XCarb^® recycled and renewably produced steel is used to reconstruct a bridge after flood in Germany

23 October 2023

The images of the devastating floods in Belgium and Germany, in 2021, are still fresh in our minds. With hundreds of deaths, these floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Europe, in terms of the number of victims, for many years. In Germany, the Ahr Valley was hardest hit. The flood destroyed much of the infrastructure, including the rail bridge at Bad Münstereifel, whichwas completely destroyed by the flood, disrupting rail traffic ever since. Two years on, the reconstruction is almost complete.

For the reconstruction of the bridge on the Erfttal railway, ArcelorMittal Distribution Solutions Germany supplied 50 tonnes of XCarb^® recycled and renewably produced steel. 

Conscious of the need to reduce CO2 emissions to slow climate change, the client in charge of rebuilding the bridge decided to use ArcelorMittal's low carbon-emissions steel for the rebuild. XCarb^® recycled and renewably produced steel is made using up to 100% scrap, using only renewable electricity, leaving a significantly lower CO2 footprint (around 40 tonnes of CO2 were saved).

A total of eight HEA 900 sections in XCarb^® recycled and renewably produced, with a total weight of 50 tonnes, were delivered for the bridge reconstruction. The profiles were heightened and then drilled with 810 holes. The finishing of the beams took place in the Steligence^® fabrication centre in Luxembourg.

From December this year, the Erfttal railway should be able to run again, thanks to ArcelorMittal steel.