Environmental impacts

ArcelorMittal Luxembourg received the Environment award from the business federation FEDIL at the end of 2019 for its facility to recover the excess heat generated during the production of steel sheet piles on the ArcelorMittal Belval site.

The equivalent of 4000 heated houses per year

In June 2018, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Ecology, Étienne Schneider, and ArcelorMittal Luxembourg Chairman of the Board of Directors and ArcelorMittal Board Member, Michel Wurth, gathered for the inauguration of the surplus heat recovery plant.

Since its inauguration, the heat emitted by the mill supplies the districts of Belval, Nonnewisen, and Summit. 200 customers are connected and can then cover 70% of the heating needs of the SUDCAL heating network.

"It is a great pride to see this project, fruit of an exemplary cooperation between an industrial player, the State and an energy operator, crowned with such an award. The reduction of our environmental impact is one of the major axes of our policy in favor of sustainable development and the circular economy implemented by the group in Luxembourg. With this project, we have shown that the pooling of complementary talents to control the environmental impact of the industry, it works! This initiative opens up great prospects for other actors in Luxembourg, who will be able to draw inspiration from it to multiply it," states Roland Bastian, Managing Director of ArcelorMittal Luxembourg.

CO2 reduction

The Belval site is composed of an electric steel mill and two rolling mills, including the 'train 2.' The facility contains a reheating furnace for raising the semi-finished products to 1300° C and since last year its fumes have been used to power the SUDCAL heating network. Exiting at 400°C, the fumes are sent to the recuperator to heat the water which is then directed to a water/water heat exchanger, at which time the water is finally ready to be sent to the homes heated by SUDCAL .

Thanks to the reuse of this energy, ArcelorMittal Luxembourg contributes to the reduction of the national energy consumption of the Grand Duchy and thus allows SUDCAL to reduce its environmental impact up to 5000 t of CO2 per year.

Text: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg, Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg
Video: FEDIL

Version 3.04 of the AMECO software is now available for download.

The purpose of the AMECO software is to assess the life cycle of composite structures of buildings or bridges evaluating the environmental footprint, in particular the associated energy consumptions and greenhouse gas emissions.

This software is based on the principles of Life Cycle Assessment and is compliant with ISO 14040 & 44 and the new EN 15804 with evaluation of impacts: Global Warming Potential (GWP), Primary Energy Consumption (PEC), acidification & eutrophication potential, water consumption, etc.
 
Version 3.04 of AMECO proposes to take into account the use phase of the building (Module B). It allows the estimation of energy needs for a variety of the building systems, such as heating and cooling. The calculations are based on several international norms such as ISO-13370, ISO-13789, and ISO-13790 as well as the European norm EN 15316. The extension of the use phase is only available for buildings.

AMECO 3 is available in 16 European languages.

Download the update for free on our software page:

https://constructalia.arcelormittal.com/en/tools/software

With a length of 560 km, the Moselle is a major European waterway, crossing France, Luxembourg, and Germany. Next April, a brand-new steel-concrete composite bridge will rise on the French bank of the river. It is currently being built with beams from ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products assembled in box girders entirely prefabricated by Steligence® Fabrication Centre in Luxembourg. About 200 km from there, on the German bank of the Moselle, new locks are being installed thanks to ArcelorMittal Sheet Piling.

Safer and more efficient access on the river

Built in 1942, the old bridge located in Tonnoy, France was deteriorating and was no longer in line with the latest standards regarding mobility. With this new 92-metre bridge, user safety will increase thanks to a new footbridge dedicated exclusively to pedestrians and cyclists and a wider road for vehicles traffic. The bridge will also limit the impacts on the Moselle riverbed and ensure better hydraulic flow thanks to the presence of three pillars instead of four.

As for the locks in Germany, the existing ones are no longer up to date in their dimensions, causing waiting times at the lock passages. This is a major issue, especially when freight transport has to share the route with the abundant tourist excursion boats. As a solution, the locks will be equipped with a second lock chamber, in larger dimensions (210 m x 12.5 m). Thanks to the second lock chambers, waterways as ecological and economic modes of transport will become even more attractive, which will also strengthen the reputation of this economic area.

S460M: the key advantage to winning this bridge project

In early September, construction of the Tonnoy bridge took a huge step: the delivery on site and the installation of the box girders. The girders, fabricated and painted by Steligence® Fabrication Centre, are composed of 24 beams in grade S460M produced in ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products’ mill in Differdange. They measure between 30.5 m and 35.4 m and weigh a total of 187 tonnes.

