Solid wastes utilization in the iron and steel industry in China: towards sustainability

Abstract

With the continuous industrialization and urbanization in China, the energy saving, emission reduction and environmental protection have become increasingly significant issues to be addressed in modern society. As a carbon-intensive and energy-intensive industry, the iron and steel industry faces great pressure especially in the context that China has pledged to peak its carbon emission by 2030. Nowadays the output of pig iron and crude steel in China has accounted for half of global capacity and during the production of these products, substantial solid wastes including iron tailings, blast furnace slags and steel slags have been discharged. The timely and efficient disposal of these three kinds of solid wastes has been severe problems and consequently, numerous strategies and technologies have been developed. These routes could be generally divided into the large-scale extensive utilization style and the small-scale high-value utilization style. In this study, these routes were first systemically reviewed and the fundamental principles were analysed and then the promising strategies were summarized and predicted. Upon reasonable treatment, these solid wastes could not only reduce the environmental impact but also contribute to valuable resources for modern industry.