scholarly journals The Challenge of Digitalization in the Steel Sector

Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Annunziata Branca ◽  
Barbara Fornai ◽  
Valentina Colla ◽  
Maria Maddalena Murri ◽  
Eliana Streppa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steel Industry ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Iron And Steel ◽  
Steel Sector ◽  
European Industry ◽  
Economic Developments ◽  
The Impact

Digitalization represents a paramount process started some decades ago, but which received a strong acceleration by Industry 4.0 and now directly impacts all the process and manufacturing sectors. It is expected to allow the European industry to increase its production efficiency and its sustainability. In particular, in the energy-intensive industries, such as the steel industry, digitalization concerns the application of the related technologies to the production processes, focusing on two main often overlapping directions: Advanced tools for the optimization of the production chain and specific technologies for low-carbon and sustainable production. Furthermore, the rapid evolution of the technologies in the steel sector require the continuous update of the skills of the industrial workforce. The present review paper, resulting from a recent study developed inside a Blueprint European project, introduces the context of digitalization and some important definitions in both the European industry and the European iron and steel sector. The current technological transformation is depicted, and the main developments funded by European Research Programs are analyzed. Moreover, the impact of digitalization on the steel industry workforce are considered together with the foreseen economic developments.

scholarly journals Industry 4.0 and Future of Korean Steel Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16
Author(s):  
Irene Chon ◽  
◽  
Kevin Kang ◽  
Luke Jun ◽  
Alex Eugene Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steel Industry ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Iron And Steel ◽  
Significant Acceleration ◽  
Fast Development ◽  
Steel Sector

Digitalization is a fundamental process that begun several decades ago, but which got a significant acceleration by Industry 4.0 and now directly affects all the process and industrial industries. It is anticipated to enable the Korean industry to improve its production efficiency and its sustainability. In particular, in the energy-intensive industries, such as the steel industry, digitalization concerns the application of the related technologies to the production processes, focusing on two main often overlapping directions: Advanced tools for the optimization of the production chain and specific technologies for low-carbon and sustainable production. Furthermore, the fast development of technology in the steel industry demands the continual updating of the skills of the industrial personnel. This article, the case study of Korean businesses, presents the backdrop of digitalization and several key concepts in the Korean iron and steel sector. The effect of digitalization on the steel sector personnel is examined along with the anticipated economic changes.

scholarly journals Does Emission Trading Improve Carbon Emission Efficiency of China’s Iron and Steel Industry? An Exploration Using a DEA-SBM and Difference-In-Differences Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiping Wang ◽  
Sujing Wang
Keyword(s):  
Steel Industry ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Emission Trading ◽  
Energy Structure ◽  
Iron And Steel Industry ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Iron And Steel ◽  
Emission Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

Abstract As an effective tool of carbon emission reduction, emission trading has been widely used in many countries. Since 2013, China implemented carbon emission trading in seven provinces and cities, with iron and steel industry included in the first batch of pilot industries. This study attempts to explore the policy effect of emission trading on iron and steel industry in order to provide data and theoretical support for the low-carbon development of iron and steel industry as well as the optimization of carbon market. With panel data of China’s 29 provinces from 2006 to 2017, this study adopted a DEA-SBM model to measure carbon emission efficiency of China’s iron and steel industry (CEI) and a difference-in-differences (DID) method to explore the impact of emission trading on CEI. Moreover, regional heterogeneity and influencing mechanisms were further investigated, respectively. The results indicate that: (1) China's emission trading has a significant and sustained effect on carbon abatement of iron and steel industry, increasing the annual average CEI by 12.6% in pilot provinces. (2) The policy effects are heterogeneous across diverse regions. Higher impacts are found in the western and eastern regions, whereas the central region is not significant. (3) Emission trading improves CEI by stimulating technology innovation, reducing energy intensity, and adjusting energy structure. (4) Economic level and industrial structure are negatively related to CEI, while environmental governance and openness degree have no obvious impacts. Finally, according to the results and conclusions, some specific suggestions are proposed.

