Steel is produced in large quantities and is recycled at a high rate in Japan. However, because recycling of steel scrap leads to increased contamination of undesirable tramp metals, the recycling of steel scrap is expected to be limited in the near future. This may lead to the increase in production of virgin steels and also environmental impacts associated with total steel production in Japan. In this study, a dynamic model was developed to assess the maximum recyclable ratio of steel scrap and the total environmental impacts caused by steel production in Japan. The model is based on a population balance model and material pinch analysis combined with life cycle assessment (LCA). The amounts of steel scrap generated in Japan from 1990 to 2030 and their concentrations of copper as an indicator of the concentrations of tramp elements were estimated by the population balance model. The maximum recyclable ratio of steel scrap each year was calculated by material pinch analysis, which assessed the optimal balance between the amounts and quality of steel scrap and the steel products. The total CO2 emissions caused by steel production in Japan from 1990 to 2030 were estimated by LCA. Furthermore, the indirect reduction potential of CO2 emissions by the introduction of easy disassembly design for automobiles was analyzed, using the dynamic model. It was found that the reduction potential of CO2 emissions by the introduction of easy disassembly design for automobiles in 2010 were up to 0.62 t-CO2 and 0.98 t-CO2 per automobile, depending on scenario. There was little reduction potential of CO2 if the concentration of tramp element (Cu) in automobile scraps was more than 0.5 wt%.
Development of a dynamic model for assessing environmental impact associated with cyclic use of steel
Entwicklung eines dynamischen Modells zur Bewertung der Umweltauswirkungen durch den wiederholten Stahleinsatz
2004
4 Seiten, 5 Bilder, 3 Tabellen, 10 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
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