Ohio steel producers are proud stewards of the environment, leading the way in emission controls, energy conservation and recycling. Each year, Ohio steel producers invest about $137 million in various environmental programs, including programs to reduce emissions.
Emissions Reductions
- The steel industry has dramatically reduced emissions – 67 percent between 1995 and 2006, the steepest decline of any manufacturing sector.
- New environmental technology is making it possible in some locations to capture up to 90 percent of fugitive emissions from steel plants, dramatically reducing emissions of particulates and gases into the air.
Cogeneration
- By re-burning blast furnace gases, Ohio steel companies heat their own buildings, provide heat and steam for production operations and generate 351,197 Mkwh of new electricity per year.
Energy and Water Conservation
- Nationally, the steel industry has reduced energy used per ton of steel produced by 33 percent since 1990.
- Ohio steel companies recycle and purify water used in steelmaking and processing. When it is discharged, water from steel facilities is cleaner than when it entered.
Recycling
- Steel is the number-one recycled material, outpacing paper, glass and aluminum combined. According to the latest figures from the Steel Recycling Institute, the worldwide recycling rate for steel is 68.7 percent.
- Ohio steelmakers regularly use scrap in making new steel, buying nearly 8 million tons per year from Ohio’s scrap dealers, shredders and buy-back centers.
- About 73 million tons of steel per year in the United States are recycled or exported for recycling.