废钢回收率高于塑料，为何污染依然严重？| World Wide Waste：英语精读讲义

Steel is one of the most recycled materials on Earth. 語法

钢铁是地球上回收利用率最高的材料之一。

It beats out plastic, 短語動詞

它的回收量超过了塑料、

glass, and copper.

玻璃和铜。

More than half of it gets melted down 短語動詞

超过一半的钢铁会被熔化，

and reused over and over. 短語搭配

并一次又一次地重复利用。

So, if it's easy to repurpose, 表達脈絡

那么，既然它很容易重新利用，

why is steel a major source of pollution?

为什么钢铁仍是主要污染源之一？

We visited a company experimenting with ways

我们探访了一家正在尝试各种方法的公司，

to clean up the industry 短語動詞

试图让这个行业变得更清洁，

using worldwide waste.

而所用的正是世界各地的废弃物。

Humans invented steel thousands of years ago,

几千年前，人类发明了钢，

when they figured out that mixing iron with carbon 講解

当时人们发现，把铁与碳混合

made a stronger material.

可以得到一种更坚固的材料。

Today, there are more than 3,000 types of steel

如今，钢的种类超过3,000种，

with other elements mixed in for different uses. 語法

为满足不同用途，其中还会掺入其他元素。

This Australian company has been recycling steel 語法

这家澳大利亚公司回收钢铁

for over a century.

已有一个多世纪。

Trucks deliver about 1,000 metric tons

每天都有卡车向这里运来约1,000吨

of pre-sorted scrap here every day. 用詞

预先分拣好的废料。

It comes from cars, refrigerators,

这些废料来自汽车、冰箱、

washing machines, demolished buildings,

洗衣机、拆除的建筑，

and even old mattress springs.

甚至还有旧床垫的弹簧。

Powerful magnets layer different types of steel,

强力磁铁会将不同种类的钢分层铺放，

depending on what's needed for each batch. 語法

具体取决于每一批的需求。

From here, the scraps go to the furnace,

接着，废料会被送入熔炉，

where they melt in about an hour.

大约一小时后便会熔化。

This is what is supposed to make recycled steel 語法

正是这个环节，按理说会让再生钢

cleaner than new steel.

比新钢更清洁。

There's no need to mine new iron. 語法

无需再开采铁矿石。

And these furnaces use less than half 語法

而且，这些熔炉消耗的能源还不到

as much energy as the ones that make new steel.

炼制新钢所用熔炉的一半。

We use electricity, much like a large welder, 短語搭配

我们用电，就像使用一台大型焊机那样，

to melt that steel.

来熔化这些钢铁。

Other processes adjust the steel's chemistry and strength.

随后的其他工序会调整钢的化学成分和强度。

Molds shape the liquid steel into bars.

模具会把钢水浇铸成棒材。

The company sells some of these,

公司会出售其中一部分，

but most are forged into a ball shape. 用詞

但大多数会被锻造成球形。

They're sold to copper and gold mining companies,

这些钢球会卖给铜矿和金矿公司，

which use them inside giant rotating mills

矿业公司把它们放进巨型旋转磨机中，

to crush ore.

用来粉碎矿石。

Molycop says all of its products are made

Molycop表示，其所有产品都由

from 93% recycled materials,

93%的再生材料制成，

though Insider could not independently verify this. 表達脈絡

不过Insider无法独立核实这一说法。

We want to push that as close as we can to 100%. 語法

我们希望尽可能把这个比例提高到接近100%。

About a third of the steel made around the world

全球每年生产的钢铁中，

each year comes from scrap.

约有三分之一来自废钢。

Nearly all the rest is new steel,

剩下的几乎都是新钢，

created from iron ore.

由铁矿石制成。

Recycling is better for the planet and is usually cheaper.

回收利用对地球更有利，而且通常成本也更低。

So, why are we still making so much of it from scratch? 講解

那么，为什么我们仍要从头生产这么多钢铁？

Because the world needs more steel

因为全球需要的钢铁

than scraps can provide.

超出了废钢所能提供的数量。

That's really limited by scrap steel supply.

真正的限制在于废钢供应量。

The total demand for steel means that we'll still have to

钢铁的总需求意味着，我们仍然不得不

mine iron ore.

开采铁矿石。

In 2020, the industry churned out almost 2 billion metric tons. 短語動詞

2020年，该行业的产量接近20亿吨。

About half of that went into buildings and bridges 短語動詞

其中约一半用于建造楼房和桥梁，

that won't become scrap for a long time.

