Environmental protection is indispensable for a sustainable future

The experts from the environmental protection department and energy producer staff provide broad-based technical advice and support for the manufacturing units. Their remit covers all aspects of air pollution and its avoidance, noise prevention, energy consumption, water and soil protection and waste disposal.

Climate protection

Independently of emissions trading that commenced on January 1, 2005 in all EU countries, the German steel industry has entered into a self-imposed commitment to reduce specific CO₂ emissions by 2012 by 22 percent based on 1990 levels. Salzgitter Flachstahl has already made a considerable contribution to the reduction in CO2 emissions achieved to date. Various measures introduced at Salzgitter have resulted in a decrease in emissions of approximately 25 percent between 1990 and the present day.

Our efficient energy systems also play a key role in climate protection. This includes our computerized energy control systems, recycling almost all of the gases produced as a by-product during steel production, utilizing waste and pre-heat and exploiting combined heat and power effects.

Air pollution control

Salzgitter Flachstahl has also made tremendous progress in air pollution control. For example, between 1980 and the present day, more efficient dust extraction systems have cut specific dust emissions by 94 percent.

Salzgitter Flachstahl automatically records 48 continuous measurements on a daily basis to detect hazardous substances at principal emission sources and makes the results available online to the supervisory authorities. We thus follow the principle of the “transparent chimney”.

Closed-loop recycling management

Besides technical advances and environmental legislation, the main elements of sustainable management are closed-loop systems and product recycling.

The water used in the production and cooling water systems comes from our own water extraction and treatment plants. Since the water has to be softened, this led to the idea of recycling not only the water but also the calcium carbonate sludge. As this could not be used in the steel works, we considered other potential applications, with the result that the sludge is now used in the production of fertilizer and can thereby be returned to the natural cycle. This is just one example of how new ideas lead to new recycling opportunities, which make a valuable contribution to environmentally sustainable closed-loop systems.

Besides recycling water and the associated by-products, we aim, wherever possible, to avoid waste resulting directly from our production processes. Ferrous matter, for example, is reintroduced at the appropriate stage of production. By optimizing our choice of raw materials, we are able to offer the produced slag to other industries. These by-products are used, for example, in the cement industry, as well as in road building.

Overall, the proportion of residual materials produced by the Steel Division has decreased by 30 percent since 1980. At the same time, more residual materials are now being recycled externally than was the case in 1980.

Systematic environmental protection

In order to continuously improve our environmental performance, we have resolved to take a still more systematic approach to protecting the environment. All of our flat rolled products operations already comply with DIN EN ISO 14001 (see certificate), the worldwide standard for efficient environmental management.

As a subsidiary of Salzgitter AG our environmental policy is based on the environmental guideline of Salzgitter AG.