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Life cycle assessment of carbon footprint in dual-phase automotive strip steel production

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Abstract

As the demand for automotive materials grows more stringent in environmental considerations, it becomes imperative to conduct thorough environmental impact assessments of dual-phase automotive strip steel (DP steel). However, the absence of detailed and comparable studies has left the carbon footprint of DP steel and its sources largely unknown. This study addresses this gap by establishing a cradle-to-gate life cycle model for DP steel, encompassing on-site production, energy systems, and upstream processes. The analysis identifies and scrutinizes key factors influencing the carbon footprint, with a focus on upstream mining, transportation, and on-site production processes. The results indicate that the carbon footprint of DP steel is 2.721 kgCO2-eq/kgDP, with on-site processes contributing significantly at 88.1%. Sensitivity analysis is employed to assess the impact of changes in resource structure, on-site energy, CO2 emission factors, and byproduct recovery on the carbon footprint. Proposals for mitigating carbon emissions in DP steel production include enhancing process gas recovery, transitioning to cleaner energy sources, and reducing the hot metal-to-steel ratio. These findings offer valuable insights for steering steel production towards environmentally sustainable practices.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52334008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Energy Engineering, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, Liaoning, China

    Xiaoqing Fang & Wenqiang Sun

  2. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Eco-Industry (Northeastern University), Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Shenyang, 110819, Liaoning, China

    Xiaoqing Fang & Wenqiang Sun

  3. Liaoning Engineering Research Center of Process Industry Energy Saving and Low-Carbon Technologies, Shenyang, 110819, Liaoning, China

    Wenqiang Sun

  4. State Key Laboratory of Metal Material for Marine Equipment and Application, Anshan, 114009, Liaoning, China

    Weidong Li & Guangyu Ma

  5. Ansteel Iron and Steel Research Institute, Ansteel Group Co. Ltd., Anshan, 114009, Liaoning, China

    Weidong Li & Guangyu Ma

Authors
  1. Xiaoqing Fang
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  2. Wenqiang Sun
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  3. Weidong Li
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  4. Guangyu Ma
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection, visualization, and analysis were performed by X Fang, W Li, and W Sun. The first draft of the manuscript was written by X Fang, and W Sun and G Ma commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Wenqiang Sun.

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Fang, X., Sun, W., Li, W. et al. Life cycle assessment of carbon footprint in dual-phase automotive strip steel production. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 26300–26314 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32940-8

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