The use of S460M structural steel grade allowed for weight reduction, which was a competitive advantage in this project that was initially supposed to be completely built with concrete. Thanks to ArcelorMittal steel, construction time and costs were considerably reduced as there was no need for formwork, sanding, welding, or confinement.

For the installation of the 12 girders (eight 29.85-m girders of 2 beams and four 35-m girders of 2 beams), a 220-tonne lifting crane was used. Transportation was organised by the Steligence® Fabrication Centre with the help of MKTS transport company. This special transport had to be regulated by pilot cars and Luxembourgish and French law enforcement.

Improving waterway transport

Out of the ten locks that require work, the Zeltingen and Fankel locks are already extended and in operation. For the Trier lock, the overall construction comprises the extension of the upper and lower outer harbour to a length of 225 m, the relocation of the Trier water gauge, the construction of a new control centre for the locks of Zeltingen, Wintrich, Detzem, and Trier, as well as an ecological compensation measure at the Monaise sports boat harbour.

The upper outer harbour, the central piers in the upper and lower water, will be built using steel sheet piling from ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products, produced in the Belva milll. A single anchored PU® 22 sheet pile wall will be used for the upper outer harbour and an approach dolphin in the lower water will be constructed as a circular cell from AS® 500 profiles – filled with sand or other material – that will be dismantled at the end of the new lock construction.

Works for the bridge are still ongoing on the banks of the Moselle with completion foreseen in April 2020. As for the Trier lock, completion should take place before the end of 2019.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe

ArcelorMittal’s breakthrough Jetskin® coating has an extremely homogeneous surface which offers excellent corrosion protection. Metal Union, a long-term ArcelorMittal customer based in Poland, has started testing Jetskin® in a window frame application. The resulting frames are very rigid and have better thermal performance than aluminium solutions. They are proving popular in trials with customers due to the aesthetic finish of Jetskin® and its excellent environmental credentials.

A perfect blend

Metal Union developed their first Jetskin® window frame designs during 2018. “We used Jetskin® for the ‘inter-pane’ frame which separates the panes of glass in a typical double- or triple-glazed window,” explains Grzegorz Rudniak, product manager for Metal Union. “Jetskin® gives the inter-pane a homogeneous appearance which matches the colour of the overall window frame. Before Jetskin® we used galvanised steel, but this can reflect light and disrupts the visual appearance of the window. With Jetskin®, this does not occur.”

Better aesthetics, simpler production

The manufacturing process is also simpler, as Adam Satława, purchasing manager for Metal Union, explains: “The profile production process is much more efficient with Jetskin® compared to hot dip galvanised steel. For example, we use less energy and lubricants during the production process. Because we don’t need as much lubrication, we minimise the use of cleaning agents and preservatives for our profiling tools.”

Jetskin® improves the performance of the window as the steel has a similar linear expansion coefficient to the glass. “That eliminates stress on the edges of the insulating glass panels,” says Grzegorz Rudniak. “It also dramatically reduces the amount of water vapour that collects on the edge of the window, eliminating the formation of fungi and mould which can be harmful to people.”

An award-winning solution

Metal Union worked closely with ArcelorMittal to develop the new frame, as Adam Satława explains: “Both ArcelorMittal and Metal Union put great trust in the development of new technical solutions. For example, ArcelorMittal’s R&D team in Ghent developed a special passivation technique which provides good adhesion between the glass and the steel frame. We trialled Jetskin® in production and with customers to prove that it worked.”

The innovative nature of the new window frame design has already been recognised by industry bodies. In February 2019, Metal Union received the prestigious ‘VIP Stolarka’ award for innovation at the 24th VIP Window and Door Producers Meeting in Gniew, Poland.

About Metal Union

Metal Union is a modern profiling company with extensive production facilities. As well as window frames, Metal Union also produces thin-walled profiles made of steel strips. It offers services such as spatial bending of wire and cutting and taping of steel strips and profiles. The company employs over 170 people and exports around 65 percent of its products to European countries.

