ROUND-UP MARCH 2020
In Depth 1.8
Fast facts: Steel’s carbon impact
tonnes of CO2
per tonne of
steel produced
61%
reduction in
energy use
since 1970
7-9%
of all global fossil
fuel emissions come
from steelmaking
New university study looks to
decarbonise UK steel industry
Scientists at the Universities of
Leeds and Sheffield have secured
over a million pounds of funding to
investigate ways the UK steel industry
can be decarbonised within 30 years.
Steel manufacturing is a high-carbon
process. According to figures from the
World Steel Association, every tonne
of steel that is manufactured creates
1.8 tonnes of CO2. With the UK legally
committed to be a net-zero emitter of
greenhouse gases by 2050, the industry
faces an uncertain future unless it ends
its dependence on carbon.
An interdisciplinary team from the
Universities of Leeds and Sheffield has
won £1.26 million from the Centre for
Research into Energy Demand Solutions
(CREDS) to develop approaches that
blend technology and policy with the aim
of eliminating the industry’s dependence
on fossil fuels.
Professor Nick Eyre, CREDS director,
said: “Decarbonising the UK energy
system is a major national challenge for
the coming decades, nowhere more so
than in major industrial processes. I am
therefore delighted that colleagues from
Leeds and Sheffield are joining CREDS to
research steel industry decarbonisation.”
Professor William Gale, an energy
expert at the University of Leeds and the
project’s principal investigator, added:
“The reality is the steel industry in the
UK has to decarbonise, but this has to
be done sensitively otherwise there is a
risk the industry will relocate to where
the rules on carbon are more lax. Our
challenge is to bring about real change
without eroding the wafer-thin margins
on which the industry operates.”
The chemistry at the heart of the
steel production process uses carbon.
Coke, which comes from coal, is used
as a reducing agent in the blast furnace.
Carbon dioxide is produced as a waste
product. The liquid hot metal which
comes out of the blast furnace is
saturated in carbon, with any excess
carbon removed in a basic oxygen
furnace to produce crude steel.
According to the European Steel
Association (EUROFER), about 50% of
the steel produced in Europe is derived
from scrap metal. Scrap is melted in
electric arc furnaces, which require
huge amounts of energy. Recycled steel
is classified as ‘clean’ if it is recovered
in furnaces that use electricity from
‘green’ sources. There is competition for
this electricity, which can be used, for
example, to recharge EVs.
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“Our research will investigate a range
of emerging technologies and solutions,”
said Professor Gale. “We will look at
whether there is a way you can integrate
a number of different approaches. We
will delve into the costs and timescales
and develop a very detailed, fully-costed
‘route map’ of technologies and policies
which will enable industry to make this
vital transformation without it being
saddled with unrealistic costs.”
The research will also help the
government achieve its Clean Growth
Strategy, a commitment made in 2017 to
grow the UK economy at the same time
as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: Steel’s Contribution to a Low Carbon Future, World Steel Association
Efficient bottling line
opens at Ribena plant
A new, £13 million, energy- and
water-efficient production line has
been officially opened at Lucozade
Ribena Suntory’s Royal Forest factory
in Coleford, Gloucestershire.
The high-speed bottling line is
capable of filling 55,000 bottles per
hour, enabling Lucozade Ribena
Suntory to keep up with growing
demand for its drinks.
The new line forms part of Suntory’s
global sustainability strategy by reducing
the amount of water and energy used
during the manufacturing process.
Producing a bottle on the new line
requires 40% less energy and water than
the previous line. This is in part due to
innovations such as new dry aseptic
technology, which uses heat and
pressurised air instead of water to clean
bottles before they are filled. These
efficiency improvements represent a
4.4% reduction of energy and water
consumption for the factory as a whole.
The Royal Forest plant is at the heart
of the company’s UK operations and is
already one of the most efficient
factories operated by the Japanese
manufacturing conglomerate, Suntory
Beverage & Food. The additional
capacity provided by the new line will
also help to future-proof the business,
providing scalability for new products.
“The launch of this production line
is significant for us and forms part of our
‘Growing for Good’ vision,” commented
Carol Robert, chief operating officer at
Lucozade Ribena Suntory, who opened
the line. “It’s fantastic to have been able
to invest £13 million in this line and to
deliver a 40% reduction in the energy
and water required to make each bottle.
In doing so, we are making an important
commitment to both the environment
and our consumers. This investment is a
vote of confidence by Suntory Beverage
& Food in our UK and Gloucestershire
operations, ensuring our factory in
Coleford continues to be a best-in-class
facility for years to come.”
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