Business View Magazine l October 2022

12 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 10 Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “The smokestacks are long gone--in fact, the vast majority of the few emissions that remain from structural steel beam production now come from the power grid.” That’s because today’s American steel mills use electricity to turn scrap metal into new structural steel beams; the average steel beam or column made in an American steel mill contains 93% recycled material. That process emits 75% less carbon dioxide than traditional methods--and it’s how every single American structural steel beam is made today. It’s also a stark contrast between American steel and foreign steel. Chinese steel has three times the global warming potential of domestic steel. American steel will continue to get cleaner as more renewable energy sources come online, but the industry isn’t waiting. Across the nation, mills are building their own sustainable power fields and installing carbon scrubbing equipment. AISC’s member fabricators, who prepare steel for building and bridge jobsites, are taking their own steps to reduce their energy consumption, too. Fabrication shops can be vast, and companies are taking advantage of the space by installing solar roofs. The American steel industry already thinks in terms of generations because it’s a cradle- to-cradle material. “Steel is the most recycled material in the world, and American structural steel leads the way,” added Puchtel. “A new beam, fresh from the mill, contains 93% recycled cars, appliances, and other scrap--perhaps even the soup cans from your recycling bin--which diverts huge amounts of waste from landfills. At the end of a building or bridge’s service life, steel goes right back into the supply chain to be recycled over and over again with no loss of properties.” www.aisc.org The hundreds of thousands of Americans in the structural steel industry have been working toward carbon neutrality for decades its website at aisc.org/buyclean. “A clean, green future is critical and it’s already building in steel today. The hundreds of thousands of Americans in the structural steel industry have been working toward carbon neutrality for decades,” said AISC President