Towards environmentally friendly steelmaking processes

The ideas embodied in the concept of sustainable development will be of major importance in shaping the steel industry in the next hundred years. Steel is the most recycled material in the world today and the role that the EAF industry plays in the steel manufacturing and recycling chain ensures that resource consumption is kept to a minimum, whilst satisfying society's need for steel. Therefore, the contribution of the EAF will be crucial to achieving the aims and objectives of sustainable development. The present paper defines current environmental performance in the EAF industry from the aspects of regulations, recycle/re-use of wastes/by-products and technologies for the abatement of air emissions currently and identifies possible future developments of interest.