Chinese Steel Research Articles

Development Trends of Low-Carbon Technologies of Chinese Steel Industry to Achieve Carbon Peaking and Neutrality Goals

The specific CO2 emissions per tonne of steel have been significantly reduced in Chinese steel industry. The effects of Chinese steel industry on the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals were analyzed in this paper. A number of low-carbon solutions are proposed for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals in order to achieve the development targets.

Life cycle assessment of bio-fermentation ethanol production and its influence in China's steeling industry

Conversion of Linz-Donawitz Gas from steeling industry into ethanol (LDG-ethanol) was demonstrated to be a promising route for value-added utilization of tail-gas. However, a systematic and objective understanding of the environmental impact benefits is still lacking. In this work, the environmental footprint of the technology is systematically evaluated by life cycle assessment (LCA) and compared with its competitors under different scenarios development. The assessment results show that LDG-ethanol route is the most environmentally benign option, whose environmental impact value is 22%–25% lower than that of Corn-ethanol and Coal-ethanol routes. More importantly, electricity as the key determining factor, the environmental footprint of LDG-ethanol can be further decreased by 15%–68% via lowering electricity consumption and introducing of green power. As grid decarbonization gradually, such interesting characteristics endowed LDG-ethanol with enormous potential to achieve the decarbonization goal. Based on the LCA analysis, the carbon reduction potential, economic benefits, and early opportunities of the LDG-ethanol technology are further analysed in the context of the Chinese steel industry to inspire heavy industries seek new technologies for re-use CO/CO2-containing waste gases.

Experimental and numerical investigations into seismic behavior of corroded steel frame beams and columns in offshore atmospheric environment

With the strong promoting of “national carbon peak and carbon neutrality” strategy and the continuous deepening of “performance-based seismic design” concept, the seismic performance evaluation field of Chinese steel structures has developed rapidly. Nevertheless, previous studies are generally aimed at new building structures, ignoring the seismic performance degradation characteristics caused by the durability loss of existing structures under environmental erosion. Thus, in this paper, accelerated offshore atmospheric corrosion and quasi-static cyclic loading tests were carried out on five steel frame beams and four steel frame columns. The effects of corrosion level on the failure mechanism, hysteretic behavior, skeleton curve, bearing capacity, ductility, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation of steel frame members were revealed and analyzed in detail. The test results indicate that with an increase in corrosion level, the appearance of plate local buckling, steel cracking and final failure shows a forward tendency, and all seismic performance indexes significantly decrease. Moreover, the deterioration models of the maximum load, ultimate displacement and cumulative energy dissipation with weight loss rate for corroded steel frame beams and columns were proposed. In addition, a finite element analysis method for corroded steel frame members was established and validated, which considered the corrosion damage and introduced a nonlinear mixed hardening constitutive model and a stress triaxiality dependent ductile damage criterion. On this basis, the parametric analysis was further presented to systematically study the influence of corrosion level, plate width - thickness ratio and its assembly factors, and stress conditions on the mechanical performance of H-shaped steel members, then obtaining the regular expressions of bending capacity and plastic rotation capacity.

The impact of ICT, green finance, and CSR on sustainable financial performance: moderating role of perceived organizational support

Recently, the financial performance of the steel industry has faced several challenges due to a lack of focus on corporate social responsibilities (CSR), green finance, and information communication technology (ICT). Hence, this study investigates the impact of CSR, green finance, and ICT on the financial performance of the steel industry in China. The present research also investigates the moderating role of organizational support among CSR and firm performance and ICT and firm performance. We applied structural equation modeling to analyze the primary data of 290 employees collected from the employees of the steel industry in China. The findings indicated that CSR, green finance, and ICT have a positive and significant impact on the financial performance of this industry. The results also showed that organizational support significantly and positively moderates the interaction between CSR, ICT, and financial performance. These findings suggest that Chinese steel industries should adopt CSR practices and implement an ICT adoption strategy for better financial performance.

