Thus, one of the key questions in the steel melting process is how to maximise energy efficiency and so reduce the total energy input to the process. The graph below shows the development of specific energy consumption totalled at Tornio, Avesta and Sheffield sites.

The steelmaking process results in the formation of significant quantities of dust and fume. Hence large scale extraction and filtration plants are necessary to control the releases to the environment. By improving the control systems in place it has been possible to significantly reduce the dust emissions at each melting shop (Tornio, Avesta and Sheffield).

The steelmaking process also produces significant amounts of wastes and by-products in the form of slags, sludges and dust. Different techniques are used for minimising the environmental impact of these materials. Some examples of the initiatives in place include:

• In Sweden, dust from the flue gas cleaning filters is sent to a third-party company, which processes the dust and recovers up to 95% of the valuable metals.
• In the UK, slag is treated to make it suitable for use in road construction.