MANAGING AND
MINIMIZING
RELEASES
Since 1987, The
Environmental Protection Agency has maintained a Toxics Release
Inventory (TRI). The TRI is a publicly available EPA database
that contains information on toxic chemical releases and other
waste management activities reported annually by certain covered
industry groups as well as federal facilities. The steel
industry, through a commitment to ongoing sustainability and
improvement, reports on the release and management of chemical
materials through the TRI program.
Of the 636 million pounds of chemicals generated in the
production of steel in the US, more than 62 percent was managed
through treatment, energy recovery or recycling. Of the remaining
38 percent of chemicals, 96 percent were properly disposed of
and the remaining 4 percent was released into the air and water
within allowable ranges.
While the overall volume of TRI chemicals generated during the
period between 1995 and 2002 appeared to increase, this was during a time that
numerous steel mills were installing and upgrading air pollution
control equipment, which often results in the generation of
additional reported residue. During that same time frame, the
steel industry's releases to air and water declined by 42%.
Metals generally account for the majority of the chemicals
disposed or released by the steel industry. For example, zinc
accounted for 72 percent, and manganese accounted for another 16
percent. Along with lead and chromium, these metals accounted
for 93 percent of all pounds reported to TRI as disposed or
released in 2003.
In the reporting period between 1994 and 2003, the steel
industry demonstrated a 69 percent reduction in their air and
water releases.
The industry continues to focus on the reduction of air
releases, which represent the largest area of potential
improvement.
Manganese, chromium, and lead are the primary contributors to
the steel industry's reported releases to the air. However,
these releases have remained steady in recent years. Manganese
is inherent in the iron and steel production process and is one
of the chemicals that drives the toxicity-weighted results.
Case Study: Reducing Mercury in
the Recycling Stream
