Innovation

As part of its decarbonisation process, ArcelorMittal Luxembourg has confirmed its plan to invest in a new electric arc furnace (EAF) at its Long Products Luxembourg site in Belval. 

This 67-milion-euro investment is part of a series of projects that were the subject of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last September between ArcelorMittal Luxembourg and the Ministry of the Economy. This MoU confirms the willingness of the Luxembourg government to financially support this type of strategic investment through the various applicable aid mechanisms. For this project in particular, the subsidies made available by the Luxembourg State amount to approximately 15 million euros.

Another step along the road to decarbonisation

The new Belval electric arc furnace is one of the flagship projects of this Memorandum of Understanding. It will offer improved energy efficiency and an increase in steel production capacity in Luxembourg of almost 15%, reaching 2.5 million tonnes of steel per year. With this new facility replacing the current EAF in operation since 1997, and with additional investments to be made in other areas of the Belval steel plant, ArcelorMittal Luxembourg plants will be self-sufficient in crude steel production capacity to cover the needs of finished rolled products in the Grand Duchy. In particular, Mill A at the ArcelorMittal Rodange site will henceforth be supplied exclusively by this new installation for the production of its numerous ranges of rails and niche products.

Electric arc furnaces produce steel from recycled scrap and can be operated using solely renewable energy. In addition to the advantages of recycling scrap, this process reduces CO2 emissions by a factor of six* compared with conventional steel production using blast furnaces. 

The installation of the new electric arc furnace in Belval will start this year with commissioning planned for 2025.

* One tonne of steel produced by the traditional route using blast furnaces generates about 2.2 tonnes of CO2. The same tonne of steel made from recycled scrap melted in an electric arc furnace emits only 600 kgs of CO2. This figure drops to 300 kgs when the electric furnace is operated with renewable energy. As an example, a sheet pile produced by this process has a CO2 balance of 370kg/t.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Luxembourg
Constructalia

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ArcelorMittal Luxembourg

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ArcelorMittal and LanzaTech Global Inc. recently announced the successful commencement of production from ArcelorMittal’s commercial flagship carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) facility in Ghent, Belgium. The €200 million ‘Steelanol’ facility is a first of its kind for the European steel industry, deploying technology developed by leading carbon utilisation company LanzaTech.

Carbalyst®

The first step has been taken toward full operation of a commercial scale facility that will capture carbon-rich waste gases from steelmaking and biologically convert them into advanced ethanol through LanzaTech’s bio-based process. Unlike traditional fermentation, the process ferments gases instead of sugars and uses a biocatalyst instead of yeast. The facility was inaugurated in December 2022, with cold commissioning taking place thereafter. The biocatalyst has now been introduced into the facility (a process called inoculation) to begin growth and verify production of new molecules.

In May 2023, the first gases from the steel mill’s blast furnace were safely introduced to LanzaTech’s biocatalyst. After a successful inoculation, initial samples that contained ethanol were produced, demonstrating that the carbon in the gases is being converted into new chemical products. Commercial-scale ethanol production from the bioreactors will follow, with expected ramp up of production in the coming months. This advanced ethanol can then be used as a building block to produce a variety of products, including sustainable transport fuels, packaging materials, apparel, and even cosmetic fragrances, hence helping to advance the decarbonisation efforts of the global chemical sector. The ethanol will be jointly marketed by ArcelorMittal and LanzaTech under the Carbalyst® brand name.

An important step toward the circular use of carbon

The Steelanol plant has the annual capacity to produce 80 million litres of advanced ethanol - around half of the total current demand in Belgium. It expects to reduce carbon emissions from the Ghent plant by 125 000 tonnes annually, thereby advancing the EU’s 2030 Climate Target Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by the end of the decade. Project partners include Primetals Technologies and E4tech with support from CINEA (the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency).

The product samples from the facility this week mark an important step toward the circular use of carbon and the end of single-use carbon, whereby gases are no longer regarded as waste but as raw materials. In addition, the recycling of carbon means Steelanol’s process of Carbalyst® ethanol production does not compete in any way with food crops, as is the case for traditional methods of ethanol production.

