Sustainable Development: The Evaluation of a Typical Steelworks in China Based on Emergy Theory

Abstract:

The iron and steel industry is a fundamental part of Chinas national economy. Steel production is a high pollution and high energy consumption industry. It is necessary to assess the sustainable development level of the steel industry to provide a scientific basis for the construction and development of modern steelworks. This article aims to evaluate the sustainability of a typical steelworks in China by using emergy theory. We have aimed to develop a number of suggestions for improvements at the enterprise level, which is based on input and output emergy analysis. Our results show that the sustainable level of this typical steelworks was low because of its immature recycling technology.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 522-524)
• Pages: 1879-1882
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.522-524.1879
• Online since: February 2014
• Authors: Li Yun Yang, Wei Wei*, Hao Bai
• Keywords: Emergy, Recycling Economy, Steelworks, Sustainable Development

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