**Steelmaking is highly energy-intensive and accounts for around 7% of global CO2 emissions, and 14% of industrial CO2/GHG emissions in the UK, equivalent to 2% of total UK emissions (UK-Parliament Postnote no.672, 2022).** The UK produced 7.2 million tonnes of steel in 2021 but is a net importer of steel. Construction-industry accounts for 50% of world steel demand (World Steel Association, 2022); the figure is around 35% for the UK. Despite steel's reuse potential, the construction industry recycles around 91% of its steel waste. This recycling process consumes massive energy (at 15000c, represents one-third of the energy required for new steel) and releases significant amounts of carbon/GHG emissions \[Cambridge University Use-Less Group (CUULG), 2020\]. Reused steel has been proven to save 95-97% of embodied carbon compared to recycle's circa 65% (Offsite Hub, 2022) and the CUULG has shown there is potential for up to 75% reuse of construction steel (currently 5%). Steel is a national strategic asset contributing £2 billion of GVA to the UK economy, and by reusing steel we are safeguarding this asset for future generations and providing resilience for UK supply. Currently, around 80% of scrap steel is exported; with 8.7Mt being sent for recycling in other countries due to the limited capacity to recycle it domestically. Instead, steel could be reused while bringing value locally and reducing the demand for steel production. However, a key challenge to reuse is material traceability. Construction steel reuse involves multiple steps including recovery from demolition site, reprocessing by fabricators, testing to confirm grade, and CE certification. This is costly and time-consuming when there is no material history hence the prevalence of recycling as it still helps tick the sustainability box. Many studies (e.g., Grau, et al., 2009) have proven that RFID and GPS for traceability reduce the time for locating materials, inventorying and assembly works (saving $273,257 on 2-structures composed of 4800 steel components), the problems of lost product information due to sanding and exposure to harsh weather conditions have made it difficult to put these into practice. Learning from others like the automotive industry, this project aims to conduct a feasibility study on finding the most suitable solution to tracing/tracking construction steel during production that will stand the test of time. Initial explorations will include identifying suitable steel for tracking; suitable trace/track system technologies; databases to host material history data; mobile app scan technologies; and machine-learning image recognition technologies.

DISRUPT II (Delivering Innovative Steel ReUse ProjecT II) builds on the DISRUPT feasibility study which explored the use of reclaimed structural steel in construction by developing a robust and scalable business model. DISRUPT II undertakes a deep dive focusing on the supply of reused steel from the demolition sector and its different uses; extending to non-structural products. To ensure future circularity, the project is also providing a platform for engagement between the design and engineering and the demolition and end of life communities; this does not happen currently. The DISRUPT study has identified that a key barrier to a significant uptake of steel reuse, is the lack of available material generated during refurbishment and demolition projects. There are a number of reasons for this including the inertia of the demolition sector, lack of incentives to reuse rather than recycling, the need for enabling processes, and a lack of awareness and understanding leading to a perception of the heightened barriers to reuse. DISRUPT II will address this key barrier by working with the demolition industry through the sector body, companies and with one of the largest stockholders, to establish the crucial evidence that is needed to enable more steel to be reclaimed. This will be supported by the larger value chain - clients, designers, engineers and contractors. The project will work on real life projects in the demolition industry and create new sector guidance and toolkits. This will include aspects such as model procurement, risk and programme management, pre-demolition audits, cost and benefit assessment for various reuse routes for steel products, guidance on how to design circularity in and carbon modelling and associated credits. DISRUPT II will ensure a readily available supply of reclaimed steel, fulfilling a circular economy approach and help the construction industry on the road to net zero.