The Steelanol facility is expected to reach full operational capacity before the end of the year.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Corporate Communications
ArcelorMittal Belgium
Constructalia

Images:
ArcelorMittal Europe

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ArcelorMittal

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To produce XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel, ArcelorMittal uses up to 100% scrap. All of the electricity that is needed to transform the scrap into steel comes from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power.

Find out how you can substantially lower the carbon footprint of the steel used in your project in this video.

XCarb® towards carbon neutral steel

XCarb® is a trademark registered by ArcelorMittal that represents the clear path taken by the company towards the decarbonisation of the steel production process and the ambitious goal of zero emissions by 2050.

XCarb® will ultimately bring together all of ArcelorMittal’s reduced, low, and zero-carbon products and steelmaking activities, as well as wider initiatives and green innovation projects, into a single effort focussed on achieving demonstrable progress towards carbon neutral steel.

ArcelorMittal has developed two decarbonised production routes (the Smart Carbon route and the innovative DRI route) and is deploying these low-emission technologies across Europe.

Alongside the XCarb® brand, ArcelorMittal has launched three XCarb® initiatives:

• XCarb® recycled and renewably produced: This applies to steels produced in an electric arc furnace (EAF) using scrap and 100% renewable electricity.
• XCarb® green steel certificates: These allow customers to reduce their or their customers' scope 3 emissions. They can be purchased directly from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products in conjunction with a corresponding steel order.
• XCarb® innovation fund: ArcelorMittal also continues to invest in companies developing breakthrough technologies that will accelerate the steel industry’s transition to carbon neutral steelmaking.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images & video:
ArcelorMittal

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ArcelorMittal took part in BAU, a major event for the construction and building industry, in Munich from 17-22 April, showcasing its latest high-performance steel products, XCarb® range of sustainable steels, and cooperations dedicated to construction.

Cooperations featuring XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel

Two exciting new cooperations were announced during the event:

• ArcelorMittal has joined forces with BP2, a manufacturer of complete solutions for residential construction, to supply low carbon emissions steel for BP2’s latest product, the SOLROOF integrated photovoltaic roof.
• The VELUX Group has kickstarted cooperation with ArcelorMittal as part of its efforts to halve value chain emissions by 2030. The companies will now work together to lower the carbon footprint of the steels used in VELUX roof windows, aiming to reduce embedded CO2 by up to 70% (depending on the type of steel product used) compared with conventionally produced steel.

High-performance steel products

Flagship ArcelorMittal products presented at the event included:

• Granite® organic coated steels for building envelopes: available in more than 120 colours and textures and guaranteed for up to 40 years with Granite® HDXtreme
  
• Magnelis® metallic coated steel for facade substructures, solar mounting structures, cable trays, composite floors, and many more applications: resists corrosion three times better than regular galvanised steel
• Ondatherm Solar®: special roof panels for photovoltaic systems
• Cofraplus® 80 composite floor profiles: approved by building authorities as prefabricated steel floors and with a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to prefabricated concrete slabs
• high strength HISTAR® steels: providing cost and material savings
• weather-resistant Arcorox® steel grade: with natural corrosion protection and a long service life

Text:
Constructalia
ArcelorMittal Europe

Images:
©ArcelorMittal Europe
©VELUX Group and ArcelorMittal
©BP2
©BAU

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The VELUX Group has kickstarted cooperation with ArcelorMittal, the world's leading steel and mining company, as part of its efforts to halve value chain emissions by 2030. The companies will now work together to lower the carbon footprint of the steels used in VELUX roof windows, aiming to reduce embedded CO2 by up to 70% (depending on the type of steel product used) compared with conventionally produced steel.

Looking forward to the positive impact

The quality of steel is particularly crucial for ensuring optimal performance of the hinges used to operate VELUX roof windows and the brackets used to install them. The VELUX Group is working towards halving scope 3 emissions by 2030 and working with suppliers of materials for its products is essential to achieve this.

