Steel for Sustainability – 31 March 2023

Steel is everywhere! The Department Materials Science and Engineering of TU Delft invites its academic, industrial and societal partners for its symposium Steef for Sustainability, Delft (Prinsenhof), 31 March 2023.

Steel is everywhere! It is the most applied metal worldwide and an essential tool in accomplishing the energy and materials transition that mankind faces. Sustainable production, use and recovery of steel and steel products will lead to a strong push towards a society based on sustainable technology. However, in order to make full use of its potential we should not take steel for granted. We need to understand steel and its role in society: its past, its present, its future. We need to look at scientific aspects, economic importance, environmental impact and societal indispensability to make a jump towards materials sustainability.

So join them if you want to understand steel! 

Invitation Symposium Steel for Sustainability (Pdf file)
Registration via email (before February 24th): infomse-3me@tudelft.nl

Preliminary programme

  • 10:00 – Walk-in with coffee and tea
  • 10:30 – Introduction, by symposium chair prof. Maria Santofimia (MSE, TU Delft)
  • 10:35 – The basics of steel, dr. Erik Offerman (MSE, TU Delft)
    The essence of designing, producing, using and recycling steel
  • 11:05 –Steel in the past, dr. Maikel Kuijpers (Archaeology, Leiden University)
    The development of steel and its significance for society through the ages, since the Iron Age
  • 11:35 – Coffee break & demonstrations (stands)
    Stands with demonstrations applied to steel, across the life cycle of materials
  • 11:45 – Steel at present: it’s everywhere, prof. Maria Santofimia (MSE, TU Delft)
    Conventional and unconventional applications: steel is irreplaceable. Opportunities
  • 12:15 – Lunch, chocolate demonstration & stands
  • 13:30 – Steel at present: society and economics, speaker of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Police
    Steel as strategic material, steel as economic driver, European perspective
  • 14:00 – Steel at present: its influence on local and global environment, dr. René Kleijn (Leiden University)
    Environment, contamination and recyclability, ore, life cycle, waste, international aspects, differences on buying vs producing it
  • 14:30 – Coffee / tea break / demonstrations (stands)
  • 15.00 – View on steel from a banking perspective, ing. Erik van Doezum (ING Metals, Mining & Fertilizers sector)
  • 15.30 – Steel in the future, dr. Erik Vegter (scientific director Materials innovation institute, M2i)                                 
    Potential of steel for sustainability transition
  • 16:00 – Closure by symposium chair
  • 16:05 – Drinks