Steelmakers delineate low vs. high CO2 emissions production methods

Sources: Steel Manufacturers Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

A Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) study concludes that the output of electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmakers in the U.S. has a carbon intensity approximately 75 percent lower than that of peers running traditional, coal-fueled blast furnaces. Large operations deploy the latter to melt raw materials into iron, then process it into steel. EAFs primarily use electricity and recycled ferrous scrap to make steel, resulting in a lower carbon emission and less energy-intensive process. 

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