Abstract
This paper employs an un-weighted and weighted exergy network to study the properties of ferrous metal ores in countries worldwide and their evolution from 2002 to 2012. We find that there are few countries controlling most of the ferrous metal ore exports in terms of exergy and that the entire exergy flow network is becoming more heterogeneous though the addition of new nodes. The increasing of the average clustering coefficient indicates that the formation of an international exergy flow system and regional integration is improving. When we contrast the average out strength of exergy and the average out strength of currency, we find both similarities and differences. Prices are affected largely by human factors; thus, the growth rate of the average out strength of currency has fluctuated acutely in the eleven years from 2002 to 2012. Exergy is defined as the maximum work that can be extracted from a system and can reflect the true cost in the world, and this parameter fluctuates much less. Performing an analysis based on the two aspects of exergy and currency, we find that the network is becoming uneven.
Highlights
IntroductionFerrous metals (iron, chromium and manganese) are the main raw materials for the steel industry and play important roles in the national economy
Ferrous metals are the main raw materials for the steel industry and play important roles in the national economy
The degree in the exergy flow network of global ferrous metal ore trade is the number of trade connections country i has with the other countries during year t
Summary
Ferrous metals (iron, chromium and manganese) are the main raw materials for the steel industry and play important roles in the national economy. Ferrous metal production accounts for approximately 95% of the world’s metal production [1,2]. Ferrous metal ores are processed to produce ferrous metals; their distribution in the world is extremely unbalanced. Under the drivers of demand and supply, many countries meet their needs by importing and exporting ferrous metal ores. Trade networks of ferrous metal ores are formed and are the subject of numerous studies [3]. Some researchers analyze the world trade network based on currency [4,5] or based on the quantity of the commodity [6] to explore the pattern of the international trade network and provide a reference for trade policy
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