How does carbon emissions trading scheme affect steel enterprises' pollution control performance? A quasi natural experiment from China

Taking advantage of a 2005–2018 sample of 86 Chinese steel enterprises (CSEs) and the difference-in-differences method, this paper utilizes the carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS) — as a quasi-natural experiment to investigate the impact of the carbon ETS on the total factor pollution control efficiency (TFPCE) of CSEs to test the green development effect of the carbon ETS. Then, the green development effect of the carbon ETS is empirically tested by a variety of robustness tests, such as DDD and PSM-DID. The results show that the carbon ETS policy significantly improves the TFPCE of CSEs located in the pilot area, generating the green development effect, and that this the annual effect lags by one year. Additionally, the channel analysis from the perspective of enterprise internal management and the external environment shows that strategic innovation, substantive innovation and institutional quality play a positive role in enhancing pollution control performance respectively. The heterogeneity test shows that the green development effect is better for state-owned CSEs and CSEs located in the eastern and central China. The conclusion has significant implications for green and low-carbon development in heavy pollution industries and has implications for further promoting the implementation of market-oriented environmental regulations.

Intelligent Manufacturing Technology in the Steel Industry of China: A Review.

Intelligent manufacturing, defined as the integration of manufacturing with modern information technologies such as 5G, digitalization, networking, and intelligence, has grown in popularity as a means of boosting the productivity, intelligence, and flexibility of traditional manufacturing processes. The steel industry is a necessary support for modern life and economic development, and the Chinese steel industry's capacity has expanded to roughly half of global production. However, the Chinese steel industry is now confronted with high labor costs, massive carbon emissions, a low level of intelligence, low production efficiency, and unstable quality control. Therefore, China's steel industry has launched several large-scale intelligent manufacturing initiatives to improve production efficiency, product quality, manual labor intensity, and employee working conditions. Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive overview of intelligent manufacturing in China's steel industry. We began this research by summarizing the construction goals and overall framework for intelligent manufacturing of the steel industry in China. Following that, we offered a brief review of intelligent manufacturing for China's steel industry, as well as descriptions of two typical intelligent manufacturing models. Finally, some major technologies employed for intelligent production in China's steel industry were introduced. This research not only helps to comprehend the development model, essential technologies, and construction techniques of intelligent manufacturing in China's steel industry, but it also provides vital inspiration for the manufacturing industry's digital and intelligence updates and quality improvement.

Performance evaluation of the practical application of cleaner production management system: A case study of steel enterprise

Recently, cleaner production (CP) has attracted more attention from developing countries because of its various advantages. However, due to the lack of management constraints, CP activities often cannot keep efficient for long. To alleviate this problem, we put forward the cleaner production management (CPM) system and applied it in China. Based on our previous research, this paper constructed a comprehensive performance evaluation system to effectively supervise the implementation effect of CPM system. By analysing the flows of material, energy and information, a multi-level index system integrating the CPM requirements and sustainable development needs was established. And the quantification of performance was realized by combining the analytic hierarchy process and grey relational degree operation, which reliability was confirmed by sensitivity analysis. The case study in Chinese steel enterprise showed that after implementing CPM system for three years, the overall performance level increased by about 25%. It has confirmed that the application of CPM mode could obviously promote the sustainable green development of the steel enterprise and provide the directions for carrying out CP plans in the next step, such as strengthening innovation of management system and improving employees' awareness of CP activities. In the context of enterprises seeking sustainable development, CPM system and performance evaluation possess broad application value.

