Steel tube from a cancelled offshore wind turbine project is repurposed as a temporary replacement bridge after flooding in the Yorkshire Dales
A new set of guidelines on how to re-use steel promises to "remove the shackles" from construction firms and help them to save money while also reducing greenhouse gases by re-using steel.
That’s according to one contributor to a new 46-page set of guidelines frrm the Steel Construction Institute (SCI), which details the procedures and processes for reclaiming steel used in existing structures and for utilising surplus steel, such as material from cancelled projects.
Most steel reclaimed from buildings is sold as scrap and melted down despite the fact that structural steel sections are typically highly robust and are bolted together, meaning they are easily demountable.
Life cycle analysis by consultants Giraffe Innovation found that using surplus steel from cancelled projects can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96% compared to using newly-milled steel, as well as being more environmentally friendly than sending steel back to the mill for recycling.
The new guidelines recommend data collection, inspection and testing to ensure that surplus steel or reclaimed structural steelwork can be reused with confidence. It is limited to steel erected after 1970, in applications where the steel was not subjected to fatigue, such as bridges. It also excludes steel damaged by corrosion, fire or high impact.
Dr Michael Sansom of the SCI said: “There is growing pressure on the construction industry to be more resource efficient and to lower its greenhouse gas emissions. Increased reuse of steel will support both of these aims and stimulate new business opportunities in the UK – in particular by substituting steel imports.”
Tom Hay, director of Pluton Engineering and a member of the Institution of Structural Engineers’ sustainability panel, said: “The construction sector has been crying out for proper guidance on how to safely and effectively reuse structural steel.
“These protocols from the SCI should help the industry to be more sustainable and embrace the circular economy in a way it has been unable to do so due to a lack of clarity in the existing regulations. Hopefully the SCI’s approach will be adopted at a national and European level.”
Roy Fishwick, managing director of Cleveland Steel & Tubes, which contributed to the report, said: “These protocols should help to remove the shackles and allow construction contractors to purchase reused or surplus steel with complete confidence in its structural integrity.
“Our repurposed steel is proven to deliver up to 96% savings on carbon emissions compared to using new steel. It is an environmentally friendly solution as well as a cost-effective one.”
