After entering the 21st century, the iron and steel industry has adjusted and adjusted during development, and has continued to grow and develop during adjustment and adjustment. It has successively developed and adopted cutting-edge steel technology, energy saving and environmental protection technology, and artificial intelligence control technology. For example, high-purity steel smelting technology, new compact steel production process technology, strip continuous casting and cold rolling process technology, computer integrated manufacturing system (CTMS) technology, and "three dry and three processing" technology. The level of technology and equipment, variety and quality, and environmental protection have all been improved. By 2010, there will be about 110 large-scale blast furnaces of 2000m3~5000m3, about 1,250 large-scale combined blowing converters of 120t~300t, about 45 large-scale electric furnaces of 70t~150t, and 13 thin slab continuous casting and rolling units (7 1 set of CSP, 3 sets of ASP, 3 sets of FTSR).

Private steel companies are developing rapidly, and the country's crude steel output is rapidly increasing. After the national crude steel output exceeded 100 million tons in 1996, it exceeded 200 million tons in 2003, 400 million tons in 2008, 600 million tons in 2010, 700 million tons in 2012, and 800 million tons in 2015. In November 2015, the state proposed a supply-side structural reform, through the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (2+26 cities) and Fenwei Plain haze control, energy conservation and environmental protection, ultra-low emissions, elimination of backwardness, banning of ground steel, production capacity replacement, With the promotion of a series of policies and measures such as retreat from cities and “dual control” of energy consumption, steel production capacity has moved to the coast and the layout has been optimized. China has built coastal modern steel bases (factories) or coastal steel clusters with the international advanced level of the 21st century represented by Anshan Iron and Steel Bayuquan, Shougang Jingtang, Baosteel Zhanjiang, Shandong Iron and Steel Rizhao, and Liuzhou Iron and Steel Fangcheng Port. Introduce more than 10 internationally advanced ultra-low energy consumption and ultra-low emission strip endless rolling technology ESP (Rizhao Steel, Fujian Dingsheng, Taihang Iron and Steel, etc.), thin strip casting and rolling technology Castri (Shagang), and more Full-function continuous casting and rolling technology QSP-DUE (the world's first MCCR-DUE production line in Shougang Jingtang) and other near-net-shape manufacturing technology production lines, as well as new non-blast furnace ironmaking technologies such as Corex, Finex, and Hismelt. The number of blast furnaces above 5000m3 representing the world's leading level increased to 8, and the number of converters above 300t reached 14. The iron and steel industry began to develop and apply "AI + 5G" intelligent manufacturing technology to build smart dream factories; along the "Belt and Road", from the past "bring in, buy in" to "sell out, build factories overseas, and general contract Or merge overseas steel companies and build raw material bases overseas" to develop.

Since the supply-side structural reforms, China’s crude steel output exceeded 900 million tons in 2019, and exceeded 1 billion tons to 1.065 billion tons in 2020, accounting for about 57% of the world’s total. The crude steel output of private steel companies accounted for nearly 60% of the country’s The dependence of stone on foreign countries is as high as about 80%. The steel industry has begun to adopt a series of measures such as "controlling production capacity expansion, promoting industrial concentration, and ensuring resource security"; to improve the basic capabilities of the industry and the level of the industrial chain, to promote the process of industrial internationalization, to promote the "national co-progress" mixed-ownership reform, and to speed up the inter-company Merger (joint) reorganization. China Baowu Group, established by the strategic reorganization of Baosteel and Wuhan Iron and Steel, has successively merged and reorganized holdings of Maanshan Iron and Steel, Shaoshan Iron and Steel, Chongqing Iron and Steel, Bayi Iron and Steel, Taiyuan Iron and Steel, etc., and is currently promoting the merger and reorganization of Shandong Iron and Steel, and has become the world's crude steel production capacity. The first steel enterprise group. The Anshan Iron and Steel Group, which was established by the strategic reorganization of Anshan Iron and Steel and Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group, took control of Benxi Iron and Steel, and became the steel enterprise group with the second largest crude steel production capacity in China and the third in the world.

Since the beginning of 2021, the state has taken strict measures to double control steel production capacity and output, and cleaned up illegal production capacity to ensure that crude steel production in 2021 will fall year-on-year. On July 16, 2021, the national carbon emission rights trading market was officially launched. More than 2,000 power generation companies that accounted for more than 40% of the country's carbon emissions entered the market as the first batch of transactions, and key emission industries such as steel will gradually be included in this market. From 2010 to the first half of 2021, a total of 237 companies have completed or are implementing ultra-low emission transformation of approximately 650 million tons of crude steel production capacity. By the end of 2025, the country will strive to complete the transformation of more than 80% of the production capacity to reduce energy consumption and pollutants. Emissions have dropped significantly. However, as the output of crude steel increased from 627 million tons in 2010 to 1.065 billion tons in 2020, the total CO2 emissions of the iron and steel industry are still increasing, making it the largest energy consumer and CO2 emitter second only to the power industry. In addition to the steel industry, the demand-side users of refractories, cement, glass, and non-ferrous metals are also industries with high energy consumption and high carbon emissions, and many rely on a large number of imported raw materials for processing and production. These industries are carbon neutral targets in the industrial sector. The main point of force. In order to achieve the carbon peak as soon as possible and then develop towards the goal of carbon neutrality as soon as possible, the steel industry has established the "Low Carbon Work Promotion Committee" and the "Low Carbon Work Expert Committee" headed by Academician Mao Xinping. The next major actions of the steel industry may be: First, continue to promote the implementation of ultra-low emission transformations to further reduce the intensity of unit carbon emissions; Carbon steel process reengineering technology, etc.), as well as carbon capture and utilization technologies; third, increase the proportion of electric furnace steel, and use green renewable energy including solar, wind, and hydrogen energy; fourth, prohibit new steel production capacity and control the total production capacity of steel And total output.

Reducing the total production capacity and total output of crude steel may be an important measure to control and reduce total carbon emissions, and to achieve carbon peaks as soon as possible. Judging from the current technological development, the time point and carbon emissions corresponding to the peak of carbon are the peak production (highest value) years and total carbon emissions of these high-energy-consuming industries. Shortening the plateau period of production peaks and achieving carbon peaks at an early date will help ensure carbon neutrality by 2060. If steel manufacturing enterprises achieve carbon neutrality, including those that provide refractory products, every link in the supply chain and industrial chain that produces carbon-neutral steel must also achieve carbon neutrality. If not, they must Pay costs, such as outsourcing carbon indicators. In addition to the refractory industry's own requirements for carbon neutrality, the low-carbon transformation of high-temperature industries such as steel and the development process to achieve carbon neutrality will also have a significant impact on the refractory industry.