A possible contribution of carbon capture, geological utilization, and storage in the Chinese crude steel industry for carbon neutrality

The steel production industry faces tremendous pressure from carbon emission peaks and carbon neutrality targets. CO2 capture, geological utilization, and storage (CCUS) is crucial for CO2 mitigation in fossil-fuel-based industries at scale. Here, an integrated techno-economic assessment model is built to assess the potential of CCUS retrofitting in the crude steel industry. According to this assessment, the total CO2 emissions from 277 crude steel manufacturers represent about 1.76 billion tons. This systematic evaluation provides preliminary answers to critical questions, such as the factory inventory suitable for CCUS retrofitting, matched geological sites, CO2 mitigation magnitude, and related cost characteristics. Furthermore, the contribution of CCUS to the carbon neutralization of the crude steel industry is predicted. With a 60% and 85% net mitigation rate, more than 53% and 82% of CO2 emissions (942 Mt and 1466 Mt/a) in the crude steel plants can be mitigated with levelized costs of less than 60 USD/t. Suitable plants are mainly distributed in regions in or near the Bohai Bay, Junggar, Jianghan, and Ordos basins. The mitigation potential model predicts that the contribution of CCUS will be in the range of 17.6%–56.5% depending on carbon price or supporting policy, and the cumulative cost will be in the range of 189–633 billion USD. The stochastic analysis shows that the fraction of cumulative CO2 mitigation follows the normal distribution of N (39%, 3.2%), and the related incremental cost follows N (305, 39) billion USD. CCUS could greatly help green transition and the sustainable development of the Chinese steel industry.

Policy effect of the “blue sky plan” on air pollution, ESG investment, and financial performance of china’s steel industry

This study aims to examine the policy effects of the “Three-Year Action Plan to Win the Blue Sky War” on the steel industry and air pollution in China. Specifically, we analyze the impact of the “Blue Sky Plan” on Chinese steel companies’ ESG investments, corporate financial performance, and the emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas. Our evidence suggests that ESG investment in steel companies can lead to a significant decrease in financial performance. The “Blue Sky Plan” compensated for about one-third of corporate ESG investment losses and played a significant role in promoting the ESG investment of steel companies. In addition, we found that after the implementation of the “Blue Sky Plan,” the emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gases were significantly reduced.

Cyclic Performance of Structural Steels after Exposure to Various Heating–Cooling Treatments

The cyclic performance of structural steels after exposure to various elevated temperatures and cooling-down methods was experimentally investigated in this paper. Four types of frequently used structural steels were tested including Chinese mild steel Grade Q235, Chinese high-strength steel Grade Q345, and Chinese stainless steel Grade S304 and S316. A total of eighty specimens were prepared using three different heating–cooling processes before being subjected to cyclic loads. The post-fire basic features and hysteretic performances of the four types of structural steels exposed to various target temperatures (100–1000 °C), heat soak times (30 min or 180 min) and cooling-down methods (natural air or water) were recorded and discussed. The results show that all the tested structural steels prepared using different heating–cooling treatments exhibited proper ductility and energy dissipation capacity, while the heat soak times and cooling-down methods had a definite effect on their energy dissipation capacity; no Masing phenomenon was found in the tested structural steels. Finally, a set of skeleton curves were proposed for the four types of structural steels under cyclic loading based on the Ramberg–Osgood model, which could serve as the foundation for the seismic capacity evaluation of steel structures after a fire.

Evolutionary Analysis of Supply Chain Integration Strategy on Chinese Steel-Producing Firms considering Policy Risk Cost Factor.

Despite a number of adverse factors, China's steel industry has maintained a rapid growth trend. China continues to consume two-thirds of the world's iron ore, the majority of which is imported. In this context, Chinese steel companies have begun to consider integrating their supply chains to increase efficiency and lower costs. However, the increasingly volatile international environment makes this an extremely risky proposition. As a result, the issue of how Chinese steel producers should participate in global supply chain integration has emerged as a critical research question that requires investigation. In this paper, we examine the supply chain integration problem using a typical China–Australia steel trade as an example. Specifically, we discuss in detail whether relevant firms should continue to promote supply chain integration in the Chinese–Australian steel industry, as well as the decision boundary of influence, using evolutionary game theory and policy risk cost factors. The empirical analysis demonstrates that policy risk has a range of effects on different types of steel firms. Even when international tensions are considered, smaller steel companies may retain a greater willingness to integrate their supply chains. Overall, the above findings can provide necessary decision support for enterprises to formulate supply chain management strategies.

