Environment and Energy

Canada’s Steel Industry and the Environment

Steel companies are an important presence in many communities across Canada.  CSPA member companies recognize their environmental and community obligations to ensure that all Canadians continue to benefit from world-class steel production in this country.  We strive for continual environmental improvement in every phase of steel production.

Our Sustainability Principles

  1. Maintain high standards of environmental performance in all aspects of operations
  2. Work to improve company and sector performance continuously through the development and adoption of new or improved processes, practices, technologies, and products
  3. Maximize resource efficiency in the development, production and use of steel products, including efforts to:
    1. Recover, reuse, and recycle steel;
    2. Use energy and water efficiently;
    3. Develop value-added steel products and applications;
    4. Increase the utilization of steelmaking co-products;
    5. Reduce waste from steelmaking operations
  4. Develop new steel products that enable more renewable energy and help other industries to improve environmental performance

CSPA Environmental Performance – 2009 and 2010 Results

Steel companies are an important presence in many communities across Canada.  CSPA member companies recognize their environmental and community obligations to ensure that all Canadians continue to benefit from world-class steel production in this country.  We strive for continual environmental improvement in every phase of steel production.  Below are performance metrics of our member companies for key environmental indicators.

Results from these sector environmental performance indicators include data from the following facilities unless otherwise indicated: AltaSteel, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, ArcelorMittal Contrecoeur, ArcelorMittal Contrecoeur Ouest, Essar Steel Algoma, Evraz Inc. NA (Regina), Gerdau Cambridge, Gerdau MRM, Gerdau Whitby, Ivaco Rolling Mills, U. S. Steel Canada – Hamilton Works, U. S. Steel Canada – Lake Erie Works.

CSPA is in the process of developing reporting methodologies for historical data to be able to incorporate performance profiles of Rio Tinto Fer et Titane, MANA, and Tenaris in the future.

Air Emissions

Operating levels at Canadian steelmakers recovered in 2010 from the historically low levels experienced in 2009.  As a result, the industry’s 2010 air emission performance (which had worsened in 2009) experienced a significant improvement.  On an intensity basis, emissions in 2010 were at levels comparable to or better than those experienced in 2008, continuing the reduction trend that had been realized prior to the global economic downturn.

CSPA steel companies have reported NOx intensity improvements of 26% since 1990.  Similarly, SO2 emissions intensity has improved by 71% since 1990 for integrated steel mills.  Total particular matter emissions from point sources have decreased by 24% since 1990.

TPM results exclude Gerdau Cambridge and Gerdau Whitby due to data gaps in historical reporting.
In 2009, benzene emissions were more than 85% below the level in 1990.

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Water

Canadian steel companies treat process water before returning it to the natural environment.  In 2010, the industry maintained its improvement in reduced Total Suspended Solids in discharged water compared to 1995 (46% improvement).

Steel Recycling

The steel recycling rate in Canada (tonnes of scrap consumed per tonne of steel produced) returned to more normal levels in 2010, reflecting the increase in Canadian steel production from the low level in 2009.  The high 2009 recycling rate reflected a higher than usual electric arc furnace/basic oxygen furnace (EAF/BOF) production ratio, due to extended production outages at 2 of the 4 integrated BOF steelmakers in Canada.  Typically, EAF production is >80% scrap-based, whereas BOF production is approximately 20-30% scrap.

Steel is the most recycled material on earth.  In 2010, Canadian steelmakers recycled approximately 8 million tonnes of scrap steel (the equivalent of recycling 8 million cars!).  Total steel scrap recycled by Canadian steelmakers since 1995 totals more than 125 million tonnes of scrap.

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Climate Change and Energy Conservation

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and energy data for the year 2010 from publicly-available sources are yet to be available.  Thus, the CO2 and energy intensity performance graphs are as recent as 2009 and will be updated to include 2010 performance as soon as the data is available and validated.

Lower CO2 emissions in 2009 reflected reduced Canadian steel production as a result of the global economic downturn.  As a result of this lower production, CO2 intensity (kg CO2 per tonne of steel shipped) increased as did energy intensity (GJ per tonne of steel shipped).  With increased steel production in 2010, these intensity metrics will return to more normal levels.

Waste Management

CSPA member companies continue to phase out the use of equipment containing PCBs, and are well on their way to the total elimination of PCB-containing equipment.  By 2010, over 95% of PCB-containing equipment was removed from service compared to 1990.

Mercury Pollution Prevention

Since 2008, CSPA has been co-funding SwitchOut, a national mercury switch collection program.  Together with another program in Western Canada funded by a CSPA member company, more than 253,000 switches have been removed from the steel recycling stream since 2008.

“Zero Mercury” Scrap Purchasing Policy

CSPA supports the principle of utilizing mercury-free scrap steel to the greatest extent practicable, from automotive and non-automotive sources.  There are no federal regulations in effect which address the removal and disposal of non-automotive sources of mercury in scrap steel.  However, as a further commitment to environmental performance improvements, CSPA member companies have adopted a policy to require that all steel mill scrap be mercury free.  All member companies have voluntarily included these new requirements in their scrap purchasing policies.  Scrap suppliers are required to demonstrate that they have programs in place to identify, remove, track and properly dispose of all sources of mercury in the scrap sold to CSPA member companies.  Member companies may audit scrap suppliers to ensure that such requirements are being met.

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Energy Efficiency

Benchmarking Report Benchmarking Energy Intensity in the Canadian Steel Industry is now available.Click here for the report.

We are proud that Canada’s steel companies have been independently benchmarked as performing at a high rate of implementation of “Best Available Technology Economically Achievable” (BATEA).

This is a critical concept for the CSPA as it captures not just world-class technology, but the competitiveness pressures of a highly capital-intensive industry operating in one of the most open and competitive steel markets in the world.

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Mercury Pollution Prevention

Since 2008, CSPA and the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association are jointly supporting a national program called “Switch Out” to remove mercury from the steel scrap stream.  Operated by Summerhill Impact (formerly Clean Air Foundation), Switch Out works directly with automotive recyclers and dismantlers for the removal, collection, and management of mercury-containing switches and ABS sensor modules from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).  The ELVs are then flattened, shredded and recycled into new steel.  The program also provides training materials and educational resources to recyclers and dismantlers.  For additional information about Switch Out, please visit http://www.switchout.ca/.

Switch Out has completed its fourth year of operations.  Thanks to the participation of recyclers and dismantlers across Canada, Switch Out collected 67,542 mercury switches in 2011.

Table 1 summarizes the collection results for 2008-2011.

Table 1: Switch Out Program Results

Parameter

2008 Results

2009 Results

2010 Results

2011 Results

Switch Collection Target

39,000 switches

60,000 switches

112,000 switches

129,000 switches

Estimated Capture Ratea

12%

20%

40%

50%

Actual Number of Switches Collected

64,011 switches

112,167 switches

76,866 switches

67,542 switches

Actual Capture Ratea

19.7%

37.4%

27.4%

26.2%

Effectiveness Rateb

Not applicable for first year of national switch collection program

36.3%

69.6%

78.9%

a The anticipated number of mercury switches available for collection is based upon a similar model utilized in the U.S.-based National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program.  Details of the U.S. model are available at: http://www.elvsolutions.org/model.html.

b Effectiveness rate is defined as one (1) minus the ratio of the number of accessible mercury switches annually managed from end-of-life vehicles that are dismantled, recycled, shredded or crushed by vehicle recyclers; to the cumulative number of accessible mercury-containing switches managed to-date. The effectiveness rate increases as more switches are collected.

 

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