öbu: RUSS-Webinar: Fit for Re-Use - the case of steel beams

The opportunities offered by the circular economy are particularly great in the construction industry. However, challenges and uncertainties are slowing down sustainable development. In this online event, Eberhart, öbu and the Swiss Safety Centre will demonstrate practical implementations and empirical values for quality measurement using the example of reuse steel.

The construction industry has an emissions problem as it is one of the main sources of CO2 emissions in Switzerland. In this challenging environment, projects aimed at re-using building materials and reducing emissions are becoming increasingly important. The öbu project RUSS ("Re-Use of Steel Sections") addresses this very issue and develops a circular supply chain in the construction industry.

Quality measurements of reused steel

As part of a joint commitment by Eberhard and öbu, a six-month project collaboration has been set up to tackle one of the key challenges of reusing steel. In order for steel beams to be reused in construction projects, they must fulfill certain quality standards. The funded CBI project "Fit for re-use: the case of steel beams" aims to find a simple method for the requalification of reclaimed steel beams.

The online event will provide an insight into the project processes and present the results of the quality measurements of reused steel. The project leaders will present and compare the results of these mobile, non-destructive and destructive measurements. In addition, new challenges related to the use of recycled steel beams will be discussed, including issues related to surface condition, grouping of measurements and the statics of deformations.

Reuse in practice

Together, Veronica Contucci (Eberhard), Alberto Cerri (öbu) and Daniel Galsterer (Swiss Safety Centre) will demonstrate how the use of reused steel works in practice. The event will provide interested parties from the construction industry with helpful tips on how to deal with the challenges of the circular economy.

This event will be of interest to you if

- You are a professional interested in steel and steel reuse. - You are a specialist in circular economy and reuse and want to gain insight into the challenges facing the construction industry. - You are a real estate owner, engineer or architect interested in reuse.

Please note: The event will be held in English.

About the speakers

Veronica Contucci is an environmental engineer with a Master's degree in "Integrated Building Systems" from ETH Zurich. During her studies she founded Precious Plastic Zurich, convinced of the need for new ways of managing resources. Now she is involved in concrete recycling and component reuse at the company Eberhard.

Dr Daniel Galsterer holds a doctorate in materials science. In his new role as Head of Materials Technology at Swiss Safety Center AG, he is responsible for the testing laboratory, whose core expertise lies in the field of materials testing and failure analysis of primarily metallic materials.

Alberto Cerri holds a doctorate in physics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and has many years of industrial experience in the metal industry and medical technology (Swissmetal, Mathys Medizinaltechnik/Synthes, Franke Küchentechnik AG). His areas of expertise are R&D, quality management and production. Since 2013, he has worked as an independent consultant specialising in alloy production and processing. For five years, he has been supervising an exciting project in the field of metal recycling / circular economy in his spare time. He joined öbu in March 2021 to oversee the topic of "circular economy" as a project manager.