IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v309y2022ics0306261921017062.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A carbon flow tracing and carbon accounting method for exploring CO2 emissions of the iron and steel industry: An integrated material–energy–carbon hub

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Hanxin
  • Sun, Wenqiang
  • Li, Weidong
  • Ma, Guangyu

Abstract

In the context of carbon neutrality, accurate carbon accounting is urgently needed for energy-intensive industries, such as the iron and steel industry. However, methods based on black-box models are rather rough and the impact of changes in a certain material and energy flow on the carbon flows of the complex production process is unclear, making it impossible to find carbon emission reduction potential in iron and steel production sites. To tackle this problem, the concept of a ‘hub’ is innovatively used for carbon flow tracing and carbon accounting. The conventional energy hub is extended to a material flow-based energy hub in this work, and an integrated material-energy-carbon hub is proposed. Based on the integrated carbon hub, the interconnection among carbon, material and energy flows and the impacts of various material and energy flows on the variation in CO2 emissions of iron and steel production processes are explored in a case study. Results show that the ironmaking plant contributes the most to the CO2 emissions of the whole site, and the impacts of material and energy flows on the whole-site carbon flow are significant. The effects of the scrap ratio, pig iron, ore mix, ore grade, imported coke, and pulverized coal injection are investigated. The results indicated that the proposed carbon hub is an effective tool for accurate carbon accounting and carbon flow tracing and contributes to the deep low-carbon transition pathways for the iron and steel industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Hanxin & Sun, Wenqiang & Li, Weidong & Ma, Guangyu, 2022. "A carbon flow tracing and carbon accounting method for exploring CO2 emissions of the iron and steel industry: An integrated material–energy–carbon hub," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:309:y:2022:i:c:s0306261921017062
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118485
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261921017062
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118485?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xuan, Yanni & Yue, Qiang, 2017. "Scenario analysis on resource and environmental benefits of imported steel scrap for China’s steel industry," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 186-198.
    2. Dai, Tiejun, 2015. "A study on material metabolism in Hebei iron and steel industry analysis," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 183-192.
    3. Zhang, Qi & Xu, Jin & Wang, Yujie & Hasanbeigi, Ali & Zhang, Wei & Lu, Hongyou & Arens, Marlene, 2018. "Comprehensive assessment of energy conservation and CO2 emissions mitigation in China’s iron and steel industry based on dynamic material flows," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 251-265.
    4. Ren, Ming & Lu, Pantao & Liu, Xiaorui & Hossain, M.S. & Fang, Yanru & Hanaoka, Tatsuya & O'Gallachoir, Brian & Glynn, James & Dai, Hancheng, 2021. "Decarbonizing China’s iron and steel industry from the supply and demand sides for carbon neutrality," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    5. Sun, Jingchao & Na, Hongming & Yan, Tianyi & Qiu, Ziyang & Yuan, Yuxing & He, Jianfei & Li, Yingnan & Wang, Yisong & Du, Tao, 2021. "A comprehensive assessment on material, exergy and emission networks for the integrated iron and steel industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    6. Ren, Lei & Zhou, Sheng & Peng, Tianduo & Ou, Xunmin, 2021. "A review of CO2 emissions reduction technologies and low-carbon development in the iron and steel industry focusing on China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    7. Wang, Heming & Wang, Guoqiang & Qi, Jianchuan & Schandl, Heinz & Li, Yumeng & Feng, Cuiyang & Yang, Xuechun & Wang, Yao & Wang, Xinzhe & Liang, Sai, 2020. "Scarcity-weighted fossil fuel footprint of China at the provincial level," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    8. He, Kun & Wang, Li, 2017. "A review of energy use and energy-efficient technologies for the iron and steel industry," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1022-1039.
    9. Rehfeldt, M. & Worrell, E. & Eichhammer, W. & Fleiter, T., 2020. "A review of the emission reduction potential of fuel switch towards biomass and electricity in European basic materials industry until 2030," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    10. Sun, Wenqiang & Wang, Qiang & Zhou, Yue & Wu, Jianzhong, 2020. "Material and energy flows of the iron and steel industry: Status quo, challenges and perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    11. Xi, Han & Wu, Xiao & Chen, Xianhao & Sha, Peng, 2021. "Artificial intelligent based energy scheduling of steel mill gas utilization system towards carbon neutrality," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 295(C).
    12. Na, Hongming & Sun, Jingchao & Qiu, Ziyang & He, Jianfei & Yuan, Yuxing & Yan, Tianyi & Du, Tao, 2021. "A novel evaluation method for energy efficiency of process industry — A case study of typical iron and steel manufacturing process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    13. Zhang, Hui & Dong, Liang & Li, Huiquan & Fujita, Tsuyoshi & Ohnishi, Satoshi & Tang, Qing, 2013. "Analysis of low-carbon industrial symbiosis technology for carbon mitigation in a Chinese iron/steel industrial park: A case study with carbon flow analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1400-1411.
    14. Griffin, Paul W. & Hammond, Geoffrey P., 2019. "Industrial energy use and carbon emissions reduction in the iron and steel sector: A UK perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C), pages 109-125.
    15. Jiang, Sheng-Long & Peng, Gongzhuang & Bogle, I. David L. & Zheng, Zhong, 2022. "Two-stage robust optimization approach for flexible oxygen distribution under uncertainty in integrated iron and steel plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PB).
