Prediction and potential analysis of green metallurgy innovation development situation

(1) Prediction of the development trend of green metallurgy

Green development is an important content, key embodiment and ultimate goal to promote the high-quality development of China's metallurgical industry, with resources, energy and environment well-coordinated material recycling society as the core. The development direction of the metallurgical industry is reasonable industrial layout, advanced technology and equipment, high intelligence level, strong global competitiveness, green, low-carbon and sustainable. Looking forward to the metallurgical industry technology in the new era, its development trend is positioned as a technical system that comprehensively responds to the challenges of resources, energy and environment, and the core topic is to promote environmental protection and material circulation.

1. Solve the problem of resource recycling and break through the constraints of resources and environment

The recycling of resources is an inevitable trend of the green development of the metallurgical industry, and the utilization of scrap steel will gradually ease the situation of iron ore dependence on imports. The steel recycling materials represented by scrap steel are fully reduced metals, which belong to energy-carrying and environment-friendly green resources. A large proportion of the use of steel recycling materials will be an important development direction of low-carbon metallurgy in the future, while saving the use of blast furnace hot metal, greatly reducing CO2 and pollutant emissions. In 2020, the amount of scrap steel used in China is about 2.6×108 t, which can reduce CO2 emissions by about 4.16×108 t, and effectively replace 62% grade iron concentrate by about 4.1×108 t; It is expected that by 2025, the amount of scrap steel will be about 3.2×108 t [7].

The apparent consumption of 10 kinds of non-ferrous metals in China will continue to rise, is expected to reach 8.162×107 t in 2025, and the growth of demand has intensified the constraint of resources on the development of non-ferrous metals industry. In the future, we should comprehensively and advance the deployment of comprehensive resource replacement programs, build a recycling system for renewable resources, and achieve the basic goal of increasing the proportion of renewable resources by 15% to 50%. Innovative primary smelting with urban mineral utilization technology, crack the problem of resource recycling;

Implement the combination of "mining, selecting and smelting" to improve the utilization level of steel and non-ferrous resources, and then realize green and low-carbon metallurgy; Strengthen the recycling of tailings, smelting waste slag, etc. From the perspective of the whole life cycle, improve the level of smelting technology, significantly reduce resource consumption, and improve domestic and international resource security to support the green and low-carbon transformation of the industry.

2. Implement energy substitution innovation and strengthen metallurgical pollution reduction and carbon reduction

In a certain period of time, the blast furnace process is still the mainstream process of China's steel industry, and the steel industry will vigorously develop and actively apply energy-saving and low-carbon technologies, such as adopting waste heat and energy resource technology to improve interface energy efficiency and optimize the whole process energy efficiency of the metallurgical industry. We will increase the proportion of clean energy such as natural gas, expand the use of solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy, deploy the hydrogen energy industry at an appropriate time, and comprehensively promote a clean and low-carbon energy structure. At the same time, the application of carbon capture, utilization and storage technology will be strengthened.

For the metallurgical process that directly consumes fossil fuels, the implementation of clean energy replacement has become the only way to solve the problem of carbon emissions, such as hydrogen energy will become the preferred type of clean energy application in the non-ferrous metal industry. Encourage metallurgical enterprises to take the initiative to adjust the energy use structure, and strive to increase the proportion of renewable clean energy to 45% by 2050; Promote hydropower and metallurgy joint projects, break through a series of new clean energy metallurgy processes and equipment, improve smelting technology level and reduce carbon emission intensity from the perspective of the whole life cycle.

3. Enhance industrial concentration and promote multi-industry links

The structural adjustment of the layout of China's steel industry is facing new challenges, continue to accelerate the pace of optimization and restructuring of steel enterprises, focus on improving the overall efficiency of the industry, rationally strengthen the degree of industrial concentration, and resolutely eliminate backward production capacity. In this process, we pay attention to all-round integration from the perspectives of technology, structure, system and resources, especially the integration and optimization of human resources and core technologies, to support the substantial improvement of industrial competitiveness. Encourage the link between the steel industry and various industrial industries, and promote the high value and high-end of industrial development. After entering the stage of high-quality development, the steel industry has focused on accelerating the construction of a domestic and international dual-cycle development pattern, in-depth implementation of the supply-side structural reform of the steel industry, and contributed to the smooth connection of upstream and downstream industries and promoted sustainable development.