Product sustainability

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

For the third consecutive year, ArcelorMittal has won the Steelie Award for excellence in sustainability. Announced at the World Steel Association’s annual dinner in Monterrey, Mexico, the nod distinguishes the company’s industry leadership on sustainability amid the growing pressure steel companies are facing to outline their approach to reducing carbon emissions.

A commitment to reduce emissions

The award was given in recognition of the company’s publication of the steel sector’s first Climate Action report in May 2019. The report set out the three pathways the company believes can lead to deep decarbonisation of steelmaking, the various low-emissions technologies the company is trialling, and the public policy required to make low-emissions steel a reality. It also confirms ArcelorMittal’s commitments to the objectives of the Paris Agreement and outlines the company’s ambition to significantly reduce emissions across the group, including reaching carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050.

A unanimous win

Accepting the Steelie, Brian Aranha, executive vice president, head of strategy, CTO, R&D, CCM, global automotive, communications and corporate responsibility said:
 
“I am delighted to be able to collect this award for the third year in a row, particularly as I am told that the jury voted unanimously that ArcelorMittal should win it. We are immensely proud of the forward-thinking resource our people have put together to build stakeholder understanding of what a transition to a low-carbon steel industry means in practice. Although the report does not have all the answers, it is prompting some very important conversations with our stakeholders across the steel industry and beyond. Having these conversations will be essential to develop the collaborative approach the world needs to take if we are to unlock the full potential of the steel industry’s efforts to decarbonise. This includes working with governments around the world to develop consistent and supportive policy frameworks to enable our industry to succeed in meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement.”

Text: ArcelorMittal Corporate Communications

Photo: ArcelorMittal

The technical objective of the LVS3 project is to disseminate knowledge acquired in recent years about the environmental impact assessment of steel and composite buildings. During the last decade, a lot of research projects have been funded to develop methodologies, systems, and products aimed at improving thermal efficiency as well as the global environmental footprint of steel buildings. The new EN 15804 standard, intended for environmental calculation of buildings, now takes into account the fact that steel is a recyclable material (Module D).

Sustainability includes environmental, economic, and social concerns for achieving long-lasting development. Sustainability of construction comprises the major health and environmental aspects related to the life cycles of all types of buildings. A building’s life cycle includes production, use, deconstruction, the underlying activities, materials, and energy flows, all of which generate inevitable influence on the planet – both good and bad. Steel, as a building material, has undeniable and inherent advantages in this respect, among others, due to its mature process of recycling.

The aim of the dissemination project LVS3: Large Valorisation on Sustainability of Steel Structures (RFS2-CT-2013-00016) is to provide information on the different steps used for the environmental assessment of steel and composite buildings in AMECO software.

The software and documents were developed and validated within the scope of the European Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) project SB-Steel: Sustainability of Steel Buildings (SB_Steel, 2014).

The project was divided into four steps:

•     realisation of documentation and software about the sustainability of steel structures
•     translation of the documentation and software interface
•     training for partners involved in seminars
•     organisation of seminars in different European countries

The dissemination package available consists of different documents and software:

•     a design guide
•     a background document
•     AMECO software
•     an App version (mobiles/tablets) of LCA calculations available; also in the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android)
•     PowerPoint presentations
•     all of the documents translated into the majority of the European languages

All of the documents are also available on the following website dedicated to this project in (almost) all European languages: http://sustainable-steel.eu/

This paper introduces the concept of Construction 4.0 and examines the digital transformation of the construction sector. The potential of additive manufacturing as a driver for innovation in construction that enables the fabrication of lightweight and functionally graded structures is presented and discussed.

Construction 4.0

The construction industry is adopting new technologies at a slow pace and has not yet been through the major disruptive digital transformation that other industries such as automotive or aeronautics have been through in the form of Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 has greatly altered industry and production value chains and business models. As the construction industry faces the challenges of implementing digital technologies, intelligent machines, and smart materials, this transformation is taking place. Known as Construction 4.0, this transformation will bring about greater productivity, time-efficiency, and resource-efficiency while enhancing safety and quality.

Building information modelling (BIM) digitally integrates the aesthetic design and technical details of a construction project into one information package. BIM gives a digital prototype of the building to everyone involved in the construction, before it is built.  ArcelorMittal Europe is currently developing BIM objects for every one of its high added value steel products used in construction.

A greater level of digitalisation through BIM integrated with cloud computing technology will result in Cloud-BIM data that allows for easy access on mobile devices. This increased connectivity and access to the most up-to-date information will greatly improve productivity.

In the steel construction industry specifically, adaptive automation solutions such as arc welding robotic technology are already enhancing production. These welding robotic solutions can be fitted with laser cameras to further improve production quality and are capable of cutting complex geometries quickly without the need for finishing steps. Additionally, these robotic solutions are also being applied to steel cutting applications such as tubes, thick plates, and pipes resulting in greater efficiency.

The utilisation of IoT (Internet of Things) technology such as UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) also has the potential to transform the building industry. UAVs can be used for tracking construction projects and making quality assessments in addition to monitoring construction sites, masonry assembly, and carrying out some of the dangerous work that currently decreases site safety.

Overall, Construction 4.0 will enhance stakeholder collaboration, creativity, and strengthen the supply chain.

Additive manufacturing in construction

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is defined as “the process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies, such as traditional machining ” (American Society for Testing and Materials standard).

