7 Development of Low Carbon Technology in China’s Iron …
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technological development in iron and steel industry, which echoes the new round of
technological revolution and industrial development. This trend is mainly manifested
by efficient, green and circular manufacturing process, high performance, lower cost,
better quality and easier processing of iron and steel materials, intelligence and
customization of iron and steel manufacturing, etc. (Guo and Yang 2018). Efforts
have been made on both the consumption and the production side by governments,
research institutes and steel plants across the world.
7.2.1 Consumption Side
The key to reducing energy consumption and emission of iron and steel industry lies
in enhancing the usage effectiveness of steel products, slowing down the demand
growth, and increasing the efficiency and service life of the products. This can be
achieved by the following means.
7.2.1.1 Saving Steel Through Improved Design
Building sector: the use of steel in commercial buildings in developed countries
is twice of what is required by safety standards, which, however, has not resulted
in longer service life, and the buildings would still be replaced within 30–60 years.
This means if the building design is improved according to the safety standards while
the life cycle is prolonged, it would be realistic to reduce the related steel demand
and consumption by half or even more. For transport, the focus is on lightweight
automobiles, i.e. producing and using more lightweight cars without compromising
the service can cut the steel demand by heaps and bounds. Usually, in body design,
finite element analysis (FEA) (Fig. 7.8) is employed for topological and structural
optimization, reducing the quantity of steel used while ensuring the physical properties of components. In industry, iron and steel loss can be reduced by enhancing the
service life and efficiency of the production lines and the industrial products related
to iron and steel.
7.2.1.2 Material Substitution
Iron and steel can be partially replaced by cleaner materials. An example is using
aluminum alloy and carbon fiber in the car industry. Taking the transport industry as an
example, the Society of Automotive Engineers of China published the country’s first
Technical Roadmap for Energy Conservation and New Energy Vehicles in October
2016, painting the blueprint for China’s car technologies for the forthcoming 15 years,
in which lightweight vehicles were identified as a major part of energy conservation
231
technological development in iron and steel industry, which echoes the new round of
technological revolution and industrial development. This trend is mainly manifested
by efficient, green and circular manufacturing process, high performance, lower cost,
better quality and easier processing of iron and steel materials, intelligence and
customization of iron and steel manufacturing, etc. (Guo and Yang 2018). Efforts
have been made on both the consumption and the production side by governments,
research institutes and steel plants across the world.
7.2.1 Consumption Side
The key to reducing energy consumption and emission of iron and steel industry lies
in enhancing the usage effectiveness of steel products, slowing down the demand
growth, and increasing the efficiency and service life of the products. This can be
achieved by the following means.
7.2.1.1 Saving Steel Through Improved Design
Building sector: the use of steel in commercial buildings in developed countries
is twice of what is required by safety standards, which, however, has not resulted
in longer service life, and the buildings would still be replaced within 30–60 years.
This means if the building design is improved according to the safety standards while
the life cycle is prolonged, it would be realistic to reduce the related steel demand
and consumption by half or even more. For transport, the focus is on lightweight
automobiles, i.e. producing and using more lightweight cars without compromising
the service can cut the steel demand by heaps and bounds. Usually, in body design,
finite element analysis (FEA) (Fig. 7.8) is employed for topological and structural
optimization, reducing the quantity of steel used while ensuring the physical properties of components. In industry, iron and steel loss can be reduced by enhancing the
service life and efficiency of the production lines and the industrial products related
to iron and steel.
7.2.1.2 Material Substitution
Iron and steel can be partially replaced by cleaner materials. An example is using
aluminum alloy and carbon fiber in the car industry. Taking the transport industry as an
example, the Society of Automotive Engineers of China published the country’s first
Technical Roadmap for Energy Conservation and New Energy Vehicles in October
2016, painting the blueprint for China’s car technologies for the forthcoming 15 years,
in which lightweight vehicles were identified as a major part of energy conservation