Facility-level energy and greenhouse gas life-cycle assessment of the global nickel industry

Nickel is an integral material to our modern, high-performance technological society. With increasing emphasis being put on energy efficiency and global climate change, it is important for companies to understand in detail the energy use and greenhouse gas implications of their business. The present analysis is a facility-level life-cycle assessment of these twin impacts covering the entire global nickel industry. Cradle-to-gate results (including extraction, production, and fabrication) are presented here for selected nickel and nickel alloy products, including upstream energy required for fuel production. Stainless steel is one of the most highly recycled metals in the world. In order to assess the energy and carbon implications of secondary material use, recycling scenarios for three grades of stainless steel (AISI 304, 409, and 430) were considered. Using the current scenario as a baseline, maximum use of scrap (within technical limits) and all-virgin production results varied widely. Smelting/Class II refining was the most energy intensive step of production, accounting for 50–90% of total primary energy use. Transport contributed 2–11% of the total, depending on the nickel product considered. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the results are highly dependent on the energy requirements for upstream fuel production, which apply to all steps of the assessment. These results will help the nickel industry navigate energy and climate change concerns in the coming years.