Environmental Impact Assessment of Steel Reinforcing Bar Manufacturing Process from Scrap Materials by applying Life Cycle Assessment Method: A Case Study on the Ethiopian Metal Industries

Abstract A clear understanding of the major environmental impacts of steelmaking from scraps, as well as potential solutions involving a circular economy paradigm, is essential. This study is conducted to pave the way for using life cycle assessment (LCA) to have sustainable development and effective resource management by evaluating the environmental impacts of the steel rebar manufacturing process using secondary resources. This is a cradle-to-gate LCA that includes scrap collection and sorting, transportation, melting, continuous casting, billet reheating, and reinforcing bar rolling. Inventory data is acquired as primary data from the factory and secondary data from the SIMAPRO-integrated eco-event database. All of the analyses in this LCA were conducted using the Recipe midpoint and endpoint impact assessment techniques taking one-ton reinforcing bar production as reference flow. The global warming potential created during the manufacturing process is recorded as 467 kgCO2 eq in the environmental impact report. By moving hot billet directly to the rolling mill and using an efficient transportation system, the environmental impact of global warming potential can be reduced nearly 50%.