Air Quality
AIR QUALITY IN OUR COMMUNITIES
BlueScope Steel remains committed to reducing air emissions and improving air quality in the communities in which we operate.
BlueScope Steel has installed control mechanisms to reduce emissions at a number of our facilities. These systems include:
- Baghouses and filtering
- Chemical treatment
- Thermal oxidisation
- Recycling back into the process
- Dust suppression
The Company extensively monitors emissions at its operations, both on and off site, to maintain compliance with regulatory limits and to understand our impact on the community.
Many sites are required to report emission levels to regulators with some results being published on public websites.
Emissions from our steelmaking facilities include fine particulate, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide.
Monitoring results for fine particulate, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide are shown in the graphs. Actual monitoring data from New Zealand Steel has been utilised to improve accuracy and has also been included in the historical data.
- During the 2010 financial year, production at our steelmaking facilities returned to historical levels.
- Oxides of nitrogen have returned to previous historical levels.
- Sulphur dioxide levels have not returned to historical levels with the ongoing operation of the new Gypsum Plant at the Port Kembla Steelworks which removes sulphur from the waste gases at the Sinter Plant. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of sulphur dioxide from our Port Kembla Steelworks.
- For the first time in 2010, fine particulate emissions include estimated fugitive dust emissions from vehicle movements and stockpiles at the Port Kembla Steelworks, the increase driven by this reporting improvement is indicated in the graph. Reductions in previously reported emissions are due to improvements in emissions from the Port Kembla Sinter Plant and the introduction of a more accurate reporting methodology at Port Kembla Cokemaking.
