Extended exergy accounting for smelting and pressing of metals industry in China

• Published in: Resources policy 2021-12, Vol.74, p.102267, Article 102267
• Main Authors: Qi, Hai, Dong, Zhiliang, Dong, Shaohui, Sun, Xiaotian, Zhao, Yiran, Li, Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accounting procedures; Capital; China; Efficiency; Energy development; Environmental cleanup; Environmental impact; Exergy; Extended exergy; Ferrous metals; Fluxes; Industrial development; Labor; Labor productivity; Metal industry; Metallurgy; Metals; Metals industry; Natural resources; Nonferrous metals; Nonferrous metals industry; Pressing; Scrap; Smelting; Sustainability; Sustainable development; The smelting and pressing
• ISSN: 0301-4207; 1873-7641
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102267

Rapid expansion, relative shortage resources supply and environmental impact threat the sustainable development of the smelting and pressing of metals sector. Fluxes of energy, materials, environmental remediation expenses, labor, and capital were quantified by Joules based on the second-law thermodynamics during years 1992–2015. The accounting method that quantifies the component of the extended exergy fluxes and the proportion in the total inputs was used to analyze this energy-intensive industry. Net per-capita exergy resource input and labor production efficiency are described the conversion of natural resource exergy to economic output and labor efficiency. The results showed the following: (1) the smelting and pressing of metals sector expands rapidly; the ferrous metals industry accounts the large part of the overall metals industry and the nonferrous metals industry grows faster than the ferrous metals industry. Natural resource exergy, especially energy exergy, dominates the investments of the metals industry. (2) Capital exergy and labor exergy decrease in the smelting and pressing of metals industry, while they increase in the nonferrous metals industry and decrease in the ferrous metals industry. Environmental exergy declines in both the nonferrous metals and ferrous metals industries. (3) The comparison of the nonferrous metals and ferrous metals industries with China as a whole, conducted by applying the two indicators for efficiency, shows that the two industries are exceeding the whole country in efficiency and have made great progress. In addition, the extended exergy analysis of smelting and pressing of metals industry is helpful in the identification of resource consumption and environmental cost in sustainable development view. •The exergy equivalent of energy accounts for a large proportion in total input.•The industry greatly depends on exergy equivalent of imported materials.•The growth rate of the nonferrous metals grows faster than ferrous metals.•Exergies of capital and labor grow in nonferrous and fall in ferrous industry.•Equivalent exergies of labor and capital in metals industries exceed the country.