Modelling the cumulative effect of scrap usage within a circular UK steel industry–residual element aggregation

To move away from the ‘take-make-dispose’ economy there is a drive to reuse and recycle materials. For the steel industry this means using more steel scrap. This has a consequence on the quality of the steel produced due to the presence of undesirable residuals from steel scrap. In this work, the effect of the UK steel industry utilising national scrap stocks to meet the UK demand for steel is explored through an iterative production model. Scrap qualities and volumes were obtained from compiled literature data to generate a reliable feed stock of material. The scrap feed is considered in the BF-BOF and EAF production routes to model the enrichment of residuals through cycles of the materials use. It was found that with current process and product specification the UK could sustainably migrate towards a 50/50 production split between BF-BOF/EAF. This shift would reduce the UK’s steel industry emissions by ~20%.