Material flow analysis of the UK steel construction sector

This paper describes the steps used to carry out a Material Flow Analysis (MFA) of the UK steel construction sector. The recovery rates of steel construction products for recycling have been determined to be 79% or higher for all steel construction products studied. The paper explains the steps carried out to model steel construction scrap arising in the UK using typical building lifetimes, historic finished steel construction product consumption data and recycling rates. These modelled data are compared with estimates made by the scrap industry of the tonnage of construction scrap steel arising in the UK. The results show the modelled data to be 30-50% less than the estimates from the scrap industry, possible reasons for this are discussed. Future arisings of steel construction scrap are also predicted with the aim of informing the UK's future steel production strategy.