China’s ‘explosive’ ironmaking breakthrough achieves 3,600-fold speed boost
China’s ‘explosive’ ironmaking breakthrough achieves 3,600-fold speed boost
A new method for making iron is not only faster and cheaper, but also better for the environment, according to Chinese researchers.
very interesting
The method involves injecting finely ground iron ore powder into an extremely hot furnace... The result is a display of bright red, glowing liquid iron droplets that rain down and collect at the bottom of the furnace... Known as flash ironmaking... The new method also works exceptionally well for low or medium-yield ores that are abundant in China... the new technology could improve the energy use efficiency of China’s steel industry by more than one-third. As it eliminates the need for coal entirely, it would also enable the steel industry to achieve the coveted goal of “near-zero carbon dioxide emissions”
certainly sounds promising
Carbon neutral steel would be incredible for building sustainable cities.
Medium-hot take: sustainable cities really wouldn't need that much steel at all. The optimal height for residential buildings is about how many stories you can climb without being winded, and you can do this with timber and brick.
Cities will never be sustainable if they replicate the paradigm of enabling each individual's presumed desire to accumulate personal or private property to fill every need. Switching to universal access to everything, rather than ownership, is the biggest step. Once you do that, dwellings don't need to be as big, yards can be pooled together, there will be a shorter distance to everything, and production requirements for virtually everything will dramatically drop.
You can have a sophisticated and sustainable city with mostly 1700s-level technology.
As it eliminates the need for coal entirely, it would also enable the steel industry
how does it do that when steel needs carbon to be steel
I do so love to hear about "cheap Chinese steel" coming out of the mouths of know-nothing liberals and the haters running PR in American metallurgical industries.
The idea that a foreign could have figured out how to do something cheaper, faster, and better than an American is so alien and incomprehensible to the western brainpan.
To be fair, my buddy is a steel fabricator and says there is a marked difference in quality. I personally chalk that up to China sending their bad stuff and keeping the good shit
farmers do this, I have never had better produce or food than when I'm eating near where stuff is grown
The Ea-Nasir school of selling metal: the good stuff goes to the state, sell the cheap shit to the private collectors, laugh when the latter get what they paid for
I live in a region in Brazil known for the steel industry, and when I asked people who work in the industry or working with industries that consume the steel, they said that the Chinese stainless steel in particular is inferior.
It is true that Chinese steel was inferior at one point but just like cheap Chinese goods of yesteryear the modern stuff is on par with western products because that's what they had to do to appeal to western consumers and manufacturers. Like damn I guess the market decided but since it's the Chinese doing it they can't believe it.
the modern stuff is on par with western products because that's what they had to do to appeal to western consumers and manufacturers
It's what they had to do to appeal to Chinese customers and manufacturers. China is eclipsing Western consumer markets as fast as they're manufacturing outlets.
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China playing modded Minecraft while we're stuck on vanilla smdh
For a continuous process, what difference is there if it takes 3 seconds or 3 days?
The energy saving and ability to use lower grade ores seems important though.
I think the energy-saving production is the real benefit, like you said.
According to calculations by Zhang and his colleagues, the new technology could improve the energy use efficiency of China’s steel industry by more than one-third. As it eliminates the need for coal entirely, it would also enable the steel industry to achieve the coveted goal of “near-zero carbon dioxide emissions”, Zhang’s team added.
Obviously it remains to be seen if this pans out. "Could" and "does" are different things, after all. I could just as well imagine every efficiency gain being wiped out by the Jevons effect.
Given the large share of chinese steel consumption being in construction and infrastructure, we don't need to worry too much about the jevon's effect. Once the country fully develops, steel demand will naturally be cut.
Glorious Zhonghua Steel folded 3600 times
Grinding anything super fine is very energy intensive. It isn't clear from the article if the steelmaking improvements also include accounting for the additional grinding of iron ore on the way in. If it does, awesome, if not, that is a very big cost to ignore.
Sounds like a thermite reaction.