A sustainable form of steel is being employed on a Victorian infrastructure project to reduce carbon emissions
Victoria’s Level Crossing Removal Project is pioneering the use of a more environmentally sustainable form of steel, one of the first government infrastructure projects in the state to use the product.
The new form of reinforced steel is made from Australian scrap steel and is being used in the deflection walls of the new road bridges being built to remove the level crossings at Hopkins Road, Truganina and Ferris Road, Melton.
The product, called Sense600, uses up to 17 per cent less raw materials to deliver a reinforced steel bar with the same load capacity as the industry standard, Victoria’s Big Build says, cutting carbon emissions in the process.
A willingness to embrace new initiatives and products has been key to the Level Crossing Removal Project’s success in transitioning to greener construction methods and materials, according to senior sustainability adviser Natalie Yan.
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“We are willing to try things that others haven’t done before, such as these materials initiatives and low carbon initiatives,” she says.
“It’s important to really re-think the materials that we choose to build with and how we build, because it can cut our emissions by a lot.”
Project environment and sustainability advisor Ashleigh Smith adds the product’s greener credentials could be measured across the product’s lifecycle.
“Sense600 is innovative because it’s made from scrap metal, so it’s a part of that closed loop, circular economy, and it’s stronger and lighter than its traditional steel counterparts, which means that there’s actually going to be less steel in the overall product,” Smith says.
“So, when we’re installing the Sense600 in the deflection wall, we can actually use less of it, which means that there’s less embodied carbon in the structure.”