MT Magazine September/October 2023

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How Steel Is Going Green In 1950, 189 million metric tons of crude steel were produced globally, according to the World Steel Association. Ten years later that amount nearly doubled to 347 million. In 1970, 595 million, then 717 million in 1980, and 770 million in 1990. At the turn of the century, the number rose to 850, then rose significantly by 2010 to 1,435 metric tons. By 2020 the amount of crude steel produced globally was 1,879 metric tons. There is plenty of steel being used to manufacture products of all types, as well as for construction and other applications, and that’s not going to change. The amount of steel used to produce things will grow. But there’s a concern – one that even the World Steel Association, the preeminent steel industry association, recognizes: “In 2020, on average, every tonne of steel produced led to the emission of 1.89 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. In 2020, 1,860 million tonnes (Mt) of steel were produced, and total direct emissions from our sector were of the order of 2.6 billion tonnes, representing between 7% and 9%. of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions.” Yes, there are significant amounts of emissions associated with producing steel in the traditional way: About 70% of steel is produced with the blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace approach. The blast-furnace approach is based in transforming iron ore into pig iron using coke – which is made from coal – as fuel. There are some innovations in steelmaking that are being pursued, such as using green hydrogen to provide energy. Carbon Free Another innovative method is being developed by Boston Metal, a company that spun out of MIT 10 years ago. The company’s director of communications, Dawn Kelly, says the goal is to license the company’s molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) method to steelmakers by 2026. The approach is elegant in its simplicity. It takes carbon out of the process.

their products, services, and operations on climate change. “We expect suppliers to improve the efficiency of their energy, water, and natural resource usage, to minimize hazardous waste materials, to dispatch goods in adequate outer packaging and foster reusable/recycled packaging materials, and to responsibly manage their air emissions. “We expect suppliers to collaborate with Boeing to improve the processes and systems throughout the product lifecycle to protect the environment. Over time, we expect suppliers to establish environmental sustainability priorities and report their progress.” Those that roll their eyes when it comes to their manufacturing and the environment are going to find themselves with eyes wide open with surprise if they don’t begin to transform their operations to keep up with the requirements of these major manufacturers. While a given company may not directly supply aerospace, appliances, or automotive (just to name three), their customers could be doing so, and all of these companies are looking up and down the supply chain. Moving in the Right Direction While there are some clear issues within a manufacturing operation that need to be addressed in order to move in the direction of a more environmentally appropriate approach – like the issue of chemicals used in processes (which may actually fall under regulatory rules, so this isn’t something that is not just nice to address but legally required) – there is something that can be done that will have benefits across the board. Back in 1990, after the publication of “The Machine That Changed the World” by James Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos, companies large and small started paying attention to lean production, which is defined by the Lean Enterprise Institute as: “A business system for organizing and managing product development, operations, suppliers, and customer relations that requires less human effort, less space, less capital, less material, and less time to make products with fewer defects to precise customer desires, compared with the previous system of mass production.” However, this isn’t an approach only valued by mass manufacturers. It benefits companies of all sizes.

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