Work for cleaner air
Steel manufacturing processes are carried out at high temperatures, involve a number of raw materials of which several are fine-grained and these processes also require large quantities of air for ventilation. Emissions to air have therefore been an important environmental issue that the steel industry has worked on since the 1960’s.
The most important emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are formed from nitrogen in the air in the event of combustion at high temperatures. It is therefore difficult to adopt measures against emissions of nitrogen oxides but emissions have declined thanks to new combustion technology, cleaning of exhaust gases and recycling of acids in pickling processes.
Sulphur oxides (SOx) which are formed mainly on combustion of oil and on coke production. Low-sulphur fuels and coke oven gas cleaning nowadays deliver lower emissions.
Dust is formed in the course of most steel manufacturing processes and is taken in hand with the aid of filters.
Metals that derive from addition of alloy substances in the steel slabs end up mainly in the dust. From there, the metals can be recycled in order to be reused in the process.
Dioxins may be formed in smelting of scrap. The formation of dioxins is affected e.g. by how the process is controlled. Measuring dioxins is complex and uncertain since very low proportions are involved.
Read more: Statistics concerning Emissions.
Important legislation and its effect on the steel industry
Directive on Industrial Emissions
IPPC (Integrated Pollution and Prevention) is European legislation for large industrial plants that corresponds to the Swedish Environmental Code. IPPC has been merged with six other directives to form a new directive for industrial emissions - IED (Industrial Emissions Directive). In January 2014, the IED starts to apply to those existing operations in Sweden subject to mandatory authorisation.
Within the framework of IED legislation, so-called BREF documents (BAT Reference Documents) are produced. These documents describe the best available techniques (BAT) for the steel industry aimed at protecting the environment.
Four years after a BAT conclusion is translated and published – in this case
in March 2016 – it shall be incorporated in the permits for the relevant companies and any possible new investment required to achieve the conditions of the permit must be implemented.
Read more: Industrial Emissions Directive and BAT Conclusions
Air Quality Directive
The introduction of the EU’s new Directive on Ambient Air Quality (2008/50/EC) in Sweden is continuing. The directive entails e.g. new levels for environmental quality standards (MKN).
New objectives for small particles (PM2.5) are being introduced. In general - on the basis of available knowledge – no exceeding of the concentration ceiling is expected in terms of results. This applies to most areas in Sweden. Nor is it assessed that emissions from point sources and industries will make any significant contributions to the particle amounts. Both out in the countryside and in the cities long-distance transportation is assessed as the main source of particles in the air.
Where environmental quality standards for nitrogen oxides are concerned, moreover, there will be increased demands for investments in Sweden. The Ministry 0f the Environment recommends that Sweden continue to adopt higher environmental quality standards than the rest of the EU.
Ceiling Directive
The Directive (2001/81/EC) on national emission ceilings is one of the EU’s most important directives for reducing emissions of airborne pollutants. This contains objectives for how far exposure to acidification and ground-level ozone contents shall be reduced by the year 2010.
In order to achieve these targets, each country has been allocated a national emission ceiling for four pollutants - sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds (VOC). The first three mentioned have acidifying effects, whereas nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in combination contribute to the formation of ground level ozone.
The distribution of obligations between the member states has been developed in order to achieve the greatest possible environmental benefit at the lowest overall cost for the EU as a whole. The emission ceiling that the majority of countries find most difficult to comply with relates to nitrogen oxides. A revision of the Ceiling Directive in order to prepare benchmarks for 2020 has been started. The existing drafts for the new emission ceilings would require major reductions in emissions in Sweden despite the fact that Sweden already has relatively low emissions.
Trading system for sulphur and nitrogen oxides
In addition to this legislation there are proposals for introducing an EU-wide trading system for sulphur and nitrogen oxides in order to further accelerate emission reductions. In this context, emissions from shipping are also the subject of discussion.
Our fundamental standpoints
- Requirements under the Swedish environmental permit system - and therewith the IPPC - are an effective and sufficient instrument for achieving reduced emissions.
- Sweden shall have reasonable emission ceilings allocated in the Ceiling Directive and not face one-sided higher emission standards than other countries.
- We are opposed to a trading system for sulphur and nitrogen oxides that involve land-based plants. These emissions are not global in the same way as carbon dioxide but have a more regional diffusion. The environmental impact also varies due to local preconditions and, moreover, the interchangeability between emissions in northern and southern Europe or between land and sea are not self-evident.
- Demands on emissions from industrial plants should be expressed in terms of total emissions or emissions per produced unit and not as a concentration in e.g. an air flow.
