Undertaking a Life Cycle Assessment to Calculate the Environmental Footprint of Repurposed Secondary Market Steel Tubulars-Paper

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The study assesses the environmental footprint of repurposed mill-secondary and surplus oilfield steel tubulars used for driven-pile foundations, comparing them with new prime steel tubulars. The life cycle assessment (LCA) follows relevant ISO and EN standards and covers acquisition through installation (modules A1–A5). It uses 2022 operational data from three U.S. distribution yards, company supply-chain information, ecoinvent data, installation estimates from Keller North America, and World Steel Association data for the prime-steel comparison. The functional unit is one tonne of tubular steel.<br /><br />Repurposed tubulars produce an estimated 455 kg CO₂-equivalent per tonne through delivery to a distribution yard, compared with 2,614 kg for prime steel—an 83% reduction. Including transport to the project site and pile installation, the footprint is approximately 693–694 kg CO₂-equivalent per tonne, versus 2,800 kg for prime steel, a reduction of about 75%.<br /><br />The analysis assigns repurposed pipe a share of its original environmental burden based on its residual economic value; it is not treated as impact-free. Material production is the largest contributor to repurposed-pipe emissions, followed by transport to distribution yards and delivery to sites. The results suggest that locating distribution facilities near ports and construction projects could further reduce impacts. Some non-climate indicators, including ozone depletion, freshwater eutrophication, and land use, were higher for repurposed tubulars, largely due to collection and transport fuel.<br /><br />A Hyundai manufacturing plant foundation project in Georgia illustrates the potential benefit: using 1,115 tons of repurposed tubulars was estimated to avoid approximately 2,350 tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions compared with prime steel. The authors conclude that the LCA provides project teams with verified environmental data to support lower-carbon material choices.

Keywords

life cycle assessment

repurposed steel tubulars

driven-pile foundations

prime steel comparison

carbon footprint

CO2 emissions reduction

environmental footprint

ISO EN standards

supply chain logistics

lower-carbon construction