77recyclinginternational.com | July/August | 2021
ferrous
steel) shows that China produced 99.5
Mt in May 2021, up 6.6% on May
2020. The year to date is 13.9% high-
er. India produced 9.2 Mt, up 46.9% (a
year-to-date rise of 33.6%). Japan pro-
duced 8.4 Mt, up 42.2% (+9.1% year-
to-date). The United States produced
7.2 Mt, up 47.6% (+10.6%). Turkey
produced 3.2 Mt, up 42.4% (+21.2%).
Brazil produced 3.2 Mt, up 40.1%
(+20.3%). Other totals are estimated:
Russia is put at 6.6 Mt, up 14.0%.
South Korea is estimated to have pro-
duced 6.0 Mt, up 10.5%. Germany is
estimated to have produced 3.5 Mt,
up 35.5%. Iran is estimated to have
produced 2.6 Mt, up 7.7%.
In May, worldsteel issued a paper out-
lining the challenges and opportuni-
ties facing the steel industry in reduc-
ing CO2 emissions in line with the
aims of the Paris Agreement. Director
general Edwin Basson said, ‘What is
absolutely clear is that governments
and other stakeholders will need to
work with the steel industry to over-
come the technological and economic
challenges and create the market con-
ditions necessary for the steel industry
to transition to low-carbon steelmak-
ing effectively.’
GREEN STRATEGIES
Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine has secured the intellectual property rights for an industri-
al scale process for carbon-neutral steel production without the use of fossil carbon. Its
patent covers the production of sponge iron and uses green hydrogen and biogas in the
direct reduction process. The company plans to grant licences for the pre-material used in
steel production. Using a hybrid technology and electric arc furnaces would allow CO2
emissions to be reduced by around 30%, it says. Chairman Herbert Eibensteiner says: ‘We
are convinced that transforming Europe’s steel industry is only possible when we all pull
together.’
Meanwhile, A new 10-year strategy from EMR sets a vision for a switch to 100% renewable
power usage, electric vehicles and a desired improvement in energy productivity across the
business of at least 10%. A roadmap is set out in ‘Our Decade of Action’ to establish a
2030 net-zero target for indirect emissions created by the purchase of electricity or steam
and a 2040 target for direct emissions from all owned and/or controlled sources and indi-
rect emissions in the value chain. Chris Sheppard, EMR group ceo says: ‘Committing to
decarbonisation is key to driving the green recovery of the global economy in a post-Covid
world, creating jobs and driving investment while delivering on global climate objectives.’
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