180,000 Eiffel Towers: The world produces a lot of steel
The world produces enough steel to build an Eiffel Tower every 3 minutes. That's 180,000 Eiffel Towers in one year. Side by side they would go from Paris to New York three and a half times.
Environmental impact of steel production
Mining of iron ore
The main ingredient in the production of steel is iron ore mined from Earth. Over 2,000 million tons of iron ore is mined mined a year - about 95 percent is used by the steel industry.
Iron ore is the world’s third most produced commodity by volume - after crude oil and coal - and the second most traded commodity - only beaten by crude oil.
The mining of iron ore is highly energy intensive and causes air pollution in the form of nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide from diesel generators, trucks and other equipment.
The mining of iron ore also causes water pollution of heavy metals and acid that drains from the mines. Acid drainage can go on for thousands of years after the mining activities have stopped.
Time left till end of pollution
From 'Iron Mountain' mine
World’s most energy consuming industry
The making of steel from the mined iron ore is also highly energy demanding. Production of steel is the most energy-consuming and CO2 emitting industrial activity in the world.
Steel requires about 20 gigajoules of energy per ton produced. Three quarters of the energy comes from burning coal.
Steel production is highly polluting
Steel production requires large inputs of coke (a sort of coal) which is extremely damaging to the environment. Coke ovens emit air pollution such as naphthalene that is highly toxic and can cause cancer.
Wastewater from the coking process is also highly toxic and contains a number of carcinogenic organic compounds as well as cyanide, sulfides, ammonium and ammonia.
Tonnes of wastewater from steel mining
Globally, this year
Greenhouse gas emissions from steel production
On average, 1.83 tons of CO2 is emitted for every ton of steel produced making steel production a major contributor to global warming adding over 3,3 million tons annually to global emissions.
10-fold increase in steel production since 1950
In 1950, the annual global steel production was 189 million tons, in 1975, 644 million tons and by the year 2000, production reached 850 million tons. In 2018, global steel production had doubled compared to 2000 and reached 1808 million tons. That’s 57 tons of steel a second around the clock, 365 days a year.
The rise in global steel production
- 1950: 189 million tons
- 1975: 644 million tons
- 2000: 850 million tons
- 2018: 1808 million tons
Steel producers
The main steel producing country is China producing about half the world’s steel. China is followed by India, Japan, the US, South Korea and Russia. These six countries produce over three quarters of the world’s steel.
Main steel producing countries (2018)
- China: 928.3 million tons
- India: 106.5 million tons
- Japan: 104.3 million tons
- The US: 86.6 million tons
- South Korea: 72.5 million tons
- Russia: 71.7 million tons
Steel is used everywhere
Steel production is dirty business - yet no-one can make a product without using steel. If steel is not used in a product, it is used in the production or shipment of products. But steel can be produced in much friendlier ways…
Good example of greener steel production
…for example, a Korean company has developed a steelmaking method that emits 90 percent less toxic emissions than traditional methods.
