scrap metal

Scrap handling in the port of Plochingen

Scrap (Lower Rhine form of meal with the original meaning of "cut piece") is metallic valuable substances , which as a secondary raw material is used. It arises when products containing metal are scrapped, e.g. B. wrecked cars and other vehicles when their useful life ends (old scrap). Scrap is also produced in the metalworking industry, for example chips from turning and milling or scraps from punching (new scrap). The collection and processing of production residues (circular scrap ) and of no longer usable or usable items made of steel or cast iron - the so-called scrap - are carried out in order to provide steelworks and foundries with a raw material for direct use. The worldwide annual consumption of iron scrap in the steel industry and foundry is around 650 million tons (as of 2016).

General

Since there are proven separation and recycling processes for all metals and these show significant energy savings compared to new production, the separate collection of scrap metals is an important contribution to sustainable recycling management . Scrap metals generated in the household have a recycling rate of over 60%.

Light metals such as aluminum or empty cans can be recorded using the separately collected fraction of light packaging . For bulky metal waste, a scrap metal collection is offered in most cities and counties, or it is recommended to take it to the recycling center . If larger quantities arise