    16. Cheng, Zhilong & Yang, Jian & Zhou, Lang & Liu, Yan & Wang, Qiuwang, 2016. "Characteristics of charcoal combustion and its effects on iron-ore sintering performance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 364-374.
    17. Wang, Peng & Jiang, Zeyi & Geng, Xinyi & Hao, Shiyu & Zhang, Xinxin, 2014. "Quantification of Chinese steel cycle flow: Historical status and future options," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 191-199.
    18. Chen, Wenying & Yin, Xiang & Ma, Ding, 2014. "A bottom-up analysis of China’s iron and steel industrial energy consumption and CO2 emissions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 1174-1183.
    19. Lu, Xinhui & Liu, Zhaoxi & Ma, Li & Wang, Lingfeng & Zhou, Kaile & Feng, Nanping, 2020. "A robust optimization approach for optimal load dispatch of community energy hub," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shuangping Wu & Anjun Xu, 2021. "Calculation Method of Energy Saving in Process Engineering: A Case Study of Iron and Steel Production Process," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-15, September.
    2. Yang, Honghua & Ma, Linwei & Li, Zheng, 2023. "Tracing China's steel use from steel flows in the production system to steel footprints in the consumption system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    3. Yuan, Yuxing & Na, Hongming & Chen, Chuang & Qiu, Ziyang & Sun, Jingchao & Zhang, Lei & Du, Tao & Yang, Yuhang, 2024. "Status, challenges, and prospects of energy efficiency improvement methods in steel production: A multi-perspective review," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 304(C).
    4. Xu, Tingting & Huo, Zhaoyi & Wang, Wenjing & Xie, Ning & Li, Lili & Liu, Yingjie & Mu, Lin, 2024. "Evaluation of by-product-gas utilization options for carbon reduction at an integrated iron and steel mill," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    5. Li, Yibo & Li, Juan & Sun, Mei & Guo, Yanzi & Cheng, Faxin & Gao, Cuixia, 2024. "Analysis of carbon neutrality technology path selection in the steel industry under policy incentives," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    6. Jiang, Sheng-Long & Wang, Meihong & Bogle, I. David L., 2023. "Plant-wide byproduct gas distribution under uncertainty in iron and steel industry via quantile forecasting and robust optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).
    7. Hu, Hang & Yang, Lingzhi & Yang, Sheng & Zou, Yuchi & Wang, Shuai & Chen, Feng & Guo, Yufeng, 2024. "Development and assessment of an integrated wind energy system for green steelmaking based on electric arc furnace route," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    8. Wang, Xiaoyang & Yu, Biying & An, Runying & Sun, Feihu & Xu, Shuo, 2022. "An integrated analysis of China’s iron and steel industry towards carbon neutrality," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    9. Wang, Peng & Zhao, Shen & Dai, Tao & Peng, Kun & Zhang, Qi & Li, Jiashuo & Chen, Wei-Qiang, 2022. "Regional disparities in steel production and restrictions to progress on global decarbonization: A cross-national analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    10. Yuan, Yuxing & Na, Hongming & Du, Tao & Qiu, Ziyang & Sun, Jingchao & Yan, Tianyi & Che, Zichang, 2023. "Multi-objective optimization and analysis of material and energy flows in a typical steel plant," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PD).
    11. Qiu, Ziyang & Sun, Jingchao & Du, Tao & Na, Hongming & Zhang, Lei & Yuan, Yuxing & Wang, Yisong, 2024. "Impact of hydrogen metallurgy on the current iron and steel industry: A comprehensive material-exergy-emission flow analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 356(C).
    12. Yuancheng Lin & Honghua Yang & Linwei Ma & Zheng Li & Weidou Ni, 2021. "Low-Carbon Development for the Iron and Steel Industry in China and the World: Status Quo, Future Vision, and Key Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-28, November.
    13. Xuan, Yanni & Yue, Qiang, 2017. "Scenario analysis on resource and environmental benefits of imported steel scrap for China’s steel industry," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 186-198.
    14. Sun, Jingchao & Na, Hongming & Yan, Tianyi & Che, Zichang & Qiu, Ziyang & Yuan, Yuxing & Li, Yingnan & Du, Tao & Song, Yanli & Fang, Xin, 2022. "Cost-benefit assessment of manufacturing system using comprehensive value flow analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    15. Marcin Sajdak & Roksana Muzyka & Grzegorz Gałko & Ewelina Ksepko & Monika Zajemska & Szymon Sobek & Dariusz Tercki, 2022. "Actual Trends in the Usability of Biochar as a High-Value Product of Biomass Obtained through Pyrolysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-30, December.
    16. Hu, Zhengbiao & He, Dongfeng & Zhao, Hongbo, 2023. "Multi-objective optimization of energy distribution in steel enterprises considering both exergy efficiency and energy cost," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PB).
    17. Liu, Xianmei & Liu, Yuxiang & Bai, Caiquan & Peng, Rui & Chi, Yuanying, 2024. "Pathways for decarbonizing China's iron and steel industry using cost-effective mitigation technologies: An integrated analysis with top-down and bottom-up models," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(PA).
    18. Shen, Jialin & Zhang, Qi & Tian, Shuoshuo, 2025. "Decarbonization pathways analysis and recommendations in the green steel supply chain of a typical steel end user-automotive industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 377(PD).
    19. Ren, Lei & Zhou, Sheng & Peng, Tianduo & Ou, Xunmin, 2021. "A review of CO2 emissions reduction technologies and low-carbon development in the iron and steel industry focusing on China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    20. Sun, Wenqiang & Wang, Qiang & Zhou, Yue & Wu, Jianzhong, 2020. "Material and energy flows of the iron and steel industry: Status quo, challenges and perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:309:y:2022:i:c:s0306261921017062. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.