AM processes are increasingly used in industrial applications due to their unique features such as eliminating the need for tooling and more economical custom product manufacturing. AM processes typically used in the construction industry are commonly extrusion-based processes (cement/ceramic paste and polymer-based materials), binder jetting processes, and the fusion of high melting point materials for both on-site and off-site fabrication of new construction elements or repairing applications.

As AM evolves, it is allowing architects and engineers to design more complex geometries. The main challenges and opportunities of this evolving technology in the construction sector are explored in depth in this paper.

Materials and lightweight and functionally graded structures

One of the ways in which AM is contributing to Construction 4.0 is as a platform for materials design. It allows for the use of natural and recyclable materials, which is conducive to a more sustainable construction approach.

As this paper points out, resource efficiency is fundamental as we move towards a more efficient construction sector. Lightweight structural components allow for a decrease in waste generation, emissions, and consumption.  Utilising the technologies describe in the paper will bring us one step closer to this global goal.

Moving forward

Construction 4.0 promises to increase construction productivity, quality, cost, and resource efficiency, all of which will require the adoption of technical innovations such as IoT, BIM, AM, and other digital systems.

Text: Constructalia
Photos and report: Flávio Craveiroa, José Pinto Duarte, Helena Bartolo, Paulo Jorge Bartolo

ArcelorMittal has taken a leading role in forming and committing to ResponsibleSteel™, the steel industry's first multi-stakeholder global certification initiative.

First global certification programme

ResponsibleSteel™ was set up in 2015 as a non-profit organisation to drive a more responsible future for the steel industry. It will achieve this by building the first global certification programme and standard for the entire steel value chain from mining, to production processes, to final stage sales, and distribution. Certification standards will include the following areas:

• Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Water Responsibility & Biodiversity
• Human Rights & Labour Law
• Local Communities & Business Integrity

ArcelorMittal’s commitment

Explaining ArcelorMittal’s commitment to ResponsibleSteel™, Alan Knight, Global Head of Sustainable Development, said that "responsible production techniques and high ethical and business standards are becoming increasingly important to our customers, and ultimately to their customers and consumers. We want to get to a point where steel users and purchasers have total confidence in their choices. ResponsibleSteel™ provides us with a fantastic opportunity to do this and to create the world’s first certification programme for the industry.”

About ResponsibleSteel™

ResponsibleSteel™ is a membership-based organisation currently comprising 22 members including steel producers, car manufacturers (BMW Group and Daimler), finance providers such as HSBC, industry organisations and NGOs. The scheme will formally launch its certification standards following a rigorous accreditation process which is expected to conclude towards the end of 2019. Once launched, ResponsibleSteel™ expects to rapidly grow its membership base with the aim of becoming the industry-recognised standard around the world.

The aspect of sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in building. However, this concept is not just restricted to ecological issues but also comprises economic and socio-cultural aspects. Only structures which fulfill all this criteria are permanently successful and therefore sustainable.

In this instance, constructional steelwork certainly has an advantage over other constructive forms thanks to structural steel which spares resources when manufactured and is infinitely reusable. Moreover, the increasing usage of high strength steels enables the possibility to further optimise sustainability of the steel or composite construction.

Modern steels such as Histar® 460, for example, demonstrate an outstanding weldability thanks to thermomechanical rolling and subsequent QST treatment in addition to high strength owing to carbon equivalent.

Principally, the use of high strength steels is worthwhile if tension problems are decisive when measuring structural components. This is often the case with composite girders, comprehensive roof supporting frameworks, trusses or heavily burdened supports. The somewhat higher price per tonne is by far and away exceeded through savings on material, processing, transport and assembly.

Histar® for Car Park Ceiling Girders

In the meantime, one sector in which high-strength steels have been enforced is car park ceiling girders. A span of approx.16m is usually required. An example can be seen in Table 1. With the use of Histar 460 the assessment usually results in an IPE 500 profile as opposed to an IPE 600 when using an S235JR+M. In this way, the component weight can be reduced by 24%. This leads to a cost saving of 17% for the pre-finished structural component.

Apart from the considerable economic advantage through use of the high-strength steels, a contribution to environmental sustainability is made at the same time.

Quintessentially, this is calculated for a car park with a capacity for 1000 vehicles. 250 ceiling girders are used in such a building. If trusses are used according to variant 2, a total of 127 tonnes of steel will be saved. Consequently, in addition to the lower emissions in the manufacturing process, seven journeys to the construction site by lorry can be spared for the ceiling girders alone.

Along with this, there are still savings through shorter supports, shorter lift shafts and stairwells, more favourable arrangements for ramps and a reduced façade area. Moreover, the reduced headroom leads to a lower overall height of the building – for example, a six-storey car park can be built 60 cm smaller.

Reducing Surfaces & Costs

High strength steels also have great advantages when used in industrial construction and multi-storey buildings. Reduced dimensions of roofs or roof girders, for example, lead to decreased building heights.

For this reason, the exterior surface area of the building can be reduced. Apart from saving on construction costs for wall and façade areas, one can also save on regular costs for heating and air-conditioning respectively.

Finally it can be determined that the use of high strength steels in the building industry is generally recommended for constructions in which use of tension is relevant to building specifications. With the use of Histar® 460 as opposed to the S235JR+M, approximately 25% of component weights and approximately 15 – 20% of component costs are saved in everyday applications.

In an extreme case – e.g. with comprehensive timber work construction – saving may even amount to 50%. Apart from economic advantages, a contribution to environmental sustainability is also made. In order to fully benefit from the advantages described, it is important that high strength steels are already included early on in the planning phases for the components in question.