7
From old to new The Lackenby open hearth steel plant Corus Construction & Industrial
From old to new
The Lackenby open hearth steel plant
Corus Construction & Industrial
Steel Recycling 32 Steel Recycling
Built in 1953, the Lackenby open hearth steelplant was a huge building. Over 330 metreslong, 39 metres high and with a width of 70metres and incorporating over 20,000 tonnes of structural steelwork, it dominated thesteelmaking site at Teesside.
Opened in 1956 by HM Queen Elizabeth II itremained in production for over twenty years. After that time, the huge volumes and large,column-free spaces made it ideal for conversionto a material storage facility. But by 2004, thebuilding had come to the end of its useful lifeand it was marked for demolition.
The Lackenbyopen hearthsteel plant
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, visited the site in 1956 to officially open the new steel making facilities.
2 Steel Recycling
Scrap is critical to the manufacture
of new steel. Over 45 per cent of all
steel is made directly from scrap
and all steel products include some
recycled content. Because of this
it has a very high value, a fact that
ensures almost all scrap steel that
becomes available is collected.
Worldwide, it is estimated that the
recovery rate is over 80 per cent.
Scrap steel is money in the bank.
This value is enhanced because
steel reaching the end of its life
is 100 per cent recyclable and
the possibilities for making new
products are endless.This means
that most of the world's steel is
kept in continuous circulation.
Why isrecyclingimportant? In UK construction, 99 per cent of steel which comes to the end of its useful life is either recycled or re-used.
Recycling (%)
Re-use (%)
Landfill (%)
Structural Purlins Cladding Composite Rebar Internal non- sections and rails floor decking structural steel
86 89 79 79 91 85
13 10 15 6 1 2
1 1 6 15 8 13
Recycling also reduces waste. Construction and
demolition waste accounts for 24 per cent of the total
arising in the UK (source DEFRA) and diverting waste
from landfill is a key priority for the construction industry.
Because of the high residual value, 99 per cent of scrap
derived from structural steel used in construction is
either re-used or recycled. Less than one per cent
of steel sections end up in landfill at the end-of-life.
Recycling displaces production made from virgin
sources. This saves on raw material resources and
energy and also means that emissions of greenhouse
gases, such as carbon dioxide, are reduced.
The decision was taken to use explosivedemolition with the scrapsteel being recycled backinto the furnaces on the site. The option fordismantling and re-use ofthe steel was consideredbut there were three
reasons why this was not possible:
1. Lack of safe access.
2. The building wasconstructed usingwelded and riveted joints and not the bolted
connections, which makedisassembly possible in modern construction.
3. The building had been designed usingnon-standard sections.
6 Recycling steelRecycling steel 7
The concrete from the floor construction was crushed
and used as a low-grade infill material. On removal from
the site, the scrap was taken to the scrap bays, cut to
furnace-sized lengths and re-melted over a period of months.
Building Weight Weight Type of Usematerial available recovered recycling
Steel sections 20,000 tonnes 20,000 tonnes Recycled Recycled back intoand cladding new steel products
Concrete 10,000 tonnes 10,000 tonnes Downcycled Crushed and used(excluding some for ground levelling
foundations) and infilling on site
Rebar 45 tonnes 45 tonnes Recycled Recycled back intonew steel products
Recovery from site
Once demolished by controlled
explosion, the building materials
were recovered from the site, along
with other materials such as copper
cabling. 100 per cent of the steel
was recovered from the site and
100 per cent was recycled.
This includes the rebar in the floor
construction.
SteelmakingThe recycling of steel from the Lackenby steel plant saved enough energy
to supply 3700 households with their energy requirements for a year.
The new steel was manufactured as sections, plates and strip and used
in a wide range of new products.
The total material recovered is shown below
Steel recycling 98 Steel recycling
New from oldThe scrap steel was cut to size and supplied to Corus’steelmaking plant at Teesside over a six-month period.During this time new steel, to which this scrapcontributed, was supplied to hundreds of customersfor a wide variety of end uses:
Paddington Bridge to the Isle of Shepey* Copper-plated coins Ford Transit
The Oval cricket ground
Heathrow Terminal 5
Light steel-framed houses
• The manufacture of structural sections used
in the construction of Heathrow Terminal 5.
• The manufacture of structural sections used
in the construction of the new stand at the
Oval cricket ground.
• The manufacture of plate used in the
construction of buildings over Paddington.
• The manufacture of plate, fabricated into large
girders for the A249 bridge to the Isle of Sheppy.
• The manufacture of galvanised strip steel to make
light steel-framed houses.
• The manufacture of strip steel, supplied to the
Royal Mint to make copper plated 1p and 2p coins.
• The manufacture of strip steel for automotive parts.
• The manufacture of plate, tailor made into bulb flats
used in the construction of ships.
*picture courtesy of Fairfield-Mabey
10 Steel recycling
Corus Group
For the latest Corus corporate responsibility report
http://www.corusgroup.com
Corus Construction Centre
For information on Corus in Construction
http://www.corusconstruction.com
Corus Research, Development & Technology
For specific information on steel and sustainability
www.corusresearch.com
Sustainable Steel Construction
For information on sustainable steel construction
http://www.sustainablesteelconstruction.com
American Steel Recycling Institute
For information on steel recycling in the USA
http://www.recycle-steel.org
International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI)
Information on steel in general and Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data requests
http://www.worldsteel.org
Sources of Additional Information
Corus provides free advice to the construction industry
covering all aspects of the design, specification and use
of its range of construction products.
Corus Construction & Industrial manufactures
structural sections and plates for building and civil
engineering applications. Advice is provided by our
team of qualified engineers with extensive experience
in the design and construction of buildings and bridges.
Specialist advice on fire engineering, durability and
sustainability is also available. Our regional network of
engineers covers the whole of the UK and Ireland and
is supported by a dedicated design team based at our
manufacturing centre in Scunthorpe.
General enquiries on other products and systems
manufactured by Corus will be routed to our
Construction Centre who will direct you to the
appropriate source of market and product expertise.
Support for the construction industry from Corus Construction & Industrial
You can contact us as follows:
Technical Hotline
+44 (0)1724 405060
Facsimile
+ 44 (0)1724 404224
Literature Line
+ 44 (0)1724 404400
Website
www.corusconstruction.com/structuralsteel
Corus Construction & Industrial
Technical Sales and Marketing
PO Box 1
Brigg Road
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN16 1BP
Guidance on the design and use of structural sections and plates.
www.corusgroup.com
Care has been taken to ensure that thisinformation is accurate, but Corus Group plc.including its subsidiaries, does not acceptresponsibility or liability for errors orinformation which is found to be misleading.
Copyright 2006Corus
Corus Construction & Industrial
Technical Sales and Marketing
PO Box 1
Brigg Road
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN16 1BP
T +44 (0) 1724 405060
F +44 (0) 1724 404224
email: [email protected]
www.corusconstruction.com/structuralsteel JD:3000:UK:03/2006
