ISSF Stainless Steel and Co2

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Stainless Steel and CO2: Facts and Scientic Observations


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ISSF STAINLESS STEEL AND CO2- 2

Contents

Introduction

General facts

Stainless steel life-cycle

CO2emissions

CO2emissions from the production of ore and ferro-alloys

CO2emissions connected to the electricity required to produce stainless steel at the plant

Direct production emissions

The role of the stainless steel industry in CO2emissions

Annex: Summary of results

References and sources

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Introduction

15 June 2015

Like any other industry, the stainless steelindustry aims to reduce its CO

2emissions. The

purpose of this document is to clarify what thoseemissions are and where they originate. In orderto achieve these objectives, we have quantied theCO

2emitted from the following three sources:

1. The extraction and preparation of ores andproduction of ferro-alloys, including theelectricity needed for these processes

2. Electricity consumed within the stainless steelindustry

3. The production process at stainless steel sites

This study enables us to identify the main sourcesof CO

2from the production of stainless steel and

to better understand the stainless steel industryscontribution to carbon dioxide emissions fromcradle to gate of the manufacturing sites.

General facts

Stainless steel is the term used to describea remarkable and extremely versatile familyof metals that contain a minimum of 10.5%chromium. Chromium is essential to achieve themetals stainless properties. Other alloyingelements (such as nickel, molybdenum andcopper) provide a wide range of mechanical andphysical properties.

Stainless steel has applications that rangefrom household cutlery to reactor tanks for the

chemical industry. Stainless steels resistanceto corrosion and staining coupled with its lowmaintenance and 100% recyclability make it anideal base material for many applications. Indeed,its mechanical properties promote the use ofstainless steel in buildings and public workssuch as railways, subways, tunnels and bridges.Food storage tanks and transport vehicles areoften made of stainless steel because it is easy toclean and has excellent hygienic properties. Thisleads to the use of stainless steel in commercial

kitchens and food processing plants, as it can besteam cleaned, sterilised, and does not need anyadditional surface treatment (ISSF, 2009).

There are basically two ways to produce stainlesssteel: from ore-based primary raw material; orfrom recycled material. The rst method uses ablast furnace (BF) and its main inputs are coal andore. The second method utilises an electric arc

furnace (EAF) and its main inputs are scrap steeland electricity. The EAF route is the main process

used to make stainless steel. In fact, more than80% (estimated) of all new stainless steel is madeusing the EAF method (ISSF, 2009).

For the stainless steel industry, scrap has ahigh intrinsic value. The only limitation is theavailability of scrap, especially in emergingcountries. The durability of stainless steelrestricts the availability of scrap. For example,when stainless steel is used in buildings, itremains there for many years and cannot be

reused before the building is dismantled.

Stainless steel is 100% recyclable and has oneof the highest recycling rates of any material. Itis estimated that at least 80% of stainless steelsare recycled at the end of their life (see Table 1).Depending on the type, location and availability ofstainless steel scrap, production via the EAF routecan be economically advantageous. In addition,the recycling system for stainless steel is veryefcient and requires no subsidies.

Over the past fourteen years the world hasproduced approximately 400 million metric tonsof stainless steel (see Figure 1). World productionincreased from less than 20 million tons to over40 millions of tons in fourteen years. The growthin the use of stainless steel has been the highestof any material in the world (ISSF, 2015). Stainlesssteels properties, such as its 100% recyclability,

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reusability, durability, low maintenance andproduct safety, might explain this growth.

Figure 1 Stainless steel meltshop production, 2001-2014 in 1 million metric tons

Source: ISSF, 2015

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Stainless steel life-cycle

Yale University (2013) describes the stainless steellife-cycle by identifying the materials four mainlife-stages:

1. The production process which includes theentire stainless steel making process fromcrude production to nished at and longproducts for use in manufacturing.

2. The fabrication and manufacturing processwhere the nished stainless steel is usedin different end use sectors to produce nal

goods.3. The use phase in which nal goods are

employed by the end user, and where thestainless steel remains for the lifetime of agiven product.

4. The recycling and collection process whereend-of-life products are either recycled ordisposed of in landll.

The generic life cycle of stainless steel isillustrated in Figure 2. The data shown in the

gure relates to the movements of raw materials,end use products, recycled and waste stainless in2010.