Greenhouse gas emissions caused by global steel industry: the past, the present and the future

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 882-901
Author(s):  
I. A. Bashmakov
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Steel Industry ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Iron And Steel ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Ferrous Metals ◽  
Steel Sector

Measures aimed at the transition of the global iron and steel industry to carbon neutrality by 2050 or beyond are in the focus of scientific, business, and political circles of many countries. If this target is to be attained, it is important to understand how demand for ferrous metals will be evolving, and when and to what extent the sector can be modernized on the low carbon basis. The paper explores the possibility and conditions for the full-scale decarbonization of the global iron and steel sector, looks into current trends in the production of key products of steel industry and related greenhouse gas emissions; estimates the contributions of all the factors behind these trends in 1900‒2019. By analyzing the relations between the economic growth and ferrous metals consumption as “services‒materials stock‒materials flow‒environment” model, the paper shows that a mechanical extrapolation of the earlier trends to 2050 and beyond may result in erroneous conclusions about the sector’s development perspectives. The factors that will eventually ensure the decoupling, i.e. a dramatic weakening or a complete rupture of the connection between economic growth and steel demand. The paper provides an analysis of the iron and steel sector decarbonization perspectives and estimates the scale and intensity of the forthcoming technological change.

scholarly journals The Impact of Financial Development on CO2 Emissions of Global Iron and Steel Industry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanmin Shao ◽  
Junlong Li ◽  
Xueli Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Financial Development ◽  
Steel Industry ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Iron And Steel Industry ◽  
Iron And Steel ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Steel Sector ◽  
The Impact

Abstract As carbon peaking and carbon neutrality have become a global consensus, more and more countries have introduced relevant policies to adapt to their own countries and formulated corresponding time roadmap. The industrial sector, especially the steel sector, which produces high levels of pollution and carbon emissions, is facing significant pressure to transform its operations to reduce CO2 emissions. Previous studies have shown the importance of financial development (FD) in environmental protection, however, the impact of FD on the CO2 emissions of the steel sector is ignored. This paper examines the impact of FD on the CO2 emissions of the iron and steel industry from a global perspective using comprehensive panel data from a total of 30 countries during the period from 1990 to 2018. Empirical results show that an improved level of FD in a given country reduces the CO2 emissions of the iron and steel industry. Our results also show that the effect of FD on reducing the CO2 emissions of the iron and steel industry in developing countries is less than its effect in developed countries. Estimation results also show the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in the iron and steel industry. The mechanism analysis indicates that FD promotes the upgrading of the structure of the iron and steel industry and the reduction of the CO2 emissions by means of the three-stage least square method. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of achieving carbon neutrality in the steel sector.

scholarly journals Innovations in anaerobic digestion: a model-based study

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol Postawa ◽  
Jerzy Szczygieł ◽  
Marek Kułażyński
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Methane Content ◽  
Pig Manure ◽  
Pig Slurry ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Increasing the efficiency of the biogas production process is possible by modifying the technological installations of the biogas plant. In this study, specific solutions based on a mathematical model that lead to favorable results were proposed. Three configurations were considered: classical anaerobic digestion (AD) and its two modifications, two-phase AD (TPAD) and autogenerative high-pressure digestion (AHPD). The model has been validated based on measurements from a biogas plant located in Poland. Afterward, the TPAD and AHPD concepts were numerically tested for the same volume and feeding conditions. Results The TPAD system increased the overall biogas production from 9.06 to 9.59%, depending on the feedstock composition, while the content of methane was slightly lower in the whole production chain. On the other hand, the AHPD provided the best purity of the produced fuel, in which a methane content value of 82.13% was reached. At the same time, the overpressure leads to a decrease of around 7.5% in the volumetric production efficiency. The study indicated that the dilution of maize silage with pig manure, instead of water, can have significant benefits in the selected configurations. The content of pig slurry strengthens the impact of the selected process modifications—in the first case, by increasing the production efficiency, and in the second, by improving the methane content in the biogas. Conclusions The proposed mathematical model of the AD process proved to be a valuable tool for the description and design of biogas plant. The analysis shows that the overall impact of the presented process modifications is mutually opposite. The feedstock composition has a moderate and unsteady impact on the production profile, in the tested modifications. The dilution with pig manure, instead of water, leads to a slightly better efficiency in the classical configuration. For the TPAD process, the trend is very similar, but the AHPD biogas plant indicates a reverse tendency. Overall, the recommendation from this article is to use the AHPD concept if the composition of the biogas is the most important. In the case in which the performance is the most important factor, it is favorable to use the TPAD configuration.

scholarly journals Doing It for Themselves: The Steel Company of Wales and the Study of American Industrial Productivity, 1945–1955

