New analysis of the Scottish steel industry has established that using green technology to repurpose scrap steel in Scotland could be vital to fight climate change.

A report from Zero Waste Scotland has shown that electric arc furnace (EAF) technology could see scrap metal turned into some of the most climate-friendly steel in the world.

The paper, titled ‘How Should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?’ noted that there are “clear and obvious” positives of using the technology.

EAF, which is powered by Scotland’s low-carbon electricity grid, provides potential benefits including creating green jobs in Scotland, a 60% reduction in steel production emissions and reducing reliance on steel imports.

Commenting on the latest research, partner for energy infrastructure at Zero Waste Scotland and report co-author Dr Charlotte Stamper said: “Our findings show that Scotland exports almost 820,000 tonnes of scrap steel per year for remelting in other countries.

“In many of those places, they still use methods which require large amounts of coal and the addition of virgin iron ore to operate – and this carries a high carbon cost.”

Stamper continued: “If Scotland were to instead invest in modern EAF technology, we could operate these using 100% scrap and power them using Scotland’s low carbon electricity rather than coal.

“We would also no longer export valuable materials, strengthening Scotland’s resilience by securing domestic steel supply chains are in place to keep Scotland’s economy running in times of global material shortages.”

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The analysis highlighted that the country has one of the earth’s lowest carbon electricity grids meaning that EAF-operated steel production in Scotland would be some of the greenest in the world.

She added: “This move makes sense as part of the underpinning of Scotland’s transition towards a circular economy. By switching to a Scottish-based EAF technology for steel production, we would save 790,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, which is more than 1% of Scotland’s annual global footprint.

“Whilst the establishment of this industry would also bring economic and social benefits, this paper looks first at the environmental case, which is clear and obvious. Simply put, the opportunity is there for the taking.”

Zero Waste Scotland’s report comes ahead of the climate talks at COP26, where world leaders are gathering in Glasgow to discuss measures to combat the growing threat of climate change.

The report highlights the important position that Scotland could pivot into to become a world leader across green tech industries, including steel and renewable energy production.

Dr Russell Hall, from WMG at Warwick University, added: “The world’s population is set to increase from 7.7 billion people in 2020 to 9.7 billion in 2050, therefore the demand for steel will continue to increase.

“This provides an opportunity for Scotland to revive their steel industry and boost their income, however this will require coordinated government intervention and leadership into steel making capability … in the form of direct investment, indirect support such as the reduction of energy costs or increase in skills provision for steelmaking.”

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