“This spring we are ordering the first delivery of low-carbon emissions steel from ArcelorMittal,” says Jesús Villalba, Senior Director, Direct Procurement at VELUX Group. “We are very excited about the journey that ArcelorMittal has started to move from emissions-intensive energy for steel production towards lower carbon steelmaking. Cooperations like these will enable decarbonisation of our products and we look forward to seeing the positive impact on our product and company carbon emissions.”

XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel

ArcelorMittal’s XCarb® recycled and renewably produced flat steel is produced using a minimum of 75% scrap steel and 100% renewable electricity. It will now be tested in larger volumes in a VELUX factory in Gniezno, Poland to see how it performs in hinges and brackets. In parallel, VELUX and ArcelorMittal will work together to lower the carbon footprint of steel used in some other components for roof windows.  

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of many months’ work with our colleagues at VELUX Group, as well as in our testing laboratories and production lines in Europe”, said Laurent Plasman, CMO Industry, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products. “Thanks to the interest and support of our customers, we are able to manufacture XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel for a growing number of applications, pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible when we launched XCarb® two years ago. I would like to thank VELUX Group for its commitment to this project so far; while we are at the start of this journey, I look forward to seeing the results of this long-term cooperation to reduce the environmental impact of steel used in VELUX roof windows."

The collaboration between the two companies was announced at BAU – the world's leading trade fair for architecture, materials, and systems, in Munich on 19 April 2023.

About the VELUX Group

For more than 80 years, the VELUX Group has created better living environments for people around the world making the most of daylight and fresh air through the roof. Their product programme includes roof windows and modular skylights, decorative blinds, sun screening products, and roller shutters, as well as installation and smart home solutions. These products help to ensure a healthy and sustainable indoor climate for work and learning and for play and pleasure. The Group works globally – with sales and manufacturing operations in more than 38 countries and around 11 000 employees worldwide. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by non-profit, charitable foundations (THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS) and family. In 2022, the VELUX Group had a total revenue of EUR 2.99 billion, VKR Holding had a total revenue of EUR 4.29 billion, and THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS donated EUR 181 million in charitable grants.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
© VELUX Group and ArcelorMittal

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Prepainted steel has been used for more than 50 years in Europe, so ArcelorMittal has had the opportunity to analyse in depth how its products actually behave in situ in different areas. Today, we are in a perfect position to assess the effects of time on our prepainted steel. Our integrated production process (from the hot strip mill through to coil coating) ensures full traceability and a high level of quality.

The latest innovation in coating systems not only increases the lifetime of construction products, but also reduces their environmental impact. Granite® has become a guarantee of quality, durability and sustainability. Architects and project designers, developers and contractors, and even insurance companies can be sure of specifying the right product for their projects, with a full guarantee up to 40 years.

Automatic guarantee: As soon as you buy Granite®, you are covered!

Non-perforation and paint adhesion are the main features to be guaranteed. But for many projects, stability of colour over time is essential to ensure that architectural buildings continue to look attractive and commercial buildings maintain their brand image. This is why ArcelorMittal includes all of these aspects in its guarantee.

The following table provides you with the basic details of our automatic guarantee. The full document is available on request.

Available for the whole Granite® range

The choice of coating for roofs and cladding depends on the external environment and the life expectancy.

For industrial or logistical buildings, a 10 to 20-year guarantee is often enough, but much more is expected for public and residential buildings, and in severe environments. To meet all of these requirements, ArcelorMittal has developed Granite® HDXtreme. Its multi-layer coating system is the universal answer to corrosive environments.

The guarantee is available for the whole Granite® range.

For further information, please refer to our guarantee text available on request or in SteelUser. For other areas or specific environments, we will be more than happy to consider your request. If you are in any doubt about which product to use for a particular application, we recommend that you take a look at Steel Advisor.

Everywhere in Europe

Our automatic guarantees are offered in all countries in Europe, as shown below. Guarantees may also be granted for other geographical zones – do not hesitate to contact ArcelorMittal.

Text:
ArcelorMittal

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©ArcelorMittal

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Build to last