Effect of Neutron Irradiation on the Critical Event Size of Cleavage Fracture of the Chinese A508-3 Steel

In order to analyze the influence of neutron irradiation on the critical event of cleavage fracture for the Chinese A508-3 (RPV) steel, the fracture morphology, microstructure and grain size of the irradiated specimens are observed and analyzed by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that with the increase of neutron doses, the fracture mode of Chinese RPV steel material changes gradually from ductile fracture to ductile-brittle mixed fracture transformation. The brittle part for fracture mode of ductile-brittle fracture is cleavage fracture, and the non-metallic inclusions, microstructure and grain size grades are not significantly different from those of the specimens without cleavage fracture. In the same material, with increasing of neutron doses, the critical event size of the cleavage fracture will be reduced, and the percentage of the grain that satisfies the grain size of the cleavage critical event will increase correspondingly, resulting in an increase of the probability of cleavage fracture of the material. The fine grain with uniform distribution can improve partly the fracture toughness of the material and withstand higher neutron doses under the same conditions.

Microbial | electrochemical CO2 reduction: To integrate or not to integrate?

Microbial | electrochemical CO2 reduction: To integrate or not to integrate?

Study on the axial compressive ultimate load-carrying capacity of high strength steel tubes with lattice boom

Lattice boom used on the crawler crane are welded by slender high strength steel tubes. Many studies show that the actual bearing capacity of high-strength steel tubes is higher than the stability bearing capacity calculated according to the specification. To obtain the actual bearing capacity of high-strength steel tubes and apply it to engineering practice, a series of axial loading tests are carried out on two kinds of high-strength steel tubes of 20Mn2 and S890 to obtain their damage load. By handling test data, and the coefficient fitting and correction are carried out according to the stability coefficient calculation formula of the Chinese steel structure specification. The results show that it is conservative to calculate the bearing capacity of high strength steel tubes by using the stability curve in the specification, and the bearing capacity of high strength steel tubes calculated by fitted coefficient is more consistent with its actual bearing capacity.

The Economic Effect of the Steel Industry on Sustainable Growth in China—A Focus on Input–Output Analysis

The purpose of this study is to analyze the economic ripple effects caused by the supply-side reforms on China’s steel industry. To this end, using the 2012 and the 2017 China Input–Output Tables, this study analyzes the economic ripple effect of the Chinese steel industry caused by its supply-side reform. In this study, the influence coefficients (rear-linked effect) and the sensitivity coefficients (forward-linked effect), conceptualized by Leontief, are used as research tools to analyze the ripple effects of the Chinese steel industry. The analysis results are as follows. First, the fact that 2012 ranked high in professional equipment and meter manufacturing shows that the Chinese government’s supply-side reforms are effective and creating the required shift from traditional manufacturing to qualitative growth. Second, in terms of the sensitivity coefficient, in 2012, most of the top industries contributed significantly to the development of the Chinese economy. The originality of this study is as follows. The input production analysis used in this paper is a methodology mainly used in the steel, coal, automobile, and petrochemical industries, which clearly distinguishes the front and rear industries. Additionally, this study is a novel attempt at comparative research on the Chinese steel industry between 2012 and 2017.