很长时间后才会变成废钢。

And scrap doesn't always end up in the hands of recyclers. 講解

而且，废钢并不总能送到回收商手中。

In 2018, 7% of all the waste

2018年，送往美国垃圾填埋场的所有废弃物中，

sent to US landfills was made of iron or steel.

有7%是铁或钢。

Plus, some experts say that purely scrap-based steel 用詞

此外，一些专家表示，完全由废钢制成的钢材

can't be used for everything.

并不能用于所有用途。

The main problem with scrap is that you always have some impurities

废钢的主要问题是，其中总会含有一些杂质，

in there, which reduce the strength.

这些杂质会降低强度。

With demand for steel on the rise, 習語

随着钢铁需求不断上升，

it's estimated that within the coming decades, 語法

据估计，在未来几十年内，

at least half of it will still have to be made 語法

至少仍有一半的钢铁必须

from iron ore.

由铁矿石制成。

That's a big issue for the climate.

这对气候来说是个大问题。

Steel is responsible for about a quarter of all 短語搭配

钢铁行业的排放量约占所有

industry-related greenhouse gas emissions. 用詞

工业相关温室气体排放的四分之一。

Most of that comes from cooking it up from scratch.

其中大部分来自从头冶炼新钢的过程。

But recycled steel is part of the problem, too. 表達脈絡

但再生钢也是问题的一部分。

Melting scrap in a furnace uses a lot of electricity.

在熔炉中熔化废钢会消耗大量电力。

Since 2020, Molycop's plant has gotten over half its power 語法

自2020年以来，Molycop工厂使用的电力中已有一半以上

from renewable solar and wind.

来自太阳能和风能等可再生能源。

Supporting the generation of renewable energy

支持可再生能源发电

seemed a natural step to make and the right thing to do.

似乎是顺理成章的一步，也是正确的选择。

But even recycling usually requires coke, 用詞

但即便是回收钢铁，通常也需要焦炭，

which is coal that's been baked for hours

也就是经过数小时高温烘炼的煤，

until it's almost pure carbon.

直到它几乎变成纯碳。

You can't make steel without carbon. 語法

没有碳就无法炼钢。

But mining coal and turning it into coke 語法

但开采煤炭并将其制成焦炭

also uses lots of energy and creates air pollution.

同样会消耗大量能源并造成空气污染。

Molycop is looking for other options.

Molycop正在寻找其他选择。

It partnered with scientists at the University of New South Wales 短語搭配

它与新南威尔士大学的科学家合作，

to study alternatives, like old rubber and plastic.

研究废旧橡胶和塑料等替代材料。

We get to see our ideas being brought to life 講解

我们得以亲眼看到自己的想法

in an industrial setting.

在工业环境中变成现实。

The researchers have used Molycop's plant

研究人员利用Molycop的工厂

to test out replacing coke with briquettes 講解

测试用压块替代焦炭，

made with plastic waste,

这些压块由塑料废弃物制成，

though using them would still release 表達脈絡

不过使用它们仍会释放

a smaller amount of carbon dioxide.

较少的二氧化碳。

Our objective is how do we replace all of it

我们的目标，是设法把焦炭全部替换掉，

with material that would otherwise end up in landfill. 語法

改用原本会被送进垃圾填埋场的材料。

It gives hope

这给人带来了希望，

and that sense of positivity

也带来了积极的信念：

that together we can actually solve these kinds of challenging problems.

只要齐心协力，我们确实能解决这类棘手的问题。

But these ideas are still in the testing phase. 短語搭配

但这些想法仍处于测试阶段。

So, for now, 表達脈絡

所以，就目前而言，

Here at Molycop, we consume about 4,000 to 5,000 tons of coke

在Molycop，我们大约要消耗4,000至5,000吨焦炭，

each year in the steel making process.

这是炼钢过程中每年的用量。

It sounds like a lot, 表達脈絡

听起来很多，

but making new steel from iron

但用铁矿石炼制新钢

can use at least 20 times more coke than recycled steel. 語法

所需焦炭至少是生产再生钢的20倍。

Ultimately, cleaning up steel 表達脈絡

归根结底，要减少钢铁行业的污染，

will require updates to 100-year-old recycling methods.

就必须改进已有百年历史的回收方法。

We're the oldest operating steel maker

我们是澳大利亚历史最悠久

in Australia,

且仍在运营的钢铁制造商，

and we want to be around for another 100 years. 用詞

我们希望再经营100年。

And we'll do that through

而要做到这一点，

being a sustainable and responsible steel maker.

就得成为一家可持续、负责任的钢铁制造商。