Sustainably produced steel beams for new recycling center
A new recycling center is being built in Villmergen AG. Debrunner Acifer AG supplied 170 tons of CO₂-reduced steel for the roof construction.
The waste disposal specialist Römer AG is building a new recycling center in Villmergen, Aargau. On the second floor, private individuals will find the modern "Brings" collection point, which is accessible 24 hours a day. 17 chutes channel the waste into the hall on the first floor, where the various materials are processed and removed.
Environmentally friendly district heating and electricity from solar modules
The new recycling center is all about sustainability. Environmentally friendly district heating heats the administration building. A photovoltaic system on the roof of the recycling center will ensure that the building is supplied with electricity. In future, only electricity-powered machines will be used, including forklifts and trucks. However, it is not only the district heating and green electricity from the roof that stand for sustainability, but also the steel beams for the roof construction.
CO₂-reduced steel reduces the ecological footprint
Some of the steel beams were supplied by Debrunner Acifer AG, which offers CO₂-reduced steel under the Nexigen® brand. This is produced using energy from hydropower, which significantly reduces CO₂ emissions compared to conventional steel. "Nexigen steel offers a sustainable alternative to conventionally produced steel," says Marc Kreissig, Head of Steel Construction at the Wetter Group. The company was responsible for the planning, structural design, manufacture and assembly of the steel structure for the roof of the recycling center.
"Steel industry, building owners and project managers need to rethink"
While 170 tons of the steel used was produced with green electricity, a further 65 tons came from conventional production. Marc Kreissig explains: "Nexigen steel is not yet 100 percent available." This is mainly due to the fact that the market has not yet sufficiently embraced CO2-reduced steel. This will hopefully change, but requires a joint commitment. "On the one hand, it is up to the steel industry to become active and enrich the market with sustainable steel and metal solutions such as Nexigen. On the other hand, project managers and building owners in particular need to rethink and focus on sustainable construction and sustainable products."
The recycling center is scheduled to open in April 2025.
