• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.497-507
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• 2008

This study identified and quantified the hidden flows for steel and iron production in Korea using MIPS (Material Input per Service) methodology. In order to estimate the input orientated impact on the environment caused by the manufacture or services of a product, MIPS indicates the quantity of resources used for this product or service. In 2005, 71 million tons of raw materials were used to produce $17.6 million of added value and 4.8 thousand tons of finished steel. The amount of natural resources extracted from natural environments for the purpose of steel production was 245 million tons of TMR(Total Material Requirement), 1524 million tons of water, and 34 million tons of air. The material intensities for steel production by natural inputs (raw materials and energy) was 4.3 ton/ton of TMR, 28 ton/ton of water, and 0.5 ton/ton of air.