Iron and Steel

Steel products are used in the automotive, appliance, construction, and manufacturing industries, and can also be found in piping, roofing materials, transmission towers, agricultural equipment, construction and road building materials, etc.

Environmental Impact on Air Quality

This sector releases pollutants of concern, including criteria air contaminants (CAC), greenhouse gases (GHG) and substances that have been declared toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA 1999). The integrated steel plants account for the majority of emissions from the iron and steel sector, i.e., approximately 80 percent of CAC emissions, approximately 85 percent of GHG emissions, and virtually all of the sector emissions of benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

On a national basis, the sector accounted for 2 to 4 percent of industrial emissions of NOx, SOx, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Total Particulate Matter (TPM), approximately 28 percent of industrial CO emissions, and approximately 13 percent of industrial GHG emissions in 1995.

The cokemaking and ironmaking processes account for the majority of emissions from the integrated steel plants. The ironmaking process, involving the operation of a sinter plant, coke ovens, and blast furnaces, accounts for approximately 70 percent of the energy consumption in the integrated steel plants.

• Steel plant processes and their significant pollutant types
• Emissions from integrated steel mill process units
• Emissions from non-integrated steel mill process units

Canadian Context

The Canadian iron and steel sector consists of 15 facilities located in Alberta (1), Saskatchewan (1), Manitoba (1), Ontario (8), and Quebec (4). There are four integrated steel plants (all located in Ontario) operating coke ovens, blast furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces, one non-integrated plant operating a basic oxygen furnace, and 10 non-integrated plants operating electric arc furnaces. The majority of steel production in Canada is centered in Ontario.

Canadian Steel Plant Locations in 2000

Emission Management Practices and Regulations

Multi-lateral Environmental Agreements

Canada has entered into several Multi-lateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), many of which have potential implications for the Canadian iron and steel sector. These include:

• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) 1998 Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2001 Stockholm Convention on POPs
• Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement - Ozone Annex (2000)
• Kyoto Protocol, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1997) (pdf)

National

Canada-wide Standards for identified priority substances have been developed under the auspices of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). The following Canada-wide Standards (CWS) are of relevance to the iron and steel sector:

• CWS for Particulate Matter (PM) and Ground-level Ozone: These standards set ambient limits for fine particulate matter (less than 2.5 microns) and ground-level ozone.
• CWS for Dioxins and Furans: These standards include concentration limits for emissions of dioxins/furans from steel manufacturing electric arc furnaces and from iron sintering plants.
• CWS for Benzene: These standards identify percent reduction targets for emissions of benzene from various source sectors, including integrated iron and steel plants.

Provincial

• Ontario's Industrial Emissions Reduction Plan: Developing Air Emissions Limits for Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂) (pdf)
• Quebec Ministry of the Environment, Programs de réductions des rejets industriels (PRRI) [Industrial waste reduction strategy]

Federal Initiatives

• Environment Canada, First Edition Environmental Codes of Practice for Integrated and for Non-Integrated Steel Mills (March 2001)

The Codes identify minimum environmental performance standards for new steel mills and provide a set of environmental performance goals that existing mills can strive to achieve through continual improvement over time. The first edition Codes include environmental performance standards for emissions of TPM, benzene and PAH, as well as a comprehensive suite of environmental management practices. A third party review of the environmental performance of the iron and steel sector relative to the first edition Codes of Practice was undertaken in 2002-2003. A summary report outlining the findings of this study is available on Environment Canada's GreenLane (see weblink above).

• Climate Change Plan for Canada - Reductions from Large Final Emitters (released in 2002)

Iron and steel mills are considered to be large final emitters of greenhouse gases. As part of Canada's Climate Change plan, large final emitters will be required to negotiate a covenant with the government or to accept emission reduction targets set out in regulations, to be developed through Natural Resources Canada's Large Final Emitters Group.

• Environmental Performance Agreements

There are currently two Environmental Performance Agreements (EPA) with Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and individual steel sector companies. More information on the agreements, including available summary progress reports, can be found through the following weblinks:

• Environmental Management Agreement (EMA) with Dofasco, Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (signed in 1997)
• EMA with Algoma, Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (signed in 2000)

History

The Strategic Options Process for the Steel Manufacturing Sector was established in 1995 to consider how toxic substance releases from this sector should be managed. The report of this consultation process - the Strategic Options Report, was endorsed by the federal Ministers of Environment and Health in April 1999. The report advanced twelve recommendations calling for enhanced voluntary programs and non-regulatory environmental performance standards. The Strategic Options Report noted the preference of public interest groups for regulations with enforceable sanctions.

In June 1998, the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) advanced a Statement of Commitment and Action Regarding Environmental Protection with the purpose of providing a framework outlining the principles, priorities and objectives of the association's member companies to achieve continual improvement relative to environmental performance. The CSPA prepares annual reports on its progress against commitments identified in their Statement of Commitment and Action (SCA).

Take Action

Potential retrofits and continual improvement approaches identified through previously completed studies, such as the 2002 Multi-pollutant Emission Reduction Analysis Foundation (MERAF) Report for the Iron and Steel Sector are either in-place at steel mills, or may be adopted in the near-term in response to ongoing and planned environmental performance requirements.

Process change at integrated mills offers the greatest potential for advancement of environmental performance of the iron and steel sector. The use of new processes and technologies that are cleaner and more efficient which could potentially replace or supplement existing conventional production processes.