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
LOUISE MISKELL
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Steel Industry ◽  
Marshall Plan ◽  
Iron And Steel Industry ◽  
World War ◽  
Steel Company ◽  
Iron And Steel ◽  
Industrial Productivity ◽  
Steel Sector ◽  
Anglo American

This article examines the efforts of one British steel company to acquire knowledge about American industrial productivity in the first post-World War II decade. It argues that company information-gathering initiatives in this period were overshadowed by the work of the formal productivity missions of the Marshall Plan era. In particular, it compares the activities of the Steel Company of Wales with the Anglo-American Council on Productivity (AACP), whose iron and steel industry productivity team report was published in 1952. Based on evidence from its business records, this study shows that the Steel Company of Wales was undertaking its own international productivity investigations, which started earlier and were more extensive and differently focused from those of the AACP. It makes the case for viewing companies as active participants in the gathering and dissemination of productivity knowledge in Britain’s steel sector after 1945.

scholarly journals Research on the Impact of Various Emission Reduction Policies on China’s Iron and Steel Industry Production and Economic Level under the Carbon Trading Mechanism

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Duan ◽  
Zenglin Han ◽  
Hailin Mu ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Yonghua Li
Keyword(s):  
Steel Industry ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Dynamic Game ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Carbon Trading ◽  
Iron And Steel ◽  
Economic Level ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

To study the emission reduction policies’ impact on the production and economic level of the steel industry, this paper constructs a two-stage dynamic game model and analyzes various emission reduction policies’ impact on the steel industry and enterprises. New results are observed in the study: (1) With the increasing emission reduction target (15%–30%) and carbon quota trading price (12.65–137.59 Yuan), social welfare and producer surplus show an increasing trend and emission macro losses show a decreasing trend. (2) Enterprises’ reduction ranges in northwestern and southwestern regions are much higher than that of the other regions; the northeastern enterprise has the smallest reductions range. (3) When the market is balanced (0.8543–0.9320 billion tons), the steel output has decreased and the polarization in various regions has been alleviated to some extent. The model is the abstraction and assumption of reality, which makes the results have some deviations. However, these will provide references to formulate reasonable emissions reduction and production targets. In addition, the government needs to consider the whole and regional balance and carbon trading benchmark value when deciding the implementation of a single or mixed policy. Future research will be more closely linked to national policies and gradually extended to other high-energy industries.

Chasing shadows: technology and socioeconomic barriers versus climate targets for iron and steel industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (92) ◽  
pp. 33-40
Author(s):  
V. Shatokha
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Steel Industry ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Steel Production ◽  
Iron And Steel Industry ◽  
Iron And Steel ◽  
Best Available Technologies ◽  
Steel Sector ◽  
Change Mitigation

Purpose: To analyse the potential of various scenarios for reduction of carbon footprint of iron and steel sector and to reveal plausible pathways for modernisation. Design/methodology/approach: Several scenarios have been developed in order to assess the dynamics and extent of decarbonisation required to meet the global climate change mitigation target. This includes deployment of the best available technologies, increased share of secondary steel production route and deployment of innovative ironmaking technologies with various decarbonisation extent achieved in a variable timeframe. Findings: The window of opportunities to ensure compliance of steel sector development with climate goal still exists though shrinks. Modernisation shall include global deployment of best available technologies, increased share of secondary steel production and rapid deployment of innovative technologies including carbon capture and storage. Delayed modernisation will require much deeper decarbonisation, which will increase the total cost of mitigation. International policies shall be put in place to ensure availability of funding and to assist technology transfer. Short term transition strategies shall be employed as soon as possible for bridging long term climate change mitigation strategies and current state of the iron and steel industry worldwide. Research limitations/implications: Methodology applied takes into account the best available technologies and some novel ironmaking methods with the potential for commercialisation during the next decade; however, it is implied that the radically innovative iron- and steelmaking technologies with near-zero CO2 emissions will not be mature enough to deliver tangible impact on the sector’s carbon footprint before 2050. Practical implications: Obtained results can be helpful for definition of the modernisation strategies (both state-level and corporate) for the iron and steel industry. Originality/value: Dynamics and extent of decarbonisation required to meet global climate change mitigation targets have been revealed and the results can be valuable for assessment of the consistency of sectoral climate strategies with global targets.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document