Figure 2 Life cycle of stainless steel for the year 2010. (Source: Yale University/ISSF Stainless Steel Project, 2013)

Figure 2shows that the ow of stainless steel isconnected by the generation and use of scrap.According to the Yale study, around 50% of thematerials to produce stainless steel are scrap(stainless steel and carbon steel scrap) and rawmaterials make up around 50% of the material

used to produce stainless steel. The researchcarried by Yale University (2013) also provideskey estimates of the life cycle of stainless steelproducts in six main application sectors (see Table1)

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CO2emissions

Over the last few decades, carbon dioxideemissions have become a major concern insociety. As a consequence, new environmentalpolicies have been established to control andmeasure CO

2emissions. The stainless steel

industry, just like any other industry, quantiesand communicates its emissions performance.Recent sustainability studies conducted by ISSF(between 2007 and 2013) show that emissionsfrom the production and use of stainless steel areminimal.

In order to clearly quantify the CO2emissions

during the production of stainless steel, we willidentify the CO

2emissions from:

The extraction and preparation of ores andthe production of ferro-alloys, including theelectricity needed for these processes.

The electricity production needed to producestainless steel.

The production processes at stainless steelsites.

End Use SectorAverage

lifetime (in

years)

To landll

Collected for recycling

TotalAs stainless

steel

As carbonsteel

Building and infrastructure 50 8% 92% 95% 5%

Transportation (passengercars)

14

13% 87% 85% 15%

Transportations (others) 30

Industrial Machinery 25 8% 92% 95% 5%

Household Appliances andElectronics

15 30% 70% 95% 5%

Metal Goods 15 40% 60% 80% 20%

Table 1 Life cycle of stainless steel in main application sectorsSource: Yale University/ISSF Stainless Steel Project, 2013

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CO2emissions from the

production of ore andferro-alloys

This part of the stainless steel production processincludes CO

2emissions from raw material

extraction and processes associated with theproduction of primary chromium and nickel, andcarbon steel scrap. The electricity required formining and ferro-alloy production is also included.

The main ingredients required to producestainless steel are stainless steel scrap, carbonsteel scrap and ferro-alloys such as ferro-nickel,ferro-chromium and ferro-molybdenum. The CO

2

emissions connected to the extraction of eachmaterial are shown in Table 2.

If stainless steel was to be produced solelyfrom raw materials, the CO

2emissions from the

production of ferro-alloys would be 4.2 tons /ton of stainless steel. However, CO

2emissions

decrease as the amount of stainless scrap isincreased.

On average, around 50 % of stainless steel scrap(ISSF, 2013) is used to produce one ton of stainlesssteel. As a consequence, carbon dioxide emissionsare less than 2.0 tons / ton of stainless steel.

Table 2 CO2 emissions from raw materials needed toproduce stainless steelSource: Ferronickel LCA data in 2014 data based2011 by Nickel Institute, LCI of primary Ferrochrome production in 2007 by ICDA, 2005 data fromIMOA, CO2 scrap value for LCI study of the WorldSteel Association 2000)

Raw materials (CO2

ton/ton)Element content

8.7 29% Ni in ferro-Ni

6.0 56.5% Cr in ferro-Cr

8.5 67% Mo in ferro-Mo

1.4100% Fe in carbon steel

scrap

Due to the high recycling rate of stainless steelthis represents a 52% reduction of CO

2emissions

(estimated by ISSF, 2013)

CO2emissions connected to

the electricity required toproduce stainless steel atthe plant

ISSF calculates that the amount of CO2emissions

connected to the electricity required to producestainless steel at the stainless steel plant were0.54 tons / ton of stainless steel from the datacollection in 2013.

Direct production emissions

According to PE International (2009), the amountof CO

2emitted during the production of stainless

at the steel plant varies between 0.28 and0.49 tons / ton of stainless. This includes CO

2

emissions from the use of fuel. The exact volume

depends on the type of product manufactured.ISSF measurements show similar values. ISSFcalculates that average CO

2emissions are 0.44

tons / ton stainless steel.

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The role of the stainless steel

industry in CO2emissionsFigure 3shows the share of CO

2emissions

between the three parts of the stainless steelproduction process: production of raw materials(Ni, Cr, Mo and others); electricity; and directproduction.