RDEU hawk-dove game analysis of the China-Australia iron ore trade conflict

By combining rank dependent expected utility (RDEU) theory model with asymmetric hawk-dove game model, this paper builds the RDEU hawk-dove game model to resolve the iron ore trade conflict between Chinese steel companies and Australian iron ore companies. Moreover, the impact of corporate benefits, conflict costs, “emotional factors” and “asymmetric factors” on corporate strategic choices are considered comprehensively. The study finds that:(1) When the benefits of Chinese and Australian companies are less than the conflict costs, there are the following conclusions. First, concerning the “emotional factors”, compared with optimism, pessimism has greater impact on the strategic choices of Chinese and Australian companies. Second, the greater the degree of asymmetry in the pricing power of Chinese and Australian companies, more Australian iron ore companies tend to choose the extreme confrontation strategy, and more Chinese steel companies tend to choose the peaceful settlement strategy. Finally, when the emotional factors and asymmetric factors are equal, compared with Chinese companies, the probability of Australian companies adopting the extreme confrontation strategy is higher, which is mainly due to the higher incomes of Australian companies. (2) When the benefits of Chinese companies are less than the conflict costs and the benefits of Australian companies are greater than the conflict costs, regardless of the emotions of both parties in the game, Australian companies tend to choose the extreme confrontation strategy, and Chinese companies tend to choose the peaceful settlement strategy. (3) When the benefits of Chinese and Australian companies are greater than the conflict costs, regardless of the emotions of both parties in the game, Chinese and Australian companies tend to choose extreme confrontation strategy. The research results can provide a reference for Chinese and Australian companies to resolve iron ore trade conflicts.

Role of FDI and energy intensity in mitigating the environmental pollution in the Chinese steel industry: does technological innovation makes a difference?

To accomplish China's sustainable growth, it is critical to identify the primary factors affecting environmental quality in the steel industry. In this positioning, foreign direct investment (FDI), energy intensity, and technological innovation have emerged as strong pillars of the steel industry. However, there are growing concerns of carbon emission from this industry which is still debatable. In this context, this study measures the effect of FDI, energy intensity, and technology innovation on environmental quality in the steel industry from 28 provinces of China. The study uses the provincial data for China over the period 2000-2018. In addition to examining unit root properties and cointegration, this study employed Augmented Mean Group regression for estimating long-run relationships among study variables. The findings reveal the negative effect of FDI and technology innovation on environmental quality. These findings indicate that FDI and technology innovation have shaped the energy intensity in the steel industry. The positive coefficient value of energy intensity shows that innovations for environmental conservation and energy usage are minimal and did not perform an integral part in lowering carbon emissions. These findings are important in formulating successful emission reduction policies after controlling the effects of urbanization and economic growth for the Chinese steel sector.

Ownership and Productivity in Vertically Integrated Firms: Evidence from the Chinese Steel Industry

AbstractWe study productivity differences in vertically integrated steel facilities using equipment-level information on inputs and output for each of the main stages in the value chain. We obtain stage-level productivity estimates by estimating a multistage production system and then integrate them into estimates for integrated facilities. At this level, we do not find statistically significant differences in productivity by ownership. This conceals important differences upstream and downstream in the value chain: private firms outperform in pig iron and steelmaking but lag in sintering. Inferior access to higher-quality raw materials and use of less automated technology are likely sources of these differences.

Cause analysis of surface micro-cracks on 12Mn pipeline steel

In order to find out the causes of defects in 12Mn pipeline steel produced by a Chinese steel pipe plant, the characteristics of the defects are analyzed and discussed by means of metallographic microscope, scanning electron microscope, ASPEX scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope and so on. The physical and chemical tests results show that there are several typical micro-cracks after slight grinding the pipe outer skin in which a few large particles of brittle alumina reside, which possess the macrocharacteristics of continuously curving and extending along the radial direction as well as many clear and smooth inner edges and few secondary branches, so that the cracks are not experienced a long and hightemperature oxidation process. The industrial tests indicate that most of the defects have been proved occurred in the quenching and tempering process of the steel pipe production. The main cause of steel pipe cracking is the stress concentration arose from some large brittle inclusions in the quenching process. When the critical strength of the steel pipe is exceeded by quenching stress, a micro-crack will generate and propagate along the grain boundary. These defects of steel pipes could be eliminated by means of taking steelmaking process optimization measures.

Chinese Steel Response to Tariffs

Chinese Steel Response to Tariffs