Steel recycling and processing – socioeconomic considerations

Researchers: Reinol Josef Companero and Ida Kero

The post-doctoral research in this project will explore how the trading and processing of steel scrap is influenced by not only technology but also business finance and policies.

The background is that steel scrap is an important commodity, traded on a global market. As the green transition progresses in different societies around the world, steel scrap demand is expected to go up. Hence, improving the sorting, characterization, and processing of scrap as well as the information sharing between actors will become increasingly important. This is not only with respect to economic growth and industrial profits but also for minimizing supply chain risks and reducing the emissions from long-range transport of heavy goods.

Sustainability aspects

Secondary steel production, based on steel scrap, is recognized by the world steel association as one of few strategies compatible with a (near-) zero-emission pathway. It relies on mature technologies with much lower capital investment costs than other methods with comparable potential for climate mitigation. Importantly, scrap can easily be combined with other fossil-free iron sources (e.g. from hydrogen-based direct reduction) in the same processes.

This project supports circular economy and seeks to promote recycling of end-of-life steel materials in ways that retain the value of the most advanced steel types. This way, it helps to lessen supply chain risks and the dependency of mined minerals. This, in turn, reduces the industrial greenhouse gas emissions, water and energy consumption and land area use. As such, this project directly supports the UN SDG’s 8, 9, 11, 12, and 15.