9727297 Considine The steel industry provides a classic example of an evolving industrial ecosystem, recycling large amounts of by-product gases and more than half of industry output. Further environmental progress depends upon new technology adoption. Integrated steel producers are adopting new technology to compete with scrap-based minimills. In addition, both industry segments face more stringent standards for emissions of toxic air pollutants. In meeting these economic and environmental challenges, steelmakers must choose among several new technologies, including new iron feedstocks, coke oven designs, and iron and steel making technologies. This proposal addresses an integrated assessment of new technology adoption in the steel industry. Analysis will be based upon a revised and expanded version of the mathematical programming model of the steel industry developed by the PI. The new framework will include a life cycle assessment (LCA) of steel production from virgin ore and primary fuel to the plant gate, estimating pollutants for each process at each stage of production. This information will be very valuable to steel-using industries conducting LCAs of their products. The model will also endogenously estimate optimal rates of steel scrap recycling and investments in new steel-making technologies. This model will be used to estimate how the industry responds to carbon mitigation policies, including taxes and permits, and examine how these policy impacts interact with toxic pollution control policies. This project could be very useful for more aggregate integrated assessments of global climate change policies. This project will provide insights into the tradeoffs between cost and environmental objectives, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, toxic discharges, and acidic residuals.
