DR. EARNEY REPLIES.

The article presents the author's reply to comments on his paper regarding the process of concentrating iron ore by mechanical means near the mine rather than, as in the past, by chemical means in the blast furnace only. The use of an energy-mass budget analysis could indeed contribute to a better understanding of the "relative costs" to society when iron ore and steel producers utilize beneficiated low-grade ores rather than direct shipping ores. Water pollution, could likely be shown to rank high as a cost item in the pelletized iron ore production process, as could also air pollution.