Scrap metal will become the main raw material for sustainable metallurgy

The recent COP26 conference, which was attended by over 100 countries, has drawn global attention to the climate crisis. While there has been repeated criticism from recyclers that the preservation and recovery of vital materials has been largely overlooked, it is clear that global efforts to reduce carbon emissions present significant opportunities to increase scrap in the steel sector from the current average. an indicator of 30%.

Around 630 million tonnes of scrap steel are recycled worldwide each year, preventing nearly 950 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and making a “decisive contribution to climate protection,” said BIR Statistical Advisor Rolf Willeke in his update on the latest steel recycling data. Taking into account the use of scrap in the foundry sector, he said, the annual reduction in CO2 emissions amounted to more than one billion tons.

Willeke noted a 47.1% rise in scrap steel consumption in China to 137.95 million tonnes in the first six months of 2021, reflecting the target announced in China's latest Five-Year Plan to reduce CO2 emissions from crude steel production by increasing the use of steel. scrap. It was noted that in the period from January to June 2021, an increase in the volume of purchases of steel scrap abroad by Turkey by 33.2% compared to the same period last year to 12.872 million tons confirmed the country's position as `` the world's largest importer of steel scrap. '' ...

The EU remained the world's largest exporter of scrap steel, with shipments up 49.3% to 11.241 million tonnes.