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General comment
Reinforcing steel in various product forms, environmental profile calculated based on average annual production.Scope and type:
The analysis was conducted on the production of various types of reinforcing steel in Belgium for delivery to the Dutch market. For modelling the processes higher up in the chain, over which BESIX has no influence and for which no specific data from suppliers was available, the NMD process database, version 3.9 (2024; based on Ecoinvent 3.6) or the Ecoinvent 3.6 process database (2019) was used. Ecoinvent 3.6 therefore forms the basis for calculating the MKI of set 1. The LCA calculations were performed using SimaPro 9.6. This concerns an NMD category 1 (brand-specific) basic profile, scope cradle-to-gate (A1-A3) with optional modules C1-C4 and module D).
The reference service life (RSL) of the reinforcing steel is equal to the service life of the reinforced concrete product in which it is used.Representativeness:
To quantify the various input streams (materials and energy) and output streams (emissions and waste streams) for the production of reinforcing steel, practical data was collected from BESIX. The year 2023 was used as the reference year for data collection (annual totals).
BESIX's suppliers were asked to provide specific data. They were asked to specify the production route used to produce the purchased wire rod or bars (BOF route or EAF route), how much scrap was used in production and whether the steel was unalloyed or low-alloyed.
The spread due to the average composition of different variants of reinforcing steel and production locations falls well within the permitted spread limits as defined in the NMD Determination Method (<20%).Calculation rules:
This LCA was carried out in accordance with the requirements of EN15804+A2 and the NMD Determination Method. Within the system boundaries based on the applicable criteria, no input or output flows were excluded. 2023 was used as the reference year for data collection (annual totals). This analysis concerns a cradle-to-gate LCA with optional modules C1-C4 and module D. The reinforcing steel is produced with 96.7% steel scrap (= secondary steel). However, during the production of the semi-finished product, steel scrap is also released (2.4%), resulting in a net amount of secondary material of 96.6%. The data quality of specific and generic data has been assessed as sufficient using the data quality assessment system in the NMD assessment protocol.Scenarios and additional technical information
Production phase (A1-3)
The majority of the steel used in reinforcing steel is obtained from scrap. This is melted down (with the possible addition of “new” steel) and rolled. BESIX's suppliers use an average of 96.7% steel produced from scrap (secondary material) and 3.3% steel produced from primary extracted material for the rolling wire and bars used in production. The rolling wire is used for the production of reinforcing steel.
At BESIX, the purchased wire rod, bars and other semi-finished products are further processed into various semi-finished products:
- Mats/nets
- Cut and bent steel
- Prefab reinforcement steel (support beams)
At this stage, various processes can be applied, including welding, cutting, bending, profiling, drawing and straightening. At the end of this stage, there is either a finished product ready for installation or an intermediate product that is transported to the next processor.
During the various steps in the production process, steel scrap is generated (cutting/shearing waste and obsolete parts). This amounts to 2.4% of the production output. At steel production plants, this scrap can be directly reused in the own production process. In the other steps in the production process, this internal recycling is not possible. The scrap is then transported as a separate stream to a recycler. In accordance with the criteria set out in Regulation (EU) No. 333/2011, this is also the moment at which the steel scrap reaches end-of-waste status.
End-of-life phase (C1-C4)
The following principles have been applied with regard to quantifying the input and output flows of the end-of-life phase:
- The list of flat-rate values for processing-life associated with: Determination method Environmental performance Buildings prescribes the following scenario for reinforcing steel:
- 74) Steel, reinforcement for reinforced concrete structures, with
- 5% landfill and
- 95% recycling.
(C1) At the end of the technical life of the reinforced concrete structure in which the reinforcing steel has been used, it must be dismantled from the structure. Any energy consumption and environmental impact associated with this is entirely dependent on the type of structure. This module has therefore been declared as ‘0’ here.
(C2) In accordance with the end-of-life scenario applied, the flat-rate waste transport distances have been applied to an average of: 52.5 km.
(C3) The waste treatment phase includes all processes necessary for the reprocessing of the released materials until the moment at which end-of-waste is achieved. The moment of end-of-waste is achieved after the steel scrap has been sorted at a recycling company in accordance with the criteria set out in Regulation (EU) No 333/2011 . When processing reinforced concrete, it is assumed that the steel must be sorted and pressed after the concrete has been broken up.
(C4) The waste disposal phase includes the landfill of material flows that are not reused or recycled. These processes are modelled on a material-specific basis. This fraction is modelled in accordance with the end-of-life scenario applied.
Costs and benefits beyond the system boundaries (D)
At the end of the service life of the reinforced concrete structure in which the reinforcing steel has been used, steel scrap is released as a material for recycling. The following assumptions have been used to quantify the input and output flows of the end-of-life costs and benefits beyond the system boundaries:
- Steel scrap is easy to recycle with a high degree of value retention. This is already evident in practice from the high proportion of scrap used in the production of reinforcing steel.
- For the calculation of the module D benefits, the net outgoing flow of steel scrap as a secondary material is calculated.
This results in:
- MFR net out = MFR_out - SM_in = 95% - 96.6% = -1.3% = -0.016 tonnes/tonne
A charge is calculated in module D for this loss. However, it should be noted that from 1 January 2025, a negative netoutput of secondary materials will no longer be charged in module D. As this rule only affects Set 2 of the environmental impacts, the calculation results for Set 2 are corrected by setting this to “0”.Declaration of SVHC:
This product does not contain any substances that appear on the SVHC candidate list.More information:
https://www.besix.com |
