Allwood Julian M, Music Omer
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK.
Mechanical Engineering Department, TED University, Ankara, Turkey.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2024 Dec 2;382(2284):20230245. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2023.0245. Epub 2024 Nov 4.
Global production of steel and aluminium is a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions. Various processes might allow continued primary production of the two metals, but all depend on emissions-free electricity or carbon storage, and global capacity of these two key resources will be below demand for decades to come. As a result, zero-emissions steel and aluminium will mainly come from recycling, but supply will be lower than demand. This motivates demand reduction, and for the first time, this article estimates the inefficiency in current metal use by component type. The results demonstrate that around 80% of steel and 90% of aluminium liquid metal produced today may be unnecessary. Around 40% of liquid steel and 60% of liquid aluminium are never used in final components as they are removed along the supply chain of manufacturing. Of the metal that enters final service, approximately one-third could be saved by avoiding component over-specification. A further third could be saved, where the properties of metal are not used to their limits. These results point to specific opportunities for innovation in design and manufacturing technology, of which the highest priority is to re-think the use of sheet metal in construction.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Sustainable metals: science and systems'.
全球钢铁和铝的生产是温室气体排放的主要驱动因素。各种工艺可能使这两种金属的原生生产得以持续，但都依赖无排放电力或碳储存，而这两种关键资源的全球产能在未来几十年将低于需求。因此，零排放的钢铁和铝将主要来自回收利用，但供应仍将低于需求。这促使人们减少需求，本文首次按部件类型估算了当前金属使用中的低效率情况。结果表明，如今生产的约80%的钢铁和90%的铝液态金属可能是不必要的。约40%的液态钢和60%的液态铝在最终部件中从未被使用，因为它们在制造供应链中被剔除。在进入最终使用阶段的金属中，通过避免部件规格过高可节省约三分之一。在金属性能未得到充分利用的情况下，还可再节省三分之一。这些结果指出了设计和制造技术创新的具体机会，其中最优先的是重新思考建筑中金属板材的使用。本文是“可持续金属：科学与系统”研讨会文集的一部分。
