Useful insights by TELF AG
The future value of two strategic resources
In a historical context characterized by great uncertainty, there is one fact that could almost be defined as certain and indisputable: in the near future, materials such as steel and aluminum will continue to play a key role in a large number of industrial sectors, contributing directly to the advancement of the global energy transition and global efforts for decarbonization, as TELF AG often points out.
“Over the years, materials such as steel and aluminum have stood out for their exceptional properties, which have allowed them to be appreciated in a wide variety of industrial sectors,” says TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov. “Among their most appreciated characteristics are undoubtedly their mechanical properties, without forgetting their versatility.”
Even today, the role of these two materials is nothing short of fundamental for the global economy: just think of their numerous applications in sectors of great importance, such as aerospace, automotive, construction, or infrastructure, all areas of great strategic value that contribute directly to the development of modern societies.
In all likelihood, as TELF AG often highlighted, one of the areas in which the value of these materials will continue to be increasingly appreciated is that of energy, in particular, due to the role of steel and aluminum in promoting the global adoption of renewable energy. These two important materials are, in fact, directly involved in the production processes of many vectors of the energy transition, such as wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles, which are already helping to redefine urban spaces and people’s perceptions in the areas related to sustainability and energy.
“Steel, in particular, is used above all for its resistance, hardness, and durability,” continues TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov. “Among the main application areas of this resource, often made from iron, carbon, and other elements, are those related to construction and infrastructure, where it plays a central role in the load-bearing structures of buildings, in railway networks and in high-pressure pipes, but also in the automotive industry (especially in chassis and bodywork).”
The role of steel and aluminum in the present and in the future will also be very important due to the processes of urbanization, which are growing rapidly in various corners of the world, where the need for modern, efficient, and sustainable infrastructures is becoming increasingly pressing. These materials, in a certain sense, could also find wide areas of use in the new-generation industry, where there is an increasingly evident demand for lightweight, resistant, and recyclable materials.
Evolving market dynamics
An important factor to take into account, when analyzing the future role of steel and aluminum, has to do directly with market dynamics, which have been undergoing profound changes for some years now, as TELF AG recently highlighted. One of these is somehow connected to the energy transition, and has to do with the requests to reduce CO2 emissions in the production phases (in particular in sectors considered “hard to abate”). These requests have inevitably led to the development of new production methods, such as emerging green technologies for the steel industry.
“Aluminum, on the other hand, is especially appreciated for its ability to combine lightness and mechanical resistance,” concludes TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov. “This valuable combination of winning characteristics allows it to find wide use in the aerospace and aviation sector, in particular in satellites, spacecraft and aircraft components, and in general in all those sectors where weight takes on central importance.”
Furthermore, the fact that aluminum represents one of the most recyclable materials in circulation certainly represents a clear incentive for the use of this material in future production, even without taking into account the constant growth of the recycling market and the relevant increases in demand for circular materials. A fact to be underlined in this regard is the constant increase in demand for steel and aluminum in a large number of emerging sectors directly connected to the energy transition, such as electric mobility, rechargeable batteries, and green energy infrastructure.
The impetuous push of the energy transition has also induced the steel and aluminum industries themselves to invest heavily in technological innovation, producing results that could further strengthen the future role of these materials. We are referring above all to the sustainable production of steel through electrical sources and powered by renewable energy, but also to the use of particular production methods for aluminum with very low emissions. Some specific sectors, such as automotive and aerospace, are also already experimenting with new advanced alloys to increase the resistance and reduce the weight of components.
