The rise of the steel age
From
the bronze age to the iron age, metals have defined eras of human history. If
our current era had to be defined similarly, it would undoubtedly be known as
the steel age.
Steel
is the foundation of our buildings, vehicles, and industries, with its rates of
production and consumption often seen as markers for a nation’s development.
Today, it is the world’s most commonly used metal and most recycled material,
with 1,864M metric tons of crude steel produced in 2020.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
This infographic uses
data from the World
Steel Association to visualize 50 years of crude steel
production, showcasing our world’s unrelenting creation of this essential
material.
The
state of steel production
Global
steel production has more than tripled over the past 50 years, despite nations
like the U.S. and Russia scaling down their domestic production and relying
more on imports. Meanwhile, China and India have consistently grown their
production to become the top two steel producing nations.
Despite
its current dominance, China could be preparing to scale
back domestic
steel production to curb overproduction risks and ensure it can reach carbon
neutrality by 2060.
As
iron ore and steel prices have skyrocketed in the last year, U.S. demand could
soon lessen depending on the Biden administration’s actions. A potential infrastructure
bill would bring investment into America’s steel mills to build supply for the
future, and any walkbalk on the Trump administration’s 2018 tariffs on imported
steel could further soften supply constraints.
Steel’s
secret: Infinite recyclability
Made
up primarily of iron ore, steel is an alloy which also contains less than 2%
carbon and 1% manganese and other trace elements. While the defining difference
might seem small, steel can be 1,000x
stronger than
iron.
However,
steel’s true strength lies in its infinite recyclability with no loss of
quality. No matter the grade or application, steel can always be recycled, with
new steel products containing 30% recycled steel on average.
The
alloy’s magnetic properties make it easy to recover from waste streams, and
nearly 100% of the steel industry’s co-products can be used in other
manufacturing or electricity generation.
It’s
fitting then that steel makes up essential parts of various sustainable energy
technologies:
·
The average wind turbine is made
of 80% steel on average (140 metric tons).
·
Steel is used in the base, pumps,
tanks, and heat exchangers of solar power installations.
·
Electrical steel is at the heart
of the generators and motors of electric and hybrid vehicles.
The
steel industry’s future sustainability
Considering
the crucial role steel plays in just about every industry, it’s no wonder that
its prices are surging to record highs. However, steel producers are thinking
about long-term sustainability, and are working to make fossil-fuel-free
steel a
reality by completely removing coal from the metallurgical process.
While
the industry has already cut down the average energy intensity per metric ton
produced from 50 gigajoules to 20 gigajoules since the 1960s, steel-producing
giants like ArcelorMittal are going further and laying out their plans
for carbon-neutral
steel production by 2050.
Steel
consumption and demand are only set to continue rising as the world’s economy
gradually reopens, especially as Rio
Tinto’s new development of atomized steel powder could bring about the
next evolution in 3D printing.
As the
industry continues to innovate in both sustainability and usability, steel will
continue to be a vital material across industries that we can infinitely
recycle and rely on.
mining.com