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Compiled by Dr. Joe Herbertson
June 2001
Sustainable Resource Processing
Iron & Steel
Annual World   Australia
Production     Mt %
Iron ore   1100 14
Virgin iron/steel    550 1.5
MAJOR INPUTS
Pig iron & DRI
Stage cost ~US$130
Iron ore               1.7t
Coal                0.5t
Water      1.5t
Limestone            0.2t
Steelmaking
stage cost ~ US$60
Limestone      0.2t
Oxygen (pure)    0.06t
Electricity 0.7 GJ
WASTES & EMISSIONS
Ironmaking
Process CO2 1.7t
Steelmaking
Process CO2 0.3t
1 t virgin iron (steel)
(annual production 550 Mt)
A simplified summary of some of the major inputs and outputs to produce virgin iron & steel
•Australia is a major global player in the iron ore industry, but a minor one in iron and steel production - blast furnace pig iron and direct reduced iron (DRI) are essentially intermediate products in steel production
•The major waste is CO2 and emissions from ironmaking and steelmaking account for around 4% of anthropogenic CO2 production
•Ironmaking and steelmaking slags are widely used as low-value aggregates, roadbase or pozzolanic cements - relatively little is dumped
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LOW VALUE PRODUCTS
Ironmaking
Blast furnace slag      0.25t
Steelmaking
Steelmaking slag         0.3t