More info: Metal Union

About Jetskin®

ArcelorMittal steels coated with Jetskin® are produced in a process known as Jet Vapour Deposition (JVD). The unique production line uses a vacuum chamber to coat one or both sides of a steel substrate with a fine layer of zinc. The coating is extremely homogeneous, providing excellent protection against corrosion. The JVD process minimises the amount of zinc that is required and fully complies with the European Union RoHS directive which limits the use of hazardous substances.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: Metal Union, ArcelorMittal and Ambiento, Zhu Difeng, Chonlawut / Shutterstock

Mini-Air is a new covering system for soft fruits such as strawberries and blackberries. Developed by Meteor Systems from the Netherlands, Mini-Air provides protection from the elements and an ideal growing environment. Meteor Systems utilises Granite® from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products to create growing gutters which are an integral part of the Mini-Air system. Normally used for cladding, roofs, and gutters, Granite® can also withstand the aggressive growing environment required for strawberries and remains food safe over the decade-long life of the tray.

The ideal climate for crops

Meteor Systems developed the Mini-Air system to create the ideal climate for crops. The low structure offers good ventilation, which is necessary to minimise the chance of disease or moisture affecting the crop. Gutters at the roof level gather rain from the covers which can be stored and used to water the plants. Underneath the cover, the Granite® growing beds are raised to create an ergonomic working environment for pickers and maintenance personnel.

Granite® roll-formed on site

A key advantage of Mini-Air is that it can be tailored to the constraints of each location, as Sebastiaan Smeur, account manager for Meteor Systems explains: “Mini-Air is designed to be installed on site by a fruit grower or local contractor. They just need simple tools to complete the installation. For example, the Granite® steel is roll-formed into growing gutters to ensure there are no joins.”

Each gutter can be up to 300 metres in length, although 100 metres is usually specified as it is the best length for maintenance and picking. However, the exact length can be decided by the grower in line with their practices and the area available.

Meteor Systems typically uses Granite® Standard or HDS to form the growing trays. The steel is either 0.6 or 0.8 mm thick, depending on the fruit to be grown. As well as supporting the growing plants, the gutter enables growers to re-use excess water. “Growers typically give plants 125 percent of the water and nutrients they need,” explains Mr Smeur. “The water the plants don’t use is collected and analysed. For example, growers can check the volume of water consumed, and what nutrients are left in the water. This allows them to closely monitor the health of their plants and adjust the parameters if required.”

Food safe and sustainable

The substrate used to grow strawberries is very aggressive. Nutrients which are added to the irrigation water can also have an impact. “Granite® is ideal in this application because it has multiple coating layers,” notes Mr Smeur. “We can specify polyurethane and polyester coatings on one or both sides, depending on the plants to be grown.”

Granite® is part of ArcelorMittal's Nature range. These steels do not contain hexavalent chromium (recognised as a human carcinogen) or heavy metals and comply with Europe’s REACH regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation, and restriction of chemicals. All Granite® production lines have achieved the ECCA Premium® label which sets minimum standards for the quality and sustainability of prepainted metals.

A long-term partnership

ArcelorMittal and Meteor Systems first started working together in the late 1990s. At that time, Meteor Systems began producing its first growing gutters using steel from ArcelorMittal. “We’ve been making these systems for almost 20 years and the first project we installed is still in use,” says Mr Smeur.

Flat pack on an industrial scale

Introduced in 2016, the Mini-Air system is now being used by fruit growers around the world to grow strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. “Mini-Air was developed with the involvement of growers and to solve their problems,” says Mr Smeur. “We continue to work with them after the system is installed to find ways we can make it easier to install and use.”

Growers typically order a Mini-Air system directly from Meteor Systems. The company then ships everything as a flat pack. “It’s like an IKEA product but on a much larger scale,” says Mr Smeur. “Everything the grower needs is there, including an installation manual. They can build it themselves or hire a local contractor to do the installation.”

Contact with our support teams

Meteor Systems is regularly in contact with ArcelorMittal’s technical support teams. “ArcelorMittal is very reliable and produces good quality steels,” says Mr Smeur. “With ArcelorMittal we have a long and close relationship and we work very easily together. If we have a problem, we know they can help.”

Granite® is the perfect choice for the Mini-Air growing gutters because of its environmental credentials says Mr Smeur: “Fruit growing needs to be a safe and sustainable industry. Because it is made of steel, Granite® is fully recyclable. And its stable coating is fully food safe.”

About Meteor Systems

Meteor Systems was founded in 1997 to manufacture drip irrigation systems for vegetable and fruit growers. Today the company develops, produces, and supplies the international horticulture industry with complete and moveable systems for cultivation, irrigation, and growing. Meteor Systems is headquartered in Breda, the Netherlands and has offices and a production facility in Ontario, Canada.

More info: www.meteorsystems.nl

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Photos: Meteor Systems