In: Civil Engineering
A material that can be put to use and repeated use without harming environment is known as sustainable material. Steel is a uniquely sustainable material material owing to the following:-
1) Steel is easy to recycle and it does not looses any of it's inherent properties upon being recycled. Thus it could be reused infinitely.
2) Steel construction can be made adherent to sustainable design by making use of technology.
3) Little manufacturing energy and waste: Steel produced in electric arc furnaces using 100% scrap requires much lesser energy and also the waste gasses produced such as CO2 could be cleaned and used in aerated drinks. Further the waste gasses could be used for extracting heat from them. Also the energy requirements in producing steel from scrap is about 60% of that required to produce from fresh ore.
4) Steel does not produce any toxins or harmful chemicals and can be easily obtained from refuse using magnet. Thus it is non polluting.
Also steel has one of the highest strength to weight ratio and is required in lesser quantities as compared to any other building material.