A major saving on GHG emissions and low VOC emissions are only two of the main environmental benefits which will come from our Innovative Electron Beam technology (EBT), invented by ArcelorMittal Global R&D and implemented for the first time at industrial scale by ArcelorMittal Construction on one coil-coating line in Contrisson, France.
A major saving on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and low VOC emissions in painting process are just two of the environmental benefits which will come from our switch to pioneering Electron Beam technology (EBT) on one of the steel substrate paint curing lines at our Contrisson site.
In the first ever full-scale application of the technology in the coil coating industry, we have replaced the gas fired paint film curing ovens and solvent incinerator on one line at Contrisson with a nonthermal radiation curing EB alternative. As well as the net savings on CO2 emissions which will come from the switch away from natural gas (estimated at more than 35,000 tonnes of CO2 over 10 years), this new pilot project for ArcelorMittal Construction also uses solvent-free paint rather than the traditional solvent-based paints, ensuring there are no VOC emissions from the paint curing and cross-linking stage.
Backed by the EU Innovation Fund, this exciting new €4.8m demonstration project is enabling ArcelorMittal Construction to bring the advanced EB curing technology already used in applications from floor coverings to papers and textiles into the coil coating industry. It will offer the same level of quality and durability on our galvanised steel as conventional systems, with the same level of service.
Our R&D team has spent more than 13 years on this highly ambitious project, including installing a pilot line at the Liege Research Centre, so that we could develop the technology in an industrial setting. The knowledge and advances we have made at the Research Centre mean we are now able to apply it in this real world setting at Contrisson. According to our ambition to develop further this technology all over ArcelorMittal, we plan to extend it to Contrisson, and later, it could be deployed on other ArcelorMittal coil-coating lines in the world.
Way back in 1987, we were the first company in Europe to install ‘combi’ lines which carry out the coating process as well as galvanising and we are now immensely proud to be the first to install this new greener technology as well.