Quantification of greenhouse gas emissions of a steel industry in Brazil

Abstract

This work aimed to identify and quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a Brazilian steel industry. It identifies and quantifies the emissions for a further study of an effective action plan by the organization. As a result, it was found that Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions from the company) were the largest emissions from the industry, representing more than 89% of total emissions. The Stationary Combustion category presented the highest emission values mainly due to the use of natural gas and charcoal. Biogenic CO2 emissions have shown the importance of organizations adhering to biomass use as a raw material in their processes, thereby reducing their GHG emissions to the atmosphere. Scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions, comprising the energy category) represented 10.87% of total emissions, the configuration of the Brazilian energy matrix contributes to this scenario. In order to achieve a differential control that would provide an indicator for the organization, it was necessary to adapt the tool for a monthly report. The studied company was interested in carrying out a more detailed monitoring, in a shorter time reporting of its emissions. Thus, after the results referring to the quantification of GHG emissions for the annual report, the results referring to the adaptation carried out in the GHG Protocol tool, version 2018.1.4 were also presented in this work.