Mini Mills: Consuming Fewer Resources, Releasing Fewer Emissions.
As the name implies, Nucor mini mills are small. But their small footprint on the land is just one benefit to their very environmentally friendly nature.
For starters, a mini mill's electric arc furnace requires much less in the way of natural resources. In fact, compared to the traditional blast furnace process, every ton of steel made the mini mill way eliminates the need for:
- 2,500 pounds of iron ore
- 1,400 pounds of coal
- 120 pounds of limestone
- and 1,705 kilowatt hours of electricity.
A MINI MILL'S ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE REQUIRES MUCH LESS IN THE WAY OF NATURAL RESOURCES.
Take the 22 million tons of steel Nucor made in 2007. That's enough electricity saved to power over 6.5 million homes for a year.
Air pollutants way down
While conservation of natural resources is by itself an environmental benefit, it pales in comparison to the benefits brought about by the reduction of criteria pollutants released into the atmosphere. (Think about all that coal we no longer need to burn.) Compared to the blast furnace, the mini mills' arc furnace releases 86 fewer pounds of pollutants into the air for every ton of steel made. In a year's time, that has the effect of reducing particulate matter emissions by over 2 million tons.
It's a win-win situation.
It all starts with recycling. By cleaning up our land of scrap steel, we're able to reduce mining waste by 97 percent, air pollution by 86 percent and water pollution by 76 percent.
Criteria Pollutants Comparison
KYOTO FACTOID:
Mini mills are a big reason why the steel industry is exceeding the Kyoto Protocol target for reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 240 percent. U.S. steel industry today percent as referenced in 1990.