Explain why metallurgy is considered an important branch of modern economy.

Metallurgical complex.

The metallurgical complex is a set of industries covering all stages of technological processes: from the extraction and enrichment of raw materials to the production of products in the form of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and their alloys. It contains black and non-ferrous metallurgy. 90% of all metals used in modern production are ferrous metals, i.e. iron and alloys obtained on its basis. However, the total number of non-ferrous metals is much larger (there are more than 70 types), they have more valuable properties. Non-ferrous metallurgy is of great importance for industries that ensure the development of scientific and technological progress in the national economy.

The metallurgical complex is an interdependent combination of the following technological processes:

Extraction and preparation of raw materials for processing (extraction, enrichment, agglomeration, obtaining the necessary concentrates, etc.);

Metallurgical processing is the main technological process for the production of cast iron, steel, rolled ferrous and non-ferrous metals, pipes, etc.;

Production of alloys;

Recycling waste from main production and obtaining from it secondary species products.

Depending on the combination of these technological processes, the following types of production in the metallurgical complex are distinguished:

1) production full cycle, which are represented, as a rule, by plants in which all the named stages of the technological process operate simultaneously;

2) incomplete cycle production - these are enterprises in which not all stages of the technological process are carried out, for example, in ferrous metallurgy, only steel or rolled products are produced, but there is no production of cast iron, or only rolled products are produced. The incomplete cycle also includes electrothermy of ferroalloys, electrometallurgy, etc.

Incomplete cycle enterprises, or “small metallurgy”, are called conversion enterprises, are presented in the form of separate divisions for the production of foundry iron, steel or rolled products as part of the country’s large machine-building enterprises.

The location of metallurgical plants is greatly influenced by:

Features of the raw materials (ore) used;

Type of energy used to produce metal;

Geography of raw materials and energy sources;

Providing the territory with transport routes.

There are some differences in the location of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises. Non-ferrous metal ores have lower metal content, so non-ferrous metallurgy, especially production heavy metals, focuses mainly on raw material bases. To obtain light metals, a lot of electricity and water are required. Therefore, enterprises that smelt them are, as a rule, concentrated near large hydroelectric power stations.

In the territorial structure of the national economy of Russia, the metallurgical complex has regional and complex-forming significance. Modern large metallurgical enterprises, by the nature of internal technological connections, are metallurgical and energy chemical plants. Combination - This is the combination at one enterprise of several production processes interconnected in the technological process, sometimes belonging to different industries.

In addition to the main production, metallurgical enterprises create production based on the utilization of various types of secondary resources, raw materials and supplies (sulfuric acid production, heavy organic synthesis for the production of benzene, ammonia and other chemical products, production of building materials - cement, block products, as well as phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, etc.).

Ferrous metallurgy. The ferrous metallurgy of Russia includes enterprises and organizations for the extraction and processing of ore and non-metallic materials; production of cast iron, steel, rolled products, pipes, hardware, ferroalloys, refractories, coke, and a number of types of chemical products; procurement and processing of scrap and ferrous metal waste; repair of mechanical and power equipment; transportation of in-plant cargo, as well as scientific and design organizations.

A peculiarity of the industry is the relatively strict connection of enterprises with a full metallurgical cycle to sources of raw materials or metal consumption centers. Industry enterprises are located in 20 regions Russian Federation, of which the top ten include Vologda, Chelyabinsk, Lipetsk, Sverdlovsk, Belgorod, Kemerovo, Kursk, etc. More than 70% of enterprises are city-forming and significantly influence the economy and social stability of the regions.

The basis of ferrous metallurgy is metallurgical processing: cast iron - steel - rolled products. The rest of the production is related, accompanying: mining and beneficiation of ores (iron, manganese, chromite), coal coking (almost entirely carried out at metallurgical plants), mining of auxiliary materials (fluxing limestone, magnesite), production of refractories, production of metal products for industrial purposes (hardware ).

The raw material base of the industry consists of: iron ore products, non-metallic materials and refractories, coking coal, scrap and waste of ferrous metals. Russia - largest producer and consumer of commercial iron ores.

Ferrous metallurgy has the following features of its raw material base:

Raw materials are characterized relatively high content useful component from 17% in siderite ores to 53-55% in magnetite iron ores;

Diversity of raw materials in terms of species, which makes it possible to use a variety of technologies and obtain metal with a wide variety of properties;

Various conditions mining (both mine and open pit, which accounts for up to 80% of all raw materials mined in ferrous metallurgy);

Use of ores with complex composition.

More than 70% of explored reserves and about 80% of predicted iron ore resources are concentrated in the European part of the country. Metallurgical enterprises of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, with 65% of all production capacities, are experiencing an acute shortage of local commercial iron ores.

Enterprises of the Belgorod and Kursk regions provide more than 50% of ore production in the country, and iron ore deposits of the northern region - enterprises of the Murmansk region and the Republic of Karelia - up to 25%. The main volume of consumption occurs in the regions of the Urals and Siberia.

There are three options for locating full-cycle ferrous metallurgy enterprises, gravitating either to sources of raw materials (Ural, Center), or to sources of fuel (Kuzbass), or located between them (Cherepovets). These options determine the choice of area and construction site, the availability of water sources and auxiliary materials.

Currently, the main method of steel smelting is open-hearth. The oxygen-converter and electric furnace melting methods account for about 30% of the total production volume.

An electrometallurgical plant for the production of steel from metallized pellets obtained by direct reduction of iron operates in Stary Oskol - Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant.

A group of metallurgical enterprises that uses common ore or fuel resources and provides the basic metal needs of the country's economy is called metallurgical base. There are three main metallurgical bases on the territory of Russia: Central, Ural and Siberian. Each of them has its own characteristics in terms of availability of raw materials, fuel, electricity, set and capacity of production; They differ in the structure and specialization of production and the power of its organization.

Metallurgical bases of Russia. One of the features of the location of metallurgical enterprises is unevenness, as a result of which metallurgical complexes are located in “clumps”.

