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Iron and Steel
Iron and Steel Links
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Contact
Tom Tyler (tyler.tom@epa.gov)
National Sector Liaison: Iron and Steel
(202) 566-2969
Iron & Steel Sector
Environmental Management System
Implementation Guide for Electric Arc Furnace Operators
- Printing Instructions (PDF) (1 pg, 57K)
- 01 TOC and Introduction.pdf (PDF) (12 pp, 183K)
- 02 Section I.pdf (PDF) (36 pp, 357K)
- 03 Section II Tiers I-III.pdf (PDF) (98 pp, 610K)
- 04 Section II Exhibits.pdf (PDF) (38 pp, 416K)
- 05 Appendices.pdf (PDF) (11 pp, 102K)
- Page13and14.pdf (PDF) (2 pp, 157K)
- EMS guideTABS.pdf (PDF) (4 pp, 18K)
- EMSguide_IronSteel_covFINAL.pdf/Cover page (PDF) (1 pg, 3Mb)
Sector Profile
Definition
This sector covers the manufacture of steel in basic shapes and forms that then can be used to create products. The sector is divided into to basic types of production which each represent approximately half of domestic production. Integrated steel mills use a three-step process to produce steel from coal, involving cokemaking, ironmaking (using a blast furnace), and Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) technology. Alternatively, "minimills" produce steel from metal scrap using Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) technology, without operations for coking or ironmaking.
Coke, which is the fuel and carbon source, is produced by heating coal in the absence of oxygen at high temperatures in coke ovens. Pig iron is then produced by heating the coke, iron ore, and limestone in a blast furnace. In the BOF, molten iron from the blast furnace is combined with flux and scrap steel where high-purity oxygen is injected. This process, with cokemaking, ironmaking, steelmaking, and subsequent forming and finishing operations is referred to as fully integrated production. Alternatively, in an EAF, the input material is primarily scrap steel, which is melted and refined by passing an electric current from the electrodes through the scrap.
The percentage of steel produced by EAFs is significant and growing. In 2001, 125 minimills generated 47.5% of the steel produced domestically, consuming 75 million tons of ferrous scrap to do so.
Demographics
One hundred and ninety-three mills make up this sector, employing more than 150,000 people. In 1997, the sector shipped $57 billion worth of goods. In 2001, the sector produced 7.3 million tons of product. The mills are concentrated geographically in Great Lakes states, although the American south also has a large number of minimills. Principal consumers of the steel generated are auto manufacturers and the construction industry.
Environmental Impacts
The sector has multi-media impacts, including air emissions (CO, SOx, NOx, PM2), wastewater contaminants, hazardous and solid wastes. The major environmental impacts from integrated steel mills are from coking and ironmaking, although U.S. steelmakers are turning to new technologies to decrease the sources of pollution from, and their reliance on, coke.
As an industry, minimills are the largest U.S. consumers of recycled steel scrap, but also face issues related to contaminants in scrap products. The energy used by minimills generates greenhouse gas emissions from power generation. An emerging trend to generate heat on-site by burning carbon will improve energy efficiency but will also increase emissions.
You can read the Iron and Steel chapter in the Sector Strategies Performance Report.
Working with the industry
On June of 2003, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman welcomed eight new sectors, including Iron and Steel, into EPA's Sector Strategies Program. In addition to pursuing the unique goals of the Sector Strategies Program, EPA is strengthening a liaison relationship established with the sector in the mid-1990s as result of the Agency's sector-based Common Sense Initiative.
At this time, the Agency is updating its knowledge of the industry, its trends and issues, and analyzing the opportunities for improved performance. The iron and steel sector liaison will broaden the network of contacts with the industry's two primary trade groups, with steel industry leaders, and with government programs working on environmental issues affecting the industry. The Agency and its Association Partners will set priorities for strategic sector actions.
New Tools to Help Steelmakers Enhance Environmental Management
EPA and the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) are partnering on a program of training and technical resources to help steelmakers implement Environmental Management Systems (EMS). SMA members produce steel by melting scrap metal and other iron-bearing materials in electric arc furnaces. These steel "mini-mills" produce more than half of all new U.S. steel, mostly by recycling scrap steel. The comprehensive environmental management approach taken with an EMS provides a sound framework for pursuing improved environmental performance.
Currently, about one-third of steelmakers that use electric arc furnaces have implemented an EMS. EPA's Sector Strategies Program and SMA have developed technical tools to increase EMS use within the industry. A new EMS guide outlines the essential elements of an EMS, gives detailed guidance on satisfying each element, and highlights examples from the steelmaking industry. A companion tool, an EMS template, provides mills with a model for building an EMS that is suitable for their operations and goals.
EPA and SMA will release these new tools on May 18th in Washington, D.C at a jointly-sponsored workshop, "Solidifying Iron & Steel Environmental Management Systems." Participants will learn how an EMS can help streamline pollution prevention and compliance assurance; how to make the EMS business case to top management; and how to apply the new EMS guidelines and template to create an EMS or enhance an existing one. For more information about the EMS guide, template, or training, contact Tom Tyler at (202) 566-2969, tyler.tom@epa.gov.
Recent regulatory action
Final Rule to promulgate National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for integrated iron and steel manufacturing facilities (68 FR 27646, May 20, 2003).
Other EPA contacts
Office of Air and Radiation
Phil Mulrine
Metals Group, Emission Standards Division
mulrine.phil@epa.gov
(919) 541-5289
Office of Water
George Jett
Engineering and Analysis Division
jett.george@epa.gov
(202) 566-1070 / Fax: (202) 566-1053
Region 5
Ed Wojciechowski
wojciechowski.edward@epa.gov
(312) 886-6785
Trade Associations
American Iron and Steel Institute 
1140 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 705
Washington, DC 20036
Jim Schultz, Vice President, Environment and Energy
(202) 452-7180
jschultz@steel.org
Steel Manufacturers Association
1150 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 715
Washington, DC 20036-3101
Eric Stuart, Manager, Committee Affairs
(202) 296-1515
stuart@steelnet.org
Related Links
There is a wealth of information available.
- Profile of the Iron and Steel Industry (1995) is several years old but provides a tremendously helpful overview and lots of specific information.
- The Sector Facilities Indexing Project has only recently been discontinued, so the information and data available are quite up to date. Note that you can research both the entire industry sector and also individual facilities.
- The Department of Energy's Industries of the Future Program presents a wealth of information on the steel industry, including its environmental impact.
- The Municipal Solid Waste program contains information on steel recycling activities.
- The U.S. Geological Survey tracks various iron and steel statistics, but also periodically generates a profile on
the industry. The 2001 yearbook (PDF) (13 pp, 171K, About PDF) is
the most up to date.
- EPA Effluent Guideline Rulemaking Process for Iron and Steel