Page 27 - Steel Tech India eMagazine Volume January 2021

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Developing Technologies to Support

Sustainable Steelmaking

*Rolando Paolone
Danieli, ITALY

In the past, steel producers around the world were threshold, with a target of zero emissions by 2050. To
focused mainly on increasing productivity and product do so, the EU has been asking industrial organizations
quality, as a way to either strengthen or increase market to develop technologies to help reach this ambitious
share.A plant’s output, with focus on transformation goal, while helping fund relevant research activities.
costs, is key for the producer’s Return on Investment Structural changes require decisions and strong
(ROI) for capital expenses (CapEx) and operating actions. In recent years the steel community understood
expenses (OpEx). In this century, and mainly for the VJCV DGECWUG VJG FGſPGF FCVGU CTG KPEJKPI ENQUGT KV
Western Hemisphere, arguments like workers’ safety is necessary to advance steadily and quickly towards
and environmental issues have become more and such goals. Carbon dioxide (CO ) is the main issue
more important for steel industry sustainability. 2
when thinking about greenhouse gas emissions.
Proper use of resources, circular economics, and This is gas that is commonly present in nature: it is
reduced emissions are concerns that regularly rise on the emitted by animals, human beings, plant respiration
list of companies’ top priorities. Individual nations have and decomposition, and it is regularly transformed
grown to understand the importance of environmental through different natural processes, such as plant
UWUVCKPCDKNKV[ CPF JCXG FGſPGF GOKUUKQPU VCTIGVU HTQO photosynthesis: to foster their growth, they absorb CO
2
2020 to 2050 (starting with the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and release oxygen instead. Industrial activities have
and, in greater detail, with the Paris Agreement in increased CO emissions, using fossil fuel to produce
2
2015). The action plan outlined objectives and dates energy, resulting in an unbalanced system. The diagram
for steps needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in (Figure 1) shows the percentage of greenhouse
(GHG), keeping temperature increases below the 2°C gases emitted by the different sectors, while (Figure 2)

Fig.1: The percentage of greenhouse gases emitted by the different sectors

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