LCA FOR MANUFACTURING AND NANOTECHNOLOGY

Purpose To decarbonize steel production, many European steelmakers are actively transitioning towards the Direct Reduction – Electric Arc Furnace (DR-EAF) route. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on the DR-EAF route across multiple impact categories. The relative significance of impact categories and trade-offs to Blast Furnace – Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF) steelmaking were identified. Finally, the influence of different burden compositions on the LCA results was analyzed. Methods This paper conducted a literature review on the state of environmental assessments of DR-EAF steelmaking, in addition to developing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for a theoretical site operated in Germany. The LCA was conducted using CML 2001 v. 2016 and the software LCA for Experts. An inventory has been developed for the direct reduction plant, EAF, and continuous casting. Background data was modelled using the Sphera database. A flexible input/output model was developed to represent the EAF, with which three scenarios were investigated, considering different furnace charges. Results The literature review found that, while many environmental assessments have been conducted on this steel production route, most studies focus on Global Warming Potential (GWP100). Few authors assess multiple impact categories or the relative significance of different environmental impacts for the assessed product systems. The LCA identified environmental hotspots in the production of ore based metallics, electricity, and the defined alloy mix.