Ural metallurgical base is the largest in Russia and is second only to the southern metallurgical base of Ukraine within the CIS in terms of ferrous metal production volumes. On a Russian scale, it also ranks first in the production of non-ferrous metals. The share of Ural metallurgy accounts for 52% of cast iron, 56% of steel and more than 52% of rolled ferrous metals of the volumes produced on the scale of the former USSR. It is the oldest in Russia. The Urals use imported Kuznetsk coal. Our own iron ore base is depleted, so a significant part of the raw materials is imported from Kazakhstan (Sokolovsko-Sarbaiskoye deposit), from the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (KMA) and Karelia. The development of our own iron ore base was associated with the development of the Kachkanar titanomagnetite deposit (Sverdlovsk region) and the Bakal siderite deposit ( Chelyabinsk region), which account for more than half of the region's iron ore reserves. The largest mining enterprises are the Kachkanar Mining and Processing Plant (GOK) and the Bakal Mining Administration. The largest centers of ferrous metallurgy have formed in the Urals: Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Tagil, Yekaterinburg, Serov, Zlatoust, etc. Currently, 2/3 of iron and steel smelting occurs in the Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions. Metallurgy of the Urals is characterized by a high level of concentration of production, special place occupies the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works. It is the largest producer of iron and steel not only in Russia, but also in Europe.

The Urals is one of the main regions for the production of steel pipes for oil and gas pipelines; the largest enterprises are located in Chelyabinsk, Pervouralsk, Kamensk-Uralsk.

Central metallurgical base - an area of ​​intensive development of ferrous metallurgy, where the largest reserves of iron ore are concentrated. The development of ferrous metallurgy is based on the use of the largest iron ore deposits of the KMA, as well as metallurgical scrap and imported coking coals - Donetsk, Pechora and Kuznetsk.

The intensive development of metallurgy in the Center is associated with the relatively cheap extraction of iron ore. Almost all ore is mined by open pit mining. Large explored and exploited KMA deposits are located in the Kursk and Belgorod regions (Mikhailovskoye, Lebedinskoye, Stoilenskoye, Yakovlevskoye, etc.). Costs per 1 ton of iron in commercial ore are almost half lower than in Krivoy Rog ore (Ukraine), and lower than in Karelian and Kazakh ores. In general, crude ore production is about 80 million tons, i.e. 40% of Russian production.

The central metallurgical base includes large enterprises of the full metallurgical cycle: the Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works (Lipetsk) and the Novotula Plant (Tula), the Svobodny Sokol metallurgical plant (Lipetsk), Elektrostal near Moscow (high-quality metallurgy). Small metallurgy has been developed at large machine-building enterprises. The Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant operates on direct restoration iron (Belgorod region). On the territory of the Central Black Earth economic region there are Lebedinsky, Stoilensky and Mikhailovsky mining and processing plants (GOKs).

The zone of influence and territorial connections of the Center also includes the metallurgy of the North of the European part of Russia, which accounts for more than 5% of the balance reserves of iron ore of the Russian Federation and over 21% of iron ore production. Quite large enterprises operate here: Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant (Vologda Region), Olenegorsk and Kovdor Mining and Processing Plants (Murmansk Region), Kostomuksha Mining and Processing Plant (Karelia). The ores of the North, with a low iron content (28-32%), are well enriched and have almost no harmful impurities, which makes it possible to obtain high-quality metal.

Metallurgical base of Siberia is in the process of formation. Siberia and the Far East account for approximately a fifth of the cast iron and finished products produced in Russia and 15% of steel. 21% of all-Russian reserves are in Siberia and the Far East. The basis for the formation of the Siberian metallurgical base is the iron ores of Gornaya Shoria, Khakassia, the Angara-Ilim iron ore basin, and the fuel base is the Kuznetsk coal basin. Modern production is represented by two large ferrous metallurgy enterprises: the Kuznetsk Metallurgical Plant (with full cycle production) and the West Siberian Plant, as well as a ferroalloy plant (Novokuznetsk). Has been developed and pigment metallurgy, represented by several conversion plants (Novosibirsk, Guryevsk, Krasnoyarsk, Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky, Komsomolsk-on-Amur). The mining industry is carried out by several mining and processing enterprises located in Kuzbass, Mountain Shoria, Khakassia ( Western Siberia) and Korshunovsky GOK in Eastern Siberia.

The ferrous metallurgy of Siberia and the Far East has not yet completed its formation. Therefore, based on efficient raw material and fuel resources, it is possible in the future to create new centers, in particular the Taishet plant on Kuznetsk coal and Angara-Ilimsk ores, as well as the Barnaul ( Altai region) metallurgical plant. In the Far East, the prospects for the development of ferrous metallurgy are associated with the formation of the South Yakutsk TPK, which will include the creation of full-cycle enterprises.

90% of the production of finished steel belongs to the following metallurgical companies: OJSC MMK (Magntitogorsk Iron and Steel Works), OJSC Severstal (Cherepovets), OJSC NLMK (Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works), OJSC Nizhny Tagil Iron and Steel Works, OJSC Nosta, OJSC Novokuznetsk Metallurgical Plant, OJSC ZSMK, OJSC OEMK.

The country's iron ore base is represented by the following enterprises. In the north-west of the country: OJSC Olenegorsky GOK, OJSC Kovodorsky GOK and OJSC Karelsky Okatysh. They fully satisfy the needs of Severstal OJSC for iron ore raw materials.

In the Central region there are mining and processing plants of the Kursk magnetic anomaly: Lebedinsky GOK OJSC, Stoilensky GOK OJSC, Mikhailovsky GOK OJSC and KMA-ore OJSC. They meet the needs of OJSC Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant, OJSC Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant, and partially the Ural and Siberian metallurgical plants. Due to the lack of iron ore raw materials in the Urals and Siberia, the Yakovlevskoye deposit in the Belgorod region is being developed to cover the deficit.

In the Urals, the largest is OJSC Kachkanarsky GOK, whose iron ore products are used mainly by the Nizhny Tagil Iron and Steel Works. The remaining local mines - Bogoslovsky, Magnitorsky, Vysokogorsky, Bakalsky, Goroblagodsky, Beloretsky, Pervouralsky and Zlatoustovsky - have a small capacity.

OJSC Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works is supplied with iron ore products from the Sokolovsko-Sarbay iron ore deposit (Kazakhstan). MMK, by purchasing products in the central region, reduces the profitability of its products.

Mechel OJSC (Chelyabinsk) is partially supplied with local raw materials (Bakalskoye field), the rest of the raw materials are imported from the Central region. There is a similar situation at the Orsko-Khalilovsky Metallurgical Plant (JSC Nosta).

A tense balance of iron ore raw materials has developed in Siberia (for the Kuznetsk and West Siberian metallurgical plants). The local base - OJSC Korshunovsky GOK and OJSC Sibruda - has limited capacity and, due to lack of funding, is practically not developing.

Non-ferrous metallurgy. Non-ferrous metals are divided into several groups according to their physical properties and purpose:

Heavy - copper, lead, zinc, tin, nickel;

Lightweight - aluminum, magnesium, titanium, lithium, etc.;

Minor - bismuth, cadmium, antimony, arsenic, cobalt, mercury;

Alloying agents - tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, vanadium;

Noble - gold, silver, platinum and platinoids;

Rare and scattered - zirconium, gallium, indium, thallium, germanium, selenium, etc.

The Russian non-ferrous metallurgy produces about 70 different types of metals. Three countries in the world have such a complete set of production - the USA, Germany, Japan.

Features of the raw material base of non-ferrous metallurgy:

Extremely low quantitative content of useful components in raw materials (copper - from 1 to 5%, lead-zinc - from 1.5 to 5.5%, etc.). That is, to obtain 1 ton of copper it is necessary to process at least 100 tons of ore;

Exceptional multicomponent nature of raw materials (for example, Ural pyrites contain copper, iron, sulfur, gold, cadmium, silver, etc., up to 30 elements in total);

High fuel and energy consumption of raw materials during processing.

A feature of non-ferrous metallurgy is the high energy intensity of raw materials in the process of their preparation for metallurgical processing and processing. In this regard, a distinction is made between fuel- and electricity-intensive industries. High fuel intensity is typical, for example, for the production of nickel, alumina from nephelines, and blister copper. The production of aluminum, magnesium, calcium, titanium, etc. is characterized by increased electrical intensity. In the industry as a whole, the share of fuel and energy costs ranges from 10 to 50-65% of the total costs per 1 ton of products produced. This feature of production determines the location of non-ferrous metallurgy industries in regions that are best supplied with electricity.

The Urals is the oldest region in Russia in the production of non-ferrous metals, especially copper, aluminum, zinc, nickel, cobalt, lead, gold and many rare metals. Currently, there are 11 copper industry enterprises operating in the Urals. Among these enterprises, the largest ones should be highlighted: the Bashkir and Uchalinsky mining and processing plants and the Buribayevsky ore management (Bashkortostan), the Kyshtym copper-electrolyte plant (Chelyabinsk region), the Krasnouralsk and Kirovograd copper smelters, the Degtyarskoye ore management, the Sredneuralsky copper smelter and the Uralelectromed plant (Sverdlovsk region), Gaisky GOK and Mednogorsk copper-sulfur plant (Orenburg region).

Ural enterprises produce almost 43% of refined copper, about 65% of zinc in concentrate from the total production in Russia, as well as a significant amount of gold, silver, rare and trace metals.

Non-ferrous metallurgy is developed in the Northern and Northwestern regions, where nepheline, bauxite, titanium, copper-nickel ores are mined and enriched. Aluminum plants are located in Kandalaksha, Nadvoitsy, Boksitogorsk, a copper smelter is in Monchegorsk, and a nickel plant is in the city of Nikel.

Eastern Siberia and especially the Far East are distinguished by a high level of development of non-ferrous metallurgy. It is one of the most important industries in the Far East. The economic region produces the bulk of the all-Russian production of tin ores, gold, lead-zinc ores, tungsten, and mercury. The aluminum industry is developing especially rapidly in the eastern regions of Russia. The most important centers: Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Bratsk, Sayan, Shelikhovsky aluminum smelters, where the production of alumina, metallic aluminum, non-ferrous and light aluminum is carried out. Alumina production is being created in Achinsk.

A lead-zinc industry has been created with a focus on the raw material and fuel base: Kuzbass - Salair, Transbaikalia - Nerchinsk, Far East - Dalnegorsk, etc. The tin industry has been developed: Sherlovogorsky, Khrustalnensky, Solnechny GOK.

A major center of metallurgy is the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine.

Problems and prospects for the development of the metallurgical complex. With the collapse of the USSR one system interacting metallurgical bases ceased to exist. The breakdown of existing ties regarding raw materials and metal assortment led to the fact that in a number of regions of Russia, primarily in Siberia and the Far East, the metal shortage increased significantly. The main problem of the domestic metallurgy today is technical re-equipment. Its solution requires replacing the old open-hearth method of steel production with new ones - oxygen-converter and electric melting. Based on their use, the quality of the produced metal improves dramatically. The use of huge reserves of scrap metal requires the construction of new types of metallurgical enterprises (mini-plants). They serve small areas and use modern technology that allows them to produce high-quality metal with minimal negative impacts on the environment. According to statistics, annually the metallurgical complex emits up to 10 million tons of harmful substances into the atmosphere, including 80% of all emissions from lead. Blast furnace and open-hearth production, as well as coke chemistry, are considered especially harmful.

The history of mankind goes back more than one thousand years. Throughout the entire period of the existence of our race, there has been stable technological progress, in which man’s ability to handle, create and mine metal played an important role. Therefore, it is quite logical that metallurgy is something without which it is impossible to imagine our life, the normal performance of work duties and much more.

Definition

First of all, it is worth understanding what the modern sphere of production is called scientifically, from a technical point of view.

So, metallurgy is a branch of science and technology that covers the process of obtaining various metals from ore or other materials, as well as all processes related to the transformation of the chemical composition, properties and structure of alloys.

Structure

Today metallurgy is the most powerful branch of industry. In addition, it is a broad concept that includes:

• Direct production of metals.
• Processing of metal products both hot and cold.
• Welding.
• Application of various metal coatings.
• Branch of science - materials science. This direction in the theoretical study of physical and chemical processes is focused on understanding the behavior of metals, alloys and intermetallic compounds.

Varieties

There are two main branches of metallurgy around the world - ferrous and non-ferrous. This gradation has developed historically.

Ferrous metallurgy consists of the processing of iron and all alloys in which it is present. This industry also involves the extraction from the depths of the earth and subsequent beneficiation of ores, steel and iron foundries, rolling of billets, and production of ferroalloys.

Non-ferrous metallurgy includes work with ore of any metal except iron. By the way, they are conditionally divided into two large groups:

Heavy (nickel, tin, lead, copper).

Lightweight (titanium, magnesium, aluminum).

Scientific solutions

There is no doubt that metallurgy is an activity that requires the implementation innovative technologies. In this regard, many countries on our planet are actively conducting research work, the purpose of which is to study and put into practice a wide variety of microorganisms that would help solve, for example, such a pressing issue as cleaning Wastewater, which are an essential component of metallurgical production. In addition, processes such as biological oxidation, precipitation, sorption and others have already become a reality.

Separation by process

Metallurgy plants can be roughly classified into two main groups:

Pyrometallurgy, where processes occur at very high temperatures(melting, roasting);

Hydrometallurgy, which is the extraction of metals from ores using water and other aqueous solutions using chemical reagents.

The principle of choosing a site for building a metallurgical plant

In order to understand on the basis of what conclusions a decision is made to build an enterprise in a particular location, it is worth considering the main factors for the location of metallurgy.

In particular, if the question concerns the location of a non-ferrous metallurgy plant, then the following criteria come to the fore:

• Availability of energy resources. Production related to the processing of light non-ferrous metals requires a colossal amount of electrical energy. Therefore, such enterprises are built as close as possible to hydroelectric power plants.
• Required amount of raw materials. Of course, the closer the ore deposits are, the better.
• Environmental factor. Unfortunately, the countries of the post-Soviet space cannot be classified in the category where metallurgical enterprises are environmentally friendly.

Thus, the placement of metallurgy is the most difficult question, the solution of which should be given the closest attention, taking into account all possible requirements and nuances.

To form the most detailed picture in the description of metal processing, it is important to indicate the key areas of this production.

Ferrous metallurgy enterprises include several so-called processing stages. Among them: sinter blast furnace, steelmaking, rolling. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Blast furnace production

It is at this stage that iron is released directly from the ore. This happens in a blast furnace and at temperatures above 1000 degrees Celsius. This is how iron is smelted. Its properties will directly depend on the course of the smelting process. By regulating the melting of ore, you can ultimately obtain one of the two: processing (used later for steel production) and foundry (iron billets are cast from it).

Steel production

By combining iron with carbon and, if necessary, with various alloying elements, the result is steel. There are a lot of methods for smelting it. We especially note the oxygen-converter and electric melting plants, which are the most modern and highly productive.

Converter melting is characterized by its transience and the resulting steel with the required chemical composition. The basis of the process is the blowing of oxygen through a tuyere, as a result of which the cast iron is oxidized and transformed into steel.

Electric steel melting method is the most effective. It is thanks to the use of arc furnaces that the highest quality alloy steels can be smelted. In such units, heating of the metal loaded into them occurs very quickly, and it is possible to add required amount alloying elements. In addition, the steel obtained by this method has a low content of non-metallic inclusions, sulfur and phosphorus.

Alloying

This process consists of changing the composition of steel by introducing calculated concentrations of auxiliary elements into it to subsequently impart certain properties to it. Among the most commonly used alloying components are: manganese, titanium, cobalt, tungsten, aluminum.

Rental

Many metallurgical plants include a group of rolling shops. They produce both semi-finished and fully finished products. The essence of the process is to pass metal in the gap between the mill rotating in opposite directions. Moreover, the key point is that the distance between the rolls should be less than the thickness of the workpiece being passed. Due to this, the metal is drawn into the lumen, moves and ultimately deforms to the specified parameters.

After each pass, the gap between the rolls is made smaller. Important point- often the metal is not sufficiently ductile when cold. And therefore, for processing, it is preheated to the required temperature.

Consumption of recycled materials

IN modern conditions The market for the consumption of recyclable materials, both ferrous and non-ferrous metals, is steadily developing. This is largely due to the fact that ore resources, unfortunately, are not renewable. Each year of their extraction significantly reduces reserves. Considering the fact that the demand for metal products in mechanical engineering, construction, aircraft manufacturing, shipbuilding and other sectors of the national economy is steadily growing, the decision to develop the processing of parts and products that have already exhausted their service life seems quite reasonable.

It is safe to say that the development of metallurgy is to some extent explained by the positive dynamics of the industry segment - the use of secondary raw materials. At the same time, both large and small companies are engaged in recycling scrap metal.

World trends in the development of metallurgy

IN last years There is a clear increase in the output of rolled metal, steel and cast iron. This is largely due to the real expansion of China, which has become one of the leading global players in the metallurgical production market.

At the same time, various metallurgy factors allowed the Celestial Empire to win almost 60% of the entire world market. The rest of the top ten major producers were: Japan (8%), India and the United States of America (6%), Russia and South Korea(5%), Germany (3%), Turkey, Taiwan, Brazil (2%).

If we consider 2015 separately, then there is a downward trend in the activity of metal product manufacturers. Moreover, the largest decline was noted in Ukraine, where a result was recorded that was 29.8% lower than last year.

New technologies in metallurgy

Like any other industry, metallurgy is simply unthinkable without the development and implementation of innovative developments in practice.

Thus, employees of Nizhny Novgorod State University have developed and began to put into practice new nanostructured wear-resistant hard alloys based on tungsten carbide. The main direction of application of the innovation is the production of modern metalworking tools.

In addition, in Russia the grate drum with a special ball nozzle was modernized in order to create a new technology for processing liquid slag. This event was carried out on the basis of a state order from the Ministry of Education and Science. This step fully justified itself, since its results ultimately exceeded all expectations.

The largest metallurgical enterprises in the world

• ArcelorMittal- a company with its head office in Luxembourg. Its share is 10% of total global steel production. In Russia, the company owns the Berezovskaya, Pervomaiskaya, Anzherskaya mines, as well as the Severstal Group.
• Hebei Iron & Steel- a giant from China. It is completely owned by the state. In addition to production, the company is engaged in the extraction of raw materials, their transportation and research and development. The company's factories use exclusively new developments and the most modern technological lines, which allowed the Chinese to learn how to produce ultra-thin steel plates and ultra-thin cold-rolled sheets.
• Nippon Steel- Representative of Japan. The management of the company, which began operations back in 1957, is seeking to merge with another company called Sumitomo Metal Industries. According to experts, such a merger will allow the Japanese to quickly take first place in the world, overtaking all their competitors.

Mechanical engineering, construction, electrical engineering - all these and many other areas cannot be imagined without metallurgy. What is this industry like? How are metals mined? What are they? The answers to these questions can be found in the article.

Definition

Metallurgy is a branch of industry that deals with the extraction of raw materials, the production of alloys, waste disposal and the production of products from the resulting alloys.

Metallurgy, depending on the raw materials, is divided into ferrous and non-ferrous. The first group includes metals containing iron, chromium and manganese. To the second - all the rest.

The process of manufacturing metal products includes the following steps:

ore mining and preparation;

• disposal.

The metallurgical industry includes processes for the production of many elements of the periodic table, except gases and halogens.

Black

Ferrous metallurgy is a branch of metallurgy that deals with the production of alloys from iron, manganese and chromium.

In nature, iron occurs in ore in the forms of carbonates, hydroxide and oxide. Therefore, the first stage of production in ferrous metallurgy- this is the release of iron from ore using a blast furnace at a temperature of more than +1000 C. If necessary, at this stage the properties of the metal are changed.

Ferrous metallurgy includes such areas as:

• extraction and enrichment of non-metallic raw materials;
• production of ferrous metals;
• production of steel and cast iron pipes;
• coke industry;
• secondary processing of raw materials.

Products produced at metallurgical plants are:

the main one, that is the final product, ready for use;

by-product, that is, a product that is obtained during the production of the main product;

by-products, that is, products remaining after the production of the main and by-products, which are used either as recyclable materials or as is.

Production

Metals are obtained by extraction from ores or recycled materials. All ore containing valuable elements is divided into rich (more than 55% valuable elements), poor (less than 50%) and poor (less than 25%).

There are three main methods used to extract ore:

open;

underground;

combined.

The open method is the most common and economical. With this method, the enterprise organizes the necessary infrastructure and develops the deposit in quarries.

The underground method is used when the rocks lie deep underground. Compared to the open method, this method is more expensive due to the need for special technical equipment. In addition, it is more relevant than other methods, since the reserves of iron ore lying close to the surface are practically depleted. More than 70% of iron ore is mined this way.

The combined method, as the name implies, combines the two above methods.

Production

In metallurgy, the production of ferrous metals is understood as a complex technological process that can be divided into two stages:

iron production;

processing of cast iron into steel.

The necessary materials for the production of iron are iron ore, fuel (coke) and flux. It is in this order that they are loaded into blast furnaces, where, under the weight of their own mass, they fall to the bottom of the furnace. At the bottom of the stove there are holes - firms through which heated air is supplied to maintain the combustion process. As a result of smelting, iron and other elements are reduced from the ore, and the slag and cast iron obtained in the process are poured through special holes - the slag and cast iron tapholes.

The process of converting cast iron into steel involves reducing the level of carbon and impurities by selective oxidation and converting them into slag during smelting. To do this, ferroalloys containing Al, Mn and Si are introduced into molten cast iron. They form sparingly soluble oxides in steel, which partially float into the slag.

Products

Ferrous metallurgy products are widely used in mechanical engineering, construction, public utilities, the military-industrial complex and agriculture.

The main products of ferrous metallurgy include:

rolled metal (sheets, shapes, sections);

finished products;

• pig iron and foundry;

  refractories;

  chemical products.

Colored

Non-ferrous metallurgy includes all types of metals, except iron-containing ones. The industry itself is divided into metallurgy of light and heavy metals, which are based on the properties of the metal such as density and weight. All types of metals used in non-ferrous metallurgy can be divided into:

light, which include magnesium, aluminum, titanium;

heavy, which include tin, zinc, lead, nickel, copper;

rare earths, which include erbium, terbium, samarium, praseodymium, neodymium, lanthanum, dysprosium, cerium, yttrium;

artificial, which include americium, technetium;

minor ones, which include mercury, cobalt, arsenic, antimony, cadmium, bismuth;

scattered, which include selenium, germanium, thallium, indium, gallium, zirconium;

alloying agents, which include vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten;

noble ones, which include platinum, gold, silver.

Compared to ferrous metals, non-ferrous metallurgy is more energy-intensive. This is due to the low content useful substances in non-ferrous metals and, as a consequence, big amount waste that requires special disposal and processing by chemical methods.

Extraction of raw materials and their enrichment

Non-ferrous metals are obtained from ore concentrate, that is, from enriched ore. Beneficiation refers to the separation of ore into metals and minerals, which makes it possible to artificially increase the metal content in the raw material. When separating, technologies such as crushing, grinding, sorting and processing by dewatering are used. After the metal is extracted from the ore, it is processed and polished.

After all these processes, the metal is sent to workshops or enterprises where the necessary products will be manufactured - machine tools, pipes, machines, etc.

Refining

Crude metals contain various impurities that affect the physical and chemical properties of metals, and also contain important expensive elements, such as gold or silver. Therefore one of the most important stages metal processing is refining, that is, cleaning. Refining is carried out in three ways:

electrolytic - used for deep cleaning of non-ferrous metals;

chemical, which is also called refining, is used for deep purification of gold;

pyrometallurgical - used in the production of high-purity metals and is divided into fractional, segregation, and oxidative refining.

Preparation of alloys

An alloy is a substance consisting of two or more metals and non-metals, for example, carbon, phosphorus, arsenic.

Alloys are not made from two similar metals. For example, zinc and lead.

The most valuable alloys are:

bronze - a compound of copper and tin;

brass - a compound of copper and zinc;

duralumin - a compound of aluminum, copper, iron, silicon, magnesium and manganese;

tungsten carbide - a compound of tungsten with carbon and cobalt;

nichrome - a compound of nickel, chromium and iron;

Alni is a compound of non-magnetic aluminum, nickel and cobalt.

Industry products

To a person unfamiliar with metallurgy, when talking about non-ferrous metals, the first things that come to mind are gold and silver. The entire variety of non-ferrous metallurgy was discussed above. Here we will look at the products that are produced in this area. This:

• rolled products - hexagon, rod, wire;
• sheet metal - strip, tape, sheet.

In addition to specialized products, chemical products are produced at metallurgical plants and combines - chlorine, potash, sulfuric acid, elemental sulfur, zinc and copper sulfate.



Types of bases and factors for their placement

Before considering the main metallurgical bases in the world and in Russia, it is worth briefly describing the types of bases and factors for their location.

In the metallurgical industry there are 3 types of bases.

A base that processes its own ore and coal.

A base working either with its own ore and imported coal, or with imported ore and its own coal.

Operating near coal mines or close to the consumer.

Factors influencing the location of metallurgical centers include:

consumer, which includes the proximity of large machine-building complexes- main consumers of steel;

ecological, which includes outdated enterprises using one of the dirtiest production methods - the blast furnace process;

transport, which includes enterprises that use imported ore and coal, as they are located far from their sources;

fuel, which includes enterprises located near coal mines;

raw materials, which includes enterprises located close to ore deposits.

Metallurgy in the world

The world's metallurgy is concentrated in 98 countries, of which ore is mined in only 50. The leaders are five countries - China, Brazil, Russia, Australia and India, which supply more than 80% of raw materials to the world market. Most of the world's ore reserves are medium to low quality material that requires beneficiation during the production process. There are very few high quality ores in the world. For example, Russia's reserves, as one of the leaders in the metallurgical industry, account for only 12% of world reserves.

Most ore is mined in China, and useful iron is mined in Russia.

The leading companies that regulate the global process of mining and production of ore and metals are Arcelor Mittal, Hebei Iron & Steel, and Nippon Steel.

Arcelor Mittal is a company formed through the merger of enterprises in India and Luxembourg. It owns enterprises in 60 countries, including the Russian Severstal-Resource and the Ukrainian Krivorozhstal.

Hebei Iron & Steel Group is another company formed through the merger of several companies. But it is not a private, but a state-owned enterprise registered in China. A unique product is produced here - ultra-thin cold-rolled sheets and steel plates. In addition to mining and production, the company is engaged in research activities and investments.

Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Industries are the Japanese leader in steel production. The company's blast furnaces were installed back in 1857.

Metallurgy of Russia

IN Russian economy metallurgy ranks second after the oil and gas industry. More than 2% of working citizens in the country work in this area at 1.5 thousand enterprises.

In the Russian Federation there are three main ferrous metallurgy bases, the location of which is explained by the proximity of ore sources and coal basins:

Ural;

Siberian;

Central.

The oldest and largest metallurgy enterprise is Ural, where half of all ferrous metallurgy products in Russia are produced. The centers of Ural metallurgy are Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Tagil, Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk. Largest enterprises- Chusovsky Metallurgical Plant and Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant.

The Siberian metallurgical base is the youngest of the three and is being built to replace the Ural one, where metal reserves are almost exhausted. There are only two large metallurgical plants located here - Kuznetsk and West Siberian.

The central metallurgical base is located in the Belgorod and Kursk regions. The largest metallurgical plant and factories are the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant and plants in Stary Oskol and Tula.

93% of the output comes from six large metallurgy centers. This:

PJSC Severstal;

Mechel OJSC;

"Evraz"

OJSC “Metalloinvest”;

OJSC “Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant”;

OJSC Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works.

Metallurgy is an industry that plays an important role in the life of every person.

The metallurgical complex includes ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Metallurgy in Russia, providing production and scientific and technical development of almost all industries, is based on domestic raw materials, focusing on foreign and Russian consumers. Russia accounts for 14% of the production of commercial iron ore and 10-15% of non-ferrous and rare metals mined in the world.

In terms of production, consumption and foreign trade turnover, ferrous, non-ferrous and rare metals, as well as primary products from them, occupy second place after fuel and energy resources. Iron ores and primary products of ferrous metallurgy, aluminum, nickel, and copper remain important exports of the country. Large metallurgical enterprises are of regional importance. When they arise, a number of interconnected industries are formed - electric power, chemical industry, production building materials, metal-intensive engineering, various related industries and, of course, transport.

Ferrous metallurgy

Ferrous metallurgy serves as the basis for the development of mechanical engineering and metalworking, and its products are used in almost all spheres of the economy. It covers such stages of the technological process as mining, enrichment and agglomeration of ferrous metal ores, production of refractories, mining of non-metallic raw materials, coking of coal, production of cast iron, steel and rolled products, ferroalloys, secondary processing of ferrous metals, etc. But the basis of ferrous metallurgy is the production of cast iron , steel and rolled products.

Russia, along with the USA, Japan, China and Germany, is one of the top five global producers of ferrous metals. In 2004, Russia produced 105 million tons of iron ore, 51.5 million tons of cast iron, 72.4 million tons of steel and 59.6 million tons of finished rolled products.

The territorial organization of ferrous metallurgy is influenced by:

• concentration of production, in terms of which Russia occupies a leading position in the world - full-cycle metallurgical plants in Lipetsk, Cherepovets, Magnitogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Novotroitsk, Chelyabinsk and Novokuznetsk produce more than 90% of cast iron and about 89% of Russian steel;
• production combination, meaning the unification at one enterprise of several interrelated industries of various industries;
• material intensity of production, providing 85-90% of all costs for smelting cast iron (the production of 1 ton of cast iron requires 1.5 tons of iron and 200 kg of manganese ore, 1.5 tons of coal, over 0.5 tons of fluxes and up to 30 m3 of recycled water) ;
• high energy intensity, which is higher than in developed countries of the world;
• high labor intensity at domestic metallurgical enterprises.

The production base of ferrous metallurgy consists of full-cycle enterprises: cast iron - steel - rolled products, as well as factories producing cast iron - steel, steel - rolled products and separately cast iron, steel, rolled products related to conversion metallurgy. Small metallurgy, or the production of steel and rolled products at machine-building plants, mainly from scrap metal, is distinguished.

The factors for locating ferrous metallurgy enterprises are extremely diverse. Full-cycle ferrous metallurgy is located either near sources of raw materials (Ural metallurgical base, metallurgical base of the central regions of the European part), or near fuel resources (West Siberian metallurgical base), or between sources of raw materials and fuel resources (Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant).

Pipe metallurgy enterprises, using mainly scrap metal as raw materials, focus on areas of developed mechanical engineering and places of consumption finished products. Small metallurgy is even more closely connected with machine-building plants.

The production of electric steels and ferroalloys is distinguished by special placement factors. Electric steels are produced near sources of electricity and metal scrap (Elektrostal, Moscow region). Ferroalloys - alloys of iron with alloying metals - are produced in blast furnaces or by electrothermal methods at metallurgical enterprises and specialized plants (Chelyabinsk).

Main factors for locating ferrous metallurgy enterprises*

The natural basis of ferrous metallurgy are sources of metal raw materials and fuel. Russia is well supplied with raw materials for ferrous metallurgy, but iron ores and fuel are distributed unevenly throughout the country.

Russia ranks first in the world in iron ore reserves, of which more than half are concentrated in the European part of the country. The largest iron ore basin is the Kursk magnetic anomaly, located in the Central Black Earth region. The main reserves of KMA iron ores, recognized as the best in the world in terms of quality, are concentrated in the Lebedinskoye, Stoilenskoye, Chernyanskoye, Pogrometskoye, Yakovlevskoye, Gostishchevskoye and Mikhailovskoye deposits. The Kovdorskoye, Olenegorskoye and Kostomuksha fields are exploited on the Kola Peninsula and Karelia. Significant iron ore resources are in the Urals, where deposits (Kachkanarskaya, Tagilo-Kushvinskaya, Bakalskaya and Orsko-Khalilovskaya groups) stretch from north to south parallel to the Ural ridge. Iron ore deposits have been discovered in Western (Gornaya Shoria, Rudny Altai) and Eastern Siberia (Angaro-Pitsky, Angaro-Ilimsky basins). In the Far East, the Aldan iron ore province and the Olekmo-Amgunsky region in Yakutia are promising.

Manganese and chromium reserves in Russia are limited. Manganese deposits are being developed in the Kemerovo (Usinsk) and Sverdlovsk (Polunochnoye) regions, and chromium deposits are being developed in the Perm Territory (Sarany).

The largest producer of cast iron and steel in Russia since the 18th century. The Ural metallurgical base remains, which is the most multifunctional and produces 47% of ferrous metals in the country. It runs on imported fuel - coal from Kuzbass and Karaganda (Kazakhstan) - and ores from the KMA, Kazakhstan (Sokolovsko-Sorbayskiye), and the local Kachkanar deposit. There are full cycle enterprises here (Magnitogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Chelyabinsk, Novotroitsk), processing plants (Ekaterinburg, Izhevsk, Zlatoust, Lysva, Serov, Chusovoy), for the production of blast furnace ferroalloys (Serov, Chelyabinsk), for the production of rolled pipes (Pervouralsk, Kamensk-Uralsky , Chelyabinsk, Seversk). This is the only region in the country where naturally alloyed metals (Novotroitsk, Verkhniy Ufaley) and cast iron are smelted using charcoal. On the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains there are full-cycle enterprises, and on the western slopes there are processing metallurgy enterprises.

The second most important is the Central Metallurgical Base, covering the Central Black Earth, Central, Volga-Vyatka, Northern, Northwestern economic regions, as well as the Upper and Middle Volga regions. It runs entirely on imported fuel (Donetsk, Pechora coals), its core is the KMA TPK.

A number of major enterprises and production facilities are located on the territory of the Central Metallurgical Base. In the Central Black Earth Region, iron and blast furnace ferroalloys are smelted (Lipetsk), the Novolipetsk full-cycle plant is located, and the only electrometallurgical plant in Russia is located in Stary Oskol. In the Central region there is the Novotulsky full-cycle plant, a plant for smelting foundry cast iron and blast-furnace ferroalloys (Tula), the Oryol steel rolling plant, the Moscow processing plant “Sickle and Molot”, and the Elektrostal plant. The Cherepovets plant, located in the Northern region, uses iron ores from the Kola Peninsula and coal Pechory. The Vyksa and Kulebak metallurgical plants are located in the Volga-Vyatka region. In the Upper and Middle Volga regions, pigment metallurgy is developing in all machine-building centers - Naberezhnye Chelny, Tolyatti, Ulyanovsk. Engelse et al.

A new Siberian metallurgical base is being formed in Siberia and the Far East. The raw materials are the ores of Gornaya Shoria, Khakassia and the Angara-Ilimsk basin, the fuel is coal from Kuzbass. Full cycle production is represented in Novokuznetsk (Kuznetsk and West Siberian metallurgical plants). There is also a plant for the production of ferroalloys, and processing plants in Novosibirsk, Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky, Guryevsk, Krasnoyarsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

In the Far East, ferrous metallurgy will develop towards the creation of full-cycle plants based on the Yakut coal deposits and iron ore deposits of the Aldan province, which would meet the region's needs for metal and eliminate the costly transportation of millions of tons of metal.

In recent years, there has been a process of intensive reconstruction and technical re-equipment of the industry. However, so far the Russian ferrous metallurgy in technical and technological terms is significantly inferior to similar industries in developed countries. We still have an outdated technology for open-hearth steel production, a poor range of rolled products, and a low share of high-quality metal grades.

Non-ferrous metallurgy

Non-ferrous metallurgy specializes in the extraction, beneficiation, metallurgical processing of ores of non-ferrous, noble and rare metals, as well as the extraction of diamonds. It includes the following industries: copper, lead-zinc, nickel-cobalt, aluminum, titanium-magnesium, tungsten-molybdenum, noble metals, hard alloys, rare metals, etc.

Non-ferrous metallurgy in Russia is developing based on the use of its own large and diverse resources and ranks second in the world in terms of product output after the United States. Over 70 different metals and elements are produced in Russia. Non-ferrous metallurgy in Russia consists of 47 mining enterprises, of which 22 are related to the aluminum industry. The regions with the most favorable situation in non-ferrous metallurgy include the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Chelyabinsk and Murmansk regions, where non-ferrous metallurgy accounts for 2/5 of industrial output.

The industry is characterized by a high concentration of production: JSC Norilsk Nickel produces over 40% of platinum group metals, processes more than 70% of Russian copper and controls almost 35% of the world's nickel reserves. In addition, this is an environmentally harmful production - in terms of the degree of pollution of the atmosphere, water sources and soil, non-ferrous metallurgy surpasses all other branches of the mining industry. The industry is also characterized by the highest costs associated with fuel consumption and transportation.

Due to the variety of raw materials used and the widespread use of industry products in modern industry, non-ferrous metallurgy is characterized by a complex structure. The technological process of obtaining metal from ore is divided into extraction and enrichment of feedstock, metallurgical processing and processing of non-ferrous metals. The uniqueness of the resource base lies in the extremely low content of extractable metal in the ore: copper in the ores is 1-5%, lead-zinc ores contain 1.6-5.5% lead, 4-6% zinc, up to 1% copper. Therefore, only enriched concentrates containing 35-70% metal enter the metallurgical process. Obtaining concentrates of non-ferrous metal ores makes it possible to transport them over long distances and thereby territorially separate the processes of extraction, enrichment and direct metallurgical processing, which is characterized by increased energy intensity and is located in areas of cheap raw materials and fuel.

Non-ferrous metal ores have a multi-component composition, and many “companions” are significantly more valuable than the main components. Therefore, in non-ferrous metallurgy, the integrated use of raw materials and industrial intra-industry combination is of great importance. The diverse use of raw materials and the disposal of industrial waste lead to the emergence of entire complexes around non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises: the production of lead and zinc releases sulfur dioxide, which is used to produce nitrogen fertilizers (non-ferrous metallurgy and basic chemistry); the processing of nephelines also produces soda, potash, and cement ( non-ferrous metallurgy, basic chemistry and building materials industry).

The main factors of the location of non-ferrous metallurgy have different impacts on the territorial organization of industries and even within the same technological process. Nevertheless, with an extremely diverse set of factors for the location of the main branches of non-ferrous metallurgy, what is common is their pronounced raw materials orientation.

The aluminum industry uses bauxites as raw materials, deposits of which are located in the North-West (Boksitogorsk), the North (Iksinskoye, Timsherskoye), the Urals (North-Uralskoye, Kamensk-Uralskoye), in Eastern Siberia (Nizhne-Angarskoye), as well as nephelines of the North (Khibinskoye) and Western Siberia (Kiya-Shaltyrskoye). Due to the shortage of high-quality aluminum raw materials, up to 3 million tons of alumina from bauxite are imported into Russia annually.

The process of obtaining aluminum includes: the extraction of raw materials, the production of intermediate alumina, which are associated with sources of raw materials (Boksitogorsk, Volkhov, Pikalevo, Krasnoturinsk, Kamensk-Uralsky, Achinsk), and the production of metallic aluminum, which gravitates towards sources of mass and cheap energy, mainly powerful hydroelectric power stations — Bratsk, Krasnoyarsk, Shelekhov, Volgograd, Volkhov, Nadvoitsy, Kandalaksha.

The copper industry is one of the oldest branches of non-ferrous metallurgy in Russia, the development of which began in the 16th century. in the Urals. Copper production includes three stages: mining and beneficiation of ores, blister copper smelting and refined copper smelting. Due to the low metal content of the ore, the copper industry survived mainly in mining areas. Numerous deposits are being developed in the Urals (Gaiskoye, Blavinskoye, Krasnouralskoye, Revda, Sibay, Yubileynoye), but the metallurgical processing significantly exceeds mining and enrichment, and due to the lack of its own raw materials, imported concentrates from Kazakhstan and the Kola Peninsula are used. There are 10 copper smelting plants (Krasnouralsk, Kirovgrad, Sredneuralsk, Mednogorsk, etc.) and refining plants (Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Kyshtym).

Main factors for the location of non-ferrous metallurgy production*

Other regions include the North (Monchegorsk) and Eastern Siberia (Norilsk). In the Trans-Baikal Territory, preparations are underway for the start of industrial development of the Udokan deposit (the third largest in the world in terms of proven reserves). Copper refining and rolling in Moscow arose based on the use of copper scrap.

The lead-zinc industry is based on the use of polymetallic ores, and its location is characterized by a territorial separation of individual stages of the technological process. Obtaining ore concentrates with a metal content of 60-70% makes their transportation over long distances profitable. To obtain lead metal, a relatively small amount of fuel is required compared to zinc processing. In general, the lead-zinc industry gravitates toward deposits of polymetallic ores, which are located in the North Caucasus (Sadon), Western (Salair) and Eastern Siberia (Nerchinsk plant, Khapcheranga), and the Far East (Dalnegorsk). In the Urals, zinc is found in copper ores. Zinc concentrates are produced in Sredneuralsk, and metallic zinc is produced from imported concentrates in Chelyabinsk. Complete metallurgical processing is presented in Vladikavkaz ( North Caucasus). In Belovo (Western Siberia) lead concentrates are obtained and zinc is smelted; in Nerchensk (Eastern Siberia) lead and zinc concentrates are produced. Some of the lead comes from Kazakhstan.

The nickel-cobalt industry is closely connected with sources of raw materials due to the low metal content in ores (0.2-0.3%), the complexity of their processing, high fuel consumption, multi-stage process and the need for complex use of raw materials. On the territory of Russia, deposits of the Kola Peninsula (Monchegorsk, Pechenga-Nickel), Norilsk (Talnakh) and the Urals (Rezhskoye, Ufaleyskoye, Orskoye) are being developed.

The largest enterprises in the industry are the Norilsk full-cycle plant, which produces nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare metals; factories in Nikel and Zapolyarny; ore mining and beneficiation; Severonickel plant (Monchegorsk), producing nickel, cobalt, platinum, copper.

The tin industry is distinguished by the territorial separation of the stages of the technological process. The extraction and production of concentrates is carried out in the Far East (Ese-Khaya, Pevek, Kavalerovo, Solnechnoye, Deputatskoye, Yagodnoye, especially large ones - Pravourminskoye, Sobolinoye, Odinokoye) and in the Trans-Baikal Territory (Sherlovaya Gora). The metallurgical process is focused on areas of consumption or is located along the route of concentrates (Novosibirsk, Ural).

Further development of the Russian metallurgical complex should go in the direction of improving the quality of final types of metal products, reducing production costs and implementing resource-saving policies that increase its competitiveness.

Let's not say whether this is normal or not normal. Most likely, we should diversify the economy. But today our economy really depends on metallurgy. For example, they are now talking about some GDP growth in the first quarter and growth industrial production. The explanation is very simple. The reason for this growth is the rise in prices for rolled metal in foreign markets. That is, prices rose and this led to economic growth. Objectively, metallurgy, whatever it may be, remains a very important segment of our economy. Metallurgy itself belongs to the middle technological structures. That is, this is not a low, but an average lifestyle. And thanks to metallurgy, we are in the category of countries with an average economic structure. Therefore, if we take away metallurgy from our economic structure, then this structure will fall to the economy of third world countries. So metallurgy objectively plays a big role. Should she play such a big role? Should not. Should we harness the potential of metallurgy for our growth and economic development? Of course they should. And the fact that we have metallurgy, with which we can obtain this potential, is a very important factor.

What does steel recycling mean in Ukraine? This means that we get added value from the raw materials we extract. The processing process provides jobs and wages. If we export raw materials, we provide the opportunity to produce added value in the countries where we export these raw materials. Accordingly, by processing these raw materials, we create jobs in those countries where we export these raw materials.

In 2015, we processed less than half of the iron ore in Ukraine and exported more than 50%. That is, this can be called deindustrialization in metallurgy itself. In addition, our share of semi-finished products in exports has increased. For example, if a ton of billets or semi-finished products costs $250-270, then a ton of finished rolled products will cost $350-400. This means that the added value that could have been created at the box office is also not created.

The last chain of this does not work either production process- for example, finished products are not produced where metal plays a major role. For example, railway cars. We produced about 30,000 of them in 2007. In 2015, this is already only a thousand pieces. And this whole process shows that we are increasingly becoming a resource-based economy. This is a process that is very dangerous in Ukraine.

Because when we don’t process locally, it leads to people losing jobs, we don’t provide jobs, we don’t give people the opportunity to earn money, we don’t introduce technology and thus lose development skills.

If a ton of ore costs, for example, 50 dollars, then a ton of rolled ore will cost 100, and a ton of ore in wagons will cost much more. Thus, this process shows how much added value we get if we process in Ukraine. Therefore, in no case can we accept the model where we export ore instead of processing it and exporting steel. Since this process will mean structural destruction of the economy in third world countries.

What should metallurgists do to ensure that their products are in demand in the world and they can increase export volumes?

This is a question of competitiveness. Firstly, we are traditionally present in foreign markets in the regular rental segment. If we were present in the high-tech casting segment, prices there do not change as much as they do in the ordinary rolled products segment. Because there prices are fixed for six months, for a year.

For example, a sheet for the automotive industry - where prices are fixed for a long period. If, for example, regular rolled steel falls in price, sheet prices do not fall that much. Therefore, we need to produce more products with higher added value in metallurgy. This means investment. Investments in steel production, investments in rolling capacities. Our level of investment per ton of steel produced per year is somewhere around 17-20 dollars. In Russia it is about 40 dollars. In the European Union it is 70 dollars. Therefore, we need to invest and master production best views products.

Director of the State Enterprise Ukrpromvneshekspertiza Vladimir Vlasyuk.