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also, it is easy to forget that the steel industry is a major consumer of metallurgical coal (commonly called met coal), not as an energy source but as a raw ma

also, it is easy to forget that the steel industry is a major consumer of metallurgical coal (commonly called met coal), not as an energy source but as a raw material (coke). Producers of high quality, low sulphur coal might sell the same product to energy producers as "steam coal" or "thermal coal" as well as to steel producers. When prices for steam coal dip, it often stimulates steel production. I have experience in coal mining, but I don't know much about the coking process, other than that the coal is partially burned. Presumably as long as we're manufacturing virgin steel some of the coal carbon is released anyhow.

dredmorbius 12y ago
Coking coal can be replaced by other carbon sources, though coal itself was used to replace charcoal, derived from wood. The World Coal Association states "721 million tonnes of coking coal was used in the production of steel" in 2010. http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-of-coal/coal-steel/ http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-of-coal/coal-steel/ Total global coal extraction in 2010 was 3547.8 Mtoe, or ~5,068 tons of coal (BP 2014 annual energy review). Coking coal is 14% of that total.