_DISRUPT (Delivering Innovative Steel ReUse ProjecT) seeks to explore the innovative reuse of structural steel in construction and encourage the adoption of new circular economy business models that can help tackle the climate emergency._ _Steel is one of the most widely used and resource intensive materials used in construction. Although commonly recycled at end of life, the reuse of steel is minimal despite the apparent environmental, carbon and circular economy benefits. The high value of steel at end of life can be realised by being reused in a wide range of construction applications._ _Previous studies have shown that there are barriers to reuse including economic factors, supply chain issues, availability, and lack of demand. New business models are required to ensure that the benefits of steel reuse are accrued across the value chain and underpin the activities of existing and new actors._ _DISRUPT seeks to address these challenges by bringing together the leading actors involved in steel construction reuse - client, contractor, and stockist, and those that will be particularly impacted by the transition from a recycling to a reuse model, such as demolition contractors._ _A detailed feasibility study will be undertaken focusing on real life case studies which track the 'journey' of reused steel from start to finish, providing a rich data source covering different sizes and types of projects, and variability in geographical location across the UK._ _The project will deliver new costed circular business models that can act as a blueprint for other companies interested in entering the reuse sector, ultimately to achieve a greater supply of reuse steel into the marketplace. If steel reuse is to become mainstream, it is imperative that new business models are profitable and equitable to the whole value chain, and that reused steel is readily available and easy to specify within construction projects._ _DISRUPT aims to prove that steel reuse can have a major role to play in mitigating climate change._

More than one third of the world's coastlines, and 3000km of the UK's, are suffering from erosion as a result of climate change and urbanisation. Traditional "hard" approaches to coastal protection like breakwaters and sea walls are made from concrete and rock, which is unsustainable and expensive. They disrupt the coastal environment, feel the full force of the ocean, and degrade over time. In the UK, we have more coastline protected in this old-fashioned way than any other country in Europe. CCell designs electrochemically grown artificial reefs that mimic the wave attenuation properties of natural coral reefs. They grow offshore and are submerged below the water surface where they reduce the impact of waves before they reach the shore. The reefs are formed initially from lightweight steel structures, around which electrolysis causes rock to grow. These structures build themselves up over time using minerals extracted from the seawater itself, they can heal from damage, and they eventually form a self-sufficient long-lasting ecosystem that protects the shoreline behind it. The UK is the biggest exporter of scrap metal in Europe, a large proportion of which is steel. Our project partners, The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP), has extensive knowledge of the reused steel supply chain in the UK. There is an opportunity to reuse steel from buildings as the base material for CCell reefs, reducing their cost whilst contributing to the circular economy in the UK. The reuse of metal in this way is theoretically feasible; there is no reason why it would not be conductive and strong enough to form the base of CCell reefs. This project aims to address two main challenges: First, we will investigate how used steel performs electrochemically compared to new and determine any treatment that might be needed to achieve the best rock growth. Second, we will research how the forming of reused steel into an appropriate reef shape might affect its strength and identify methods for creating a reef that is strong enough to carry out its coastal protection function. Our vision is to install reefs across the UK that offer a more long-lasting and attractive coastal protection solution than traditional methods, reusing metals to make them as cost-effective and sustainable as possible.

The project team is Ellis and Moore, Cleveland Steel and Tubes, Steel Construction Institute and Cullinan Studio, led by the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products. The National Federation of Demolition Contractors, UCL Institute of Sustainable Resources and University of Cambridge have all offered expertise. It aims to overcome barriers to steel re-use and kick-start a market in five to ten years of 25kT per year, 10% of current UK scrap arising, with a value of £12.5m. Steel re-use has 4% impact of new steel (BRE: 2004), offers cost benefits and job creation. Circular economy principles indicates the building is no longer the end product. Instead, the built environment can be viewed as a rolling infrastructure of products; this demands a new approach to the design of buildings. By designing first for deconstruction and re-use, it is essential that architects, engineers and deconstruction/ salvage experts communicate; currently they are at either end of a linear supply chain. This project will develop a plan for a value network to address this and develop business models for Cleveland Steel and Tubes and ASBP to operate in this new market.

The objective of this project is to encourage widespread reuse of structural steel in the UK through improved coordination and information exchange along the construction supply chain. Currently only 5% of structural steel is reused, but reusing steel leads to significant energy and emissions savings compared to the common practice of recycling steel. By coordinating information from designers and demolition contractors, the supply and demand of reused steel can be matched, leading to the deconstruction and reuse of buildings compared to traditional destructive demolition. This in turn, will lead to reduced embodied emissions impacts, cost savings and the development of a new UK market supporting steel reuse. This project will examine the practical and economic feasibility of establishing an on-line information portal through which the supply and demand of reused steel are mapped to stimulate a reused structural steel market.