The World’s Greenest ‘Green Steel’ Sheet Piles
‘Green Steel’ sheet piles are manufactured by Emirates Steel Arkan, for whom Sheet Piling (UK) Limited is the exclusive sheet piling partner in the UK and Ireland.
The ‘Green Steel’ sheet piles are manufactured from a steel production process that emits just 350 kg of CO2 per tonne of primary steel produced.
When compared to traditional steel production using a conventional blast furnace manufacturing process which emits around 1910 kg of CO2 per tonne of steel produced this equates to a reduction of around 80% in terms of carbon emissions into the earth’s atmosphere.
To verify the ‘Green Steel’ figures an independent third-party audit was conducted by DNV which included a cradle to gate analysis, focused on all aspects of the manufacturing process. Figures were rigorously reviewed in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804 standards.
What is Green Steel?
When we talk of green steel in this context, we are focusing on the carbon emissions ‘contained’ within the ‘finished’ product.
Focusing on ‘Green Steel’ and how much CO2 per tonne is emitted during the manufacturing process is key to achieving environmental targets, as part of climate change mitigation. Global steel and iron manufacturing contributing 8% of global carbon emissions.
To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C, in keeping with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, emissions need to fall significantly by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. To achieve this will require a committed green focus and a full appreciation of why lowering embedded or embodied carbon within steel production is essential.
Why is the majority of steel not ‘green’?
Steel is known for being a more sustainable material than other choices, due to a longevity of up to 125 years, the ability to reuse steel sheet piles several times over and the fact that it is a 100% recyclable material at end of life.
However much of the steel produced has a damaging impact from a CO2 per tonne perspective. That is due to so much global production taking place with the use of carbon-heavy blast furnaces.
In 2018, 64% of Chinese steel was produced in blast furnaces and most European production was also based on this steel-making technique. Here, 20% of emissions come from processing iron ore into pellets and a huge 70% from the use of the blast furnace process.
A blast furnace relies on coke, ores, flux and air to together create a chemical reaction that produces the liquid metal that can make steel.
A greener Electric Arc Furnace production process
‘Green Steel’ sheet piles are manufactured using an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) technique. Ferrous scrap metals or 100% directly reduced iron (DRI) is introduced into the furnace and electrically charged by direct exposure to an electric arc. This produces the ‘melt’ on which steel manufacturing relies.
Bi-products of steel mill production, such as briquettes formed from dust waste, are fed into the EAF, along with scrap shredded in a Steel Scrap Shredding Facility. Electricity from only 100% renewable sources is used to power the EAF.
Only iron ore with a high iron content is used, as each percentage point increase in iron content reduces energy consumption by 6-8%. Metal scrap is heated with super-efficient gas burners.
ESA Green Steel and the Route to Decarbonisation
Emirates Steel Arkan always strives to not only meet environmental targets but exceed them, driving the sustainable development agenda.
The company has leveraged the advantages of EAF manufacturing processes and built on these, by:
- Being part of the most exciting and advanced carbon capture projects in the world
- Ensuring that 80% of the electricity used comes from clean sources, with clean energy powering its green steel production
- Integrating a strategic reuse of scrap and slag into the process
- Increasing scrap charging to 18%
- Building state-of-the-art digital technology into the production process, to improve energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction
‘Green Steel’ is compliant with both CBAM and EU regulations and supports customers wishing to achieved LEED Platinum certification in construction projects.
Integral to the drive towards the production of the world’s greenest steel sheet piles has been its involvement with the groundbreaking carbon capture scheme run in partnership with the Al Reyadah Carbon Capture, Utility and Storage Facility. This has operated since November 2016, and made Emirates Steel Arkan the first global steel manufacturer to incorporate carbon capture into its processes, on an industrial scale.
The process works by capturing waste product CO2 from the Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant, compressing and dehydrating it and then transporting it via a 42km pipeline to nearby oilfields. There, it is used to increase the oil yield, by pushing more oil out of oil-bearing rocks, avoiding the use of methane for this purpose. The result is not just the reuse of waste CO2 but a 10% increase in oil recovery. This method can capture up to 800,000 tons of CO2, which is the equivalent of removing the emissions impacts of 170,000 cars.
The future of Green Steel
The Abu Dhabi-based company has a detailed decarbonisation roadmap, to ensure its steel production becomes ever-greener. This includes research into new materials and processes and an exciting incorporation of green hydrogen into manufacturing in the coming years, as a new chapter in the manufacturer’s green story.