Australia-based global recycling firm Sims Ltd. has ranked No. 87 on the “Carbon Clean 200” list maintained by two organizations advocating for lower carbon emissions.

In a February blog post, Sims says it has been “recognized as a company that is helping move the world onto a more sustainable trajectory” because of its placement on the list.

The Carbon Clean 200 list is assembled by California-based As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy nonprofit, and Toronto-based Corporate Knights, which describes itself as “a research and media B Corp empowering people to harness markets for a better world.”

The two groups say Carbon Clean 200 has been designed to recognize companies “that best represent the clean energy future.” The 2022 version is the ninth iteration of the list, which was first created in 2016.

According to Sims, it “lists the largest 200 public companies ranked by green energy revenues,” though other aspects include “responsible miners of critical materials for the low-carbon economy.”

Sims says in its blog post, “As we continue down the path toward a sustainable, low-carbon economy, support for these initiatives continues to increase worldwide. There are currently more than 1,000 companies, representing $23 trillion in market capitalization, that have committed to a net-zero-emission target in line with a 1.5-degrees Celsius future.” 

The company and the list organizers say the Carbon Clean 200 list can ideally accomplish two things: 1) provide a “useful north star” for investors looking to pinpoint companies leading the way to a clean energy future; and 2) dispel the myth that clean investing is about sacrificing returns.

Sims Ltd. recycles materials at locations in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, the company has been developing a system to convert auto shredder residue (ASR) into a marketable energy product.

Recent global steel output statistics for this January and weekly figures in the United States seem to show a sharp divide between steelmaking momentum in the U.S. and a sharply contrasted slowdown in China.

January steel production figures released by the Brussels-based World Steel Association (Worldsteel) portray an 11.2 percent decline in steel output in the People’s Republic of China this January compared with January 2021. That contrasts with a 4.2 percent year-on-year increase in the U.S. and a 4.7 percent increase in India for this January.

The healthy markets in the U.S. and India are good news for ferrous scrap recyclers in North America. While China may no longer be a big buyer of exported scrap, Turkish mills are—and that nation’s output dropped 7.8 percent this January compared with one year ago.

Turkey has been wrestling with volatility in the value of its currency and other fiscal policies deemed questionable by investors in other parts of the world. China, meanwhile, appears to be facing a sharp contraction in the construction of apartment towers. That sector consumes a double-digit percentage of the nation’s steel output and is responsible for as much as 25 percent of China’s gross domestic product, by some estimates.

The overseas turmoil did not affect steel production in the U.S. in January and seems not to have done so in February either. The Washington-based American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) reports that in the week ending Feb. 19 domestic raw steel production was 1.76 million tons with mills operating at an 80.1 capability utilization (capacity) rate.

That figure represents about a 24,000-ton gain on output during the identical week in 2021, when the mill capacity rate was 76.8 percent. According to AISI, domestic steel output in the most recently completed week also is up 0.3 percent from the previous week, which ended Feb. 12.

Steelmakers in the U.S. continue to report profitable results, with one CEO, David B. Burritt of Pittsburgh-based U. S. Steel, recently declaring, “Our balance sheet has been transformed, record cash significantly de-risks strategy execution and our capital allocation priorities have enhanced direct stockholder returns.”

A DustBoss Atom device made by Peoria, Illinois-based BossTek has been deployed to help a demolition company protect workers and the surrounding community from potentially hazardous dust during indoor demolition.

As mini excavators demolished the inside of a former shopping center, Moyock, North Carolina-based East Coast Abatement & Demolition (ECD) deployed the Atom, which uses atomized misting technology, for automated particle control. Without needing to assign a person to hold a hose, the Atom prevented dust emissions from remaining airborne or leaving the area.

ECD is a hazardous material abatement and demolition contractor serving northeastern North Carolina and Virginia. The firm was contracted to demolish, recycle, clear and prep the old site of The Village Shops at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Virginia. Due to its proximity to residential communities and local businesses, the general contractor in charge selected ECD for its experience in the proper handling of hazardous materials and dust.

“Owners, general contractors and developers select East Coast because we offer worry-free, turnkey services,” says Ricky Webb, chief operating officer of ECD. “We initiate, perform and execute projects of all sizes and complexities for the private, municipal, commercial and federal markets. We take environmental hazards very seriously, because we want to be good stewards of the communities we serve. From a best practices standpoint, experience has taught us that atomized misting equipment for dust suppression is one of the best safety and compliance tools in our fleet.”

The project involved the demolition of seven structures with a total of  about 81,000 square feet of building space and more than four acres of asphalt flattop. The estimated timeline was from 10 to 12 weeks to take down structures made primarily of cinder block and brick on a concrete foundation. Using a fleet of 12 dump trailers, the site prep involved a complete clearing of all debris with the exception of crushing stone material into aggregate for storage on site.

