Restprodukter inom skrotbaserad stålindustri – en fallstudie av Uddeholms AB. Värdeskapande materialströmmar och industriell symbios för ökad samhällsnytta

Sammanfattning: A variety of excess material is produced in the processes used in the scrap-metal based steel industry. The largest stream of material, by volume, is steel slag. Since slag material has very different properties and wide differences in its chemical composition its usage can be found in different sectors. The increased understanding of slag and its properties has made companies less prone to divert this material to stockpiling or landfills, and slag is therefore being used today in various engineering applications. Making better use of these materials, in an eco-friendly way, is essential in order to make the industry more sustainable and protect the environment and human wellbeing. This study aims to explore opportunities for making better use of excess materials in the scrap based steel industry in Sweden, using three methods: A case-study, a literature review and semi-structured interviews. The case study were conducted at Uddeholms AB in Hagfors and identified the streams of by-products from the steel-casting process. Steel-slag was identified as the largest material stream, by volume, and its specific usage was discussed further. The literature review aimed at compiling knowledge about practices for making good use of steel-slag in Europe and found a total of twelve usages, with the majority of the literature focused on the construction sector. Lastly a series of interviews were conducted with respondents from the scrap-metal based industry in Sweden to get a collective view on drivers and barriers for finding better usage for excess materials. Most of the respondents wants to see changes in current legislation, combined with a better dialogue between the companies and authorities to prevent bureaucratic and time-consuming processes. An improved dialogue is also considered important to prevent a situation where authorities make different decisions for similar cases.