XCarb® towards carbon neutral steel
XCarb® recycled and renewably produced
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XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel selected for bridge reconstruction after flood in Germany
1 December 2023The images of the devastating floods in Belgium and Germany in 2021 are still fresh in our minds. With hundreds of deaths, these floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Europe, in terms of the number of victims, for many years. In Germany, the Ahr Valley was the hardest hit. The flood destroyed much of the infrastructure, including the rail bridge at Bad Münstereifel, which was completely destroyed by the flood and has disrupted rail traffic ever since. Two years on, the reconstruction is almost complete.
Project newsSwegon presents its first concept air handling unit made with ArcelorMittal’s low carbon emissions steel
27 November 2023Swegon presented its first product made from steel with low CO2 emissions – GOLD RX – at the ISH trade fair in Frankfurt. As ventilation units are primarily made of steel, there is considerable potential to reduce the carbon footprint of embodied carbon in production by replacing traditional steel with steel that has a lower carbon footprint.
Product news
XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel selected for bridge reconstruction after flood in Germany
The images of the devastating floods in Belgium and Germany in 2021 are still fresh in our minds. With hundreds of deaths, these floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Europe, in terms of the number of victims, for many years. In Germany, the Ahr Valley was the hardest hit. The flood destroyed much of the infrastructure, including the rail bridge at Bad Münstereifel, which was completely destroyed by the flood and has disrupted rail traffic ever since. Two years on, the reconstruction is almost complete.
Lower carbon footprint with XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel
For the reconstruction of the bridge on the Erfttal railway, ArcelorMittal Distribution Solutions Germany supplied 50 tonnes of XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel.
Conscious of the need to reduce CO2 emissions to slow climate change, the client in charge of rebuilding the bridge decided to use ArcelorMittal's low carbon emissions steel for the rebuild. XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel is made using up to 100% scrap using only renewable electricity, leaving a significantly lower CO2 footprint (around 40 tonnes of CO2 were saved).
A total of eight HEA 900 sections in XCarb® recycled and renewably produced, with a total weight of 50 tonnes, were delivered for the bridge reconstruction. The profiles were heightened and then drilled with 810 holes. The finishing of the beams took place in the Steligence® fabrication centre in Luxembourg.
From December 2023, the Erfttal railway should be running again, thanks to ArcelorMittal steel.
Want to know more about XCarb® and ArcelorMittal's low carbon emissions steel?
Low carbon emissions steel products play a crucial role in a circular economy as the majority of emissions from construction projects come from the carbon footprint of the materials themselves. Through contracts like this one in the Ahr Valley, ArcelorMittal can realise its potential in collaboration with stakeholders and further develop towards carbon neutral steel.
The XCarb® initiative, launched by ArcelorMittal in March 2021, brings together all of ArcelorMittal's reduced-, low-, and zero-carbon products and steelmaking activities.
Scrap and renewable energy: the levers of low CO2 steel
To produce XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel, ArcelorMittal uses up to 100% scrap and renewable electricity coming from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power.
ArcelorMittal estimates that XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel has a carbon footprint as low as 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of steel product when the metallics are 100% scrap, which is certified by a published Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia
Images:
ArcelorMittal
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Swegon presents its first concept air handling unit made with ArcelorMittal’s low carbon emissions steel
Swegon presented its first product made from steel with low CO2 emissions – GOLD RX – at the ISH trade fair in Frankfurt. As ventilation units are primarily made of steel, there is considerable potential to reduce the carbon footprint of embodied carbon in production by replacing traditional steel with steel that has a lower carbon footprint.
Reducing the carbon footprint with XCarb® recycled and renewably produced Magnelis® steel
In January 2023, the first delivery of XCarb® recycled and renewably produced Magnelis® from ArcelorMittal was received at Swegon’s Kvänum factory, where the company manufactures ventilation units. According to ArcelorMittal, XCarb® Magnelis® has an approximately 70% lower CO2 footprint than traditionally manufactured steel. ArcelorMittal’s XCarb® recycled and renewably produced label is applied to steels produced in an electric arc furnace (EAF) using high levels of scrap and 100% renewable electricity.
The first concept air handling unit has now been produced. “We all have to contribute and reduce our climate footprint, and this transition is enabling us to reduce not only our own, but also our customers’ footprint,” says Robert Siverby, Supply Chain Director at Swegon Group.
Swegon has, for a long time, focussed on sustainability and on reducing the climate footprint in the production as well as the use phase of its products. Swegon was among the first in the industry to develop EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) for its products and has a significant amount of EPDs in its portfolio.
Based on the existing EPD for GOLD RX size 12, the total Global Warming Potential (GWP) is expected to be reduced by approximately 20% with the transition to XCarb® Magnelis® steel, given that all the steel is replaced.
Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images:
ArcelorMittal
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XCarb® towards carbon neutral steel
XCarb® is the new brand name for ArcelorMittal’s ongoing global programme of steelmaking innovation targeted at carbon-neutral steel by 2050. XCarb® brings 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 believes that steel has a critical role to play in helping society decarbonise and will very much be a solution to the problem.
That is why, as the world’s leading steel company, ArcelorMittal has a significant responsibility to innovate, implement, and navigate a successful pathway towards a cleaner steelmaking industry. The journey towards becoming carbon neutral by 2050, having aligned with the Paris climate goals and the European Green Deal by committing to reduce European CO2 emissions by 35% by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050, is well underway.
We will continue to drive innovation to meet our decarbonisation goals and are committed to leading the industry transition towards carbon neutral steel. We have the scale, resources, technology prowess and ambition required make a significant impact.
XCarb® branded initiatives
Alongside the new XCarb® brand, ArcelorMittal has launched three XCarb® initiatives: XCarb® recycled and renewably produced for products made via the Electric Arc Furnace route using scrap, XCarb® green steel certificates, and XCarb® innovation fund.
XCarb® recycled and renewably produced
XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel is made from recycled steel using 100% renewable electricity in an Electric Arc Furnace and is offered for long products, but is also being extended step by step to flat products.
By using a very high content of scrap steel plus renewable energy, XCarb® recycled and renewably produced products have an extremely low CO2 footprint that can be as low as approximately 300kg of CO2 per tonne of finished steel when the metallics are 100% scrap.
The electricity used in the steelmaking process is independently verified, with a ‘Guarantee of Origin’ given that it is from renewable sources.
XCarb® green steel certificate
ArcelorMittal’s industry-first green steel certificates allow customers to report an equivalent reduction in their Scope 3 emissions, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. XCarb® green steel certificates are specifically designed for ArcelorMittal’s flat steel products made from iron ore in a blast furnace.
ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products’ initiatives to reduce carbon emissions from the blast furnaces include flagship Smart Carbon projects, such as Torero and Carbalyst®, and capturing hydrogen-rich waste gases from the steelmaking process and injecting them into the blast furnaces to reduce coal use.
The significant CO2 savings achieved this way can be added up and passed on to customers in the form of a certificate, verified by the independent auditor DNV GL.
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XCarb® innovation fund
Through its XCarb® innovation fund, ArcelorMittal is investing in companies developing breakthrough technologies that will accelerate the steel industry’s transition to carbon neutral steelmaking.
Technological breakthroughs are imperative in society's decarbonisation journey. It is critically important that we continue to innovate, and the XCarb® innovation fund is an attempt to accelerate this process by supporting the best and brightest ideas.