RECTIFI is a ground-breaking project that brings together the steel, cement and recycling industries, and promises to avoid almost 5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent from entering the earth’s atmosphere a year.
The partners will build a brand-new circular supply chain, developing high-quality grades of recycled steel for the production of low carbon impact ‘green steel’. They will also develop sustainable mineral-rich alternatives for the production of cement, utilising materials such as glass, concrete and other mineral fractions that are separated during the steel recycling process.
“We have the opportunity to make a truly historic step away from the heavy-emitting production methods of the past and create foundational industries ready for the next generation.”
The steel and cement industries are together responsible for almost a fifth of global carbon emissions.
At present the UK consumes approximately 12 million tonnes of semi-finished steel and generates around 11 million tonnes of recycled steel per year. Currently 80 percent of this recycled material is exported, with millions of tonnes of virgin iron ore imported in its place.
This is because the percentage of recycled metal that major UK steelmakers can add is limited, both by their process technology and by the high purity of the recycled metal that they require to make their high specification finished products. Recycled material offers 85% lower embedded carbon when compared with nature-depleting virgin alternatives.
Who are the RECTIFI partners?
RECTIFI is a partnership between Aggregate Industries, Darlow Lloyd and Sons, EMR, Tata Steel, and Swansea University.
Read more about the RECTIFI partners here