ti o n of steel-using pec products In s R e m e diatio b ly na em Sk s tie nd ill e d ss ni wo u is a mm re r kf o se orce in lo c al c as D m bly Examples of benefits Return on investment is increased significantly 25 to 50% cheaper for the customer 80% energy saving Substantial conservation of raw materials 12 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Recycle Melting steel scrap from products at the end of their useful life to create new steels. Recycling alters the physical form of the steel object so that a new application can be created from the recycled material while maintaining the inherent properties of the original steel. Steel recycling: Attributes and benefits Steel has been recycled ever since it was This includes pre-consumer scrap from first made. All available steel scrap is manufacturing and post-consumer scrap recycled, over and over again to create from steel products at the end of their new steel products in a closed useful life. material loop. Although all available steel scrap is Recycled steel maintains the inherent recycled, there is not enough scrap properties of the original steel. These available to meet demand for properties can be modified during new steel products. the steelmaking process or through mechanical processes to create the many While many steel products such as thousands of advanced and commodity packaging and vehicles have a short to steel grades available. The quality of the medium service life, large-scale products steel product can also be improved on such as buildings and bridges are recycling. designed to last for decades or centuries. The high value of steel scrap ensures In the future, all of this material will be the economic viability of recycling. With recycled to meet our ever-growing need its inherent magnetic properties, steel for low-carbon steel. is easy and affordable to recover from almost any waste stream. This is why steel is the most recycled material in the world. Around 680 million tonnes (Mt) of steel were recycled in 2021, avoiding over one billion tonnes of CO2 emissions that would have been emitted from the production of virgin steel.  Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy 13 Steel is 100% recyclable. 14 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy Earth Ma nu fa ct ur ing Pr e-c on su m e r recy c li n g In 2021, worldsteel estimates that the USE global steel industry Po recycled around st -c ns o um 650-700 Mt of steel. er rec y c li n g Steel attributes Benefits of steel recycling One tonne of steel Infinite recycled saves recycling Raw materials on average : without loss conservation 1,400 kg iron one of properties 740 kg coal 120 kg limestone Recycling a single steel can saves : Permanent 70% 1 laundry load, or material Energy saving 1 hour TV, or 24 hours of a 10 watt LED bulb Easy magnetic Jobs required separation for scrap collection, Job creation and recovery separation and recycling The World Steel Association (worldsteel) is one of the largest and most dynamic industry associations in the world, with members in every major steel-producing country. worldsteel represents steel producers, national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes. Members represent around 85% of global steel production. © World Steel Association | Design: MakeAlias.com  Steel - the permanent material in the circular economy 15 Steel is infinitely recyclable.