EPISODE 2: MADE OF STEEL

Steel – strong, flexible, and affordable – is of paramount importance to the global construction industry. Far more advanced than the iron beams used for the original Eiffel Tower back in 1887, steel is the perfect building material for any project of a similar scale. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most carbon-intensive materials in the world. 

That meant that designers working on the new tower needed to promote sustainability in creative ways when working with steel. To achieve this, they needed to transform the approach to design and operate, all across the steel production value chain.

Around 80%* of a product’s lifetime carbon emissions are determined by decisions made during the design stage. Being able to get a robust and accurate understanding of the environmental impact of options from the outset can help teams make better sustainability decisions.

There are solutions out there for these problems. One of the most powerful ways to minimize carbon emissions, and limit the overall carbon footprint of the tower, is to transform how steel is mined and produced. New hydrogen-based reduction processes are helping solve this decarbonization challenge for steel. 

And in parallel to these steel decarbonization measures, optimization tools can identify areas of low efficiency in operations and improve the sustainability of existing steelmaking facilities. By utilizing virtual twins and simulation software, stakeholders can more effectively design, build, and operate those facilities.

And just as they did with managing resource use , the design team were also able to use digital solutions to optimize where they source the steel from, how they would transport it, and how they would improve its use, without compromising strength and performance. Through the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, teams would be able to collaborate easily with steel manufacturers and suppliers to make sure the carbon footprint is kept to a minimum.

The tower’s designers also used the platform’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) capabilities to assign environmental impact scores to each process, from mining to manufacturing, and from plant to tower, and used that information to help shape decision-making and inform future projects. It even assisted with defining end-of-life recycling operations, helping make steel the perfect material for a circular economy.

*Source: McKinsey&Company - Product sustainability: Back to the drawing board - February 7, 2022.

Click below to learn more about how the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform allows to implement "sustainability by design" at each step of the asset lifecycle. In this episode you will also discover how our experts addressed different aspects of steel manufacturing process to limit the environmental impact of the new tower.

Reducing carbon emissions and increasing profitability at the same time is now possible for the metal industry players thanks to the digitalization of their operations.