Figure 3 Distribution of CO2emissions

Source: 2013 Data provided by ISSF, 2015

23%

35%

00%

08%

19%

15%

Ni

Cr

Mo

others

Electricity

Direct emissions

Raw material total 1.92 ton CO2/ ton SS

0.44ton CO2 /ton SS

0.54 ton CO2 /ton SS

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% raw materials 22%

% carbon steel scrap 28%

% stainless scrap 50%

Blast furnace (BF) 10%

Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) 65%

Mixed route (BF and EAF) 25%

Emissions from raw materials(ton CO

2/ton stainless steel)

1.92

Emissions from electricity and steam(ton CO

2/ton stainless steel)

0.54

Direct emissions(ton CO

2)/ton stainless steel)

0.44

Total CO2emissions

(ton CO2)/ton stainless steel)2.90

Annex: Summary of results

Table 4 Steel composition

Source: 2013 Data provided by ISSF (2015)

Table 5 Production method

Data provided by ISSF (2014)

Table 6 Total emissions2013 Data provided by ISSF (2015)

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References and sources

[1] Hiroyuki Fujii, Toshiyuki Nagaiwa, HaruhikoKusuno and Staffan Malm, How to quantifythe environmental prole of stainless steel.Paper presented by ISSF at the SETAC NorthAmerica 26th Annual Meeting, November2005.

[2] Julia Pieger and Harald Florin, Life CycleInventory on Stainless Steel Production in theEU. PE International, 2009.

[3] Pascal Payet-Gaspard, Stainless Steel:

Sustainability and Growth. Presentation at theCRU Conference, November 2009.

[4] Barbara Reck and T.E. Graedel,Comprehensive Multilevel Cycles for StainlessSteel in 2010 Final Report to the InternationalStainless Steel Forum (ISSF) and TeamStainless, Yale University, 2013

[5] Barbara Reck, Marine Chambon, SeijiHashimoto and T.E. Graedel, Global StainlessSteel Cycle Exemplies Chinas Rise to MetalDominance

[6] LCI/LCA Study: The development of the lifecycle inventory. PE International, 2008.

[7] Scrap Survey. ISSF, 2008.

[8] What Makes Stainless Steel a SustainableMaterial? ISSF, 2009.

[9] Jeremiah Johnson, B.K. Reck, T. Wang andT.E. Graedel, The energy benet of stainlesssteel recycling. Energy Policy, Vol. 36, Issue 1,pp 181-192, 2008.

[10] Worldsteel Studies: Application of theWorldsteel LCI Data to Recycling Scenarios.World Steel Association, 2008.

[11] Accounting for steel recycling in Life CycleAssessment studies. World Steel Association,2009.

[12] ISSF Stainless Steel in Figures 2015

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http://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903584qhttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903584qhttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903584qhttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903584qhttp://www.sustainablestainless.org/why-stainlesshttp://www.sustainablestainless.org/why-stainlesshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507003655http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507003655http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507003655http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507003655http://www.worldstainless.org/Files/ISSF/non-image-files/PDF/ISSF_Stainless_Steel_in_Figures_2015_English.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/ISSF/non-image-files/PDF/ISSF_Stainless_Steel_in_Figures_2015_English.pdfhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507003655http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507003655http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507003655http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507003655http://www.sustainablestainless.org/why-stainlesshttp://www.sustainablestainless.org/why-stainlesshttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903584qhttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903584qhttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903584qhttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903584qhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdfhttp://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Howtoquantifytheenvironmentalprofileofstainlessste.pdf


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About ISSFThe International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) is anon-prot research and development organisationwhich was founded in 1996 and which serves asthe focal point for the international stainless steelindustry.

Who are the members?

ISSF has two categories of membership:company members and afliated members.

Company members are producers of stainlesssteel (integrated mills and rerollers). Afliatedmembers are national or regional stainless steelindustry associations. ISSF now has 65 membersin 25 countries. Collectively they produce 80% ofall stainless steel.

Vision

Stainless steel provides sustainable solutions foreveryday life.

More informationFor more information about ISSF, please consultour website worldstainless.org.

For more information about stainlesssteel and sustainability, please consult thesustainablestainless.orgwebsite.

Contact [email protected]

+32 2 702 89 00

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DisclaimerThe International Stainless Steel Forum believes that the informationpresented is technically correct. However, ISSF, its members, staffand consultants specically disclaim any and all liability or responsi-bility of any kind for loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use ofthe information contained in this brochure.

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ISSF Stainless Steel and Co2

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