One of the challenges on the project was the removal of the roofing and floor tile, which both contained asbestos. The task of “soft stripping” these elements is often done by hand to avoid producing excessive dust, but to mitigate potential worker exposure to asbestos fibers, the company employed heavy equipment and the Atom dust control unit from BossTek.

Using equipment instead of manpower for demolition and dust suppression improves safety and drastically reduces the amount of time needed for internal stripping, according to BossTek.

Since the Kingsmill project featured tight areas that had to be addressed with precision, the DustBoss Atom was chosen for its ability to produce a highly pressurized water stream that fractures into a fine mist which can be directed right to the source of dust. Using its oscillating head, the compact unit delivered both airborne and surface suppression using what BossTek calls “a fraction of the water volume of manual spraying,” helping to minimize oversaturation and runoff.

A standard hand-held ¾-inch hose attached to a hydrant generally delivers up to 22 gallons per minute (gpm) of water. Instead of relying on water pressure, the Atom uses a 1-inch hose attachment from a water source running to a pump powered by a 9.1 horsepower diesel engine. The increase in pressure from the pump, rather than relying on pressure from the hydrant, means the design uses only about 7 gpm. “This greatly reduces wastewater runoff and the amount of standing water in the area, allowing the machine to be distant from the water source and still deliver superior dust control,” says BossTek.

With a throw of about 100 feet, the unit’s 0-to-65-degree vertical adjustment and 100-degree maximum oscillation range increases the coverage area to 6,100 square feet, according to BossTek. Using the hand-held remote control, operators can set the oscillation range from the cab of their rig or at a safe distance from the demolition zone.

“A single worker was able to wheel the Atom around by hand, place it, determine the optimum settings and go do something else,” says Webb. “The versatility is great, because if we need dust control in another building or on the storage piles, we can get the unit there quickly, turn it on and walk away. The labor savings alone makes it worth the money, but the safety and ease of use are huge benefits.”

Another advantage, according to BossTek, is that workers can stay protected in enclosed cabs and change the Atom’s settings with a remote control. Another is the dust’s effect on equipment. In the past, workers performing demolition inside structures had to clean the excessive buildup of dust out of equipment air intakes and radiators to prevent engine breakdowns. Since dust is addressed at the point of emission, this activity is reduced considerably, saving maintenance time and protecting valuable equipment.

There have been zero dust-related complaints from neighbors and local businesses during the project, according to ECD. This has had a positive impact on the general contractor’s impression -- as well as the local environmental inspector’s assessment -- of the firm.

“From a perception standpoint, when the public and the city observe these DustBoss units in operation, they are immediately more at ease seeing that the dust is being properly contained,” says Webb. “From a business perspective, general contractors know we have the equipment, safety and compliance measures in place to do the job properly.”

BossTek also says the compact, diesel-powered DustBoss Atom takes up little room, is useful on any site and is easily maneuverable by a single worker on flat surfaces.

“It was great working with the BossTek team to get us exactly the machine we needed to do the job right,” Webb comments. “This equipment has actually helped us capture new business. That’s how much value they bring to our company.”

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released its list of 50 mineral commodities critical to the U.S. economy and national security after performing what it calls an extensive multiagency assessment to evaluate mineral criticality.

The most recent list was created based on directives from the Energy Act of 2020 which indicates that at least every three years the Department of the Interior must review and update the list of critical minerals, update the methodology used to identify potential critical minerals, take interagency feedback and public comment through the Federal Register and ultimately finalize the list.

There are 15 more commodities listed in the 2022 findings compared with the previous list in 2018 and, according to the USGS, much of the increase is the result of splitting the rare earth elements and platinum group elements into individual entries rather than including them as “mineral groups.” The 2022 list adds nickel and zinc while removing helium, potash, rhenium and strontium.

“Critical minerals play a significant role in our national security, economy, renewable energy development and infrastructure,” says Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary of the Interior for Water and Science. “USGS data collection and analysis scans the horizon for emerging issues in crucial supply chains and every three years identifies the nation’s current vulnerabilities to potential disruptions.”

The 2022 list includes minerals such as aluminum, which the USGS determined in used in almost all sectors of the economy, lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, tin, titanium, tungsten and zinc. The full list can be accessed here.

The Energy Act defines a critical mineral as a nonfuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic or national security of the U.S. and which has a supply chain vulnerable to disposition. They also are characterized as serving an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economy or national security.

“Mineral criticality is not static, but changes over time,” says USGS National Minerals Information Center Director Steven M. Fortier. “The 2022 list of critical minerals was created using the most recent available data for nonfuel mineral commodities. However, we’re always analyzing mineral markets and developing new methods to determine the various evolving critical mineral supply chain risks.”

The list of critical minerals will be the focus of USGS research quantifying critical mineral potential within the U.S. In President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, the USGS received funding for its Earth Mapping Resource Initiative, which will update the nation's mapping of these minerals, including those still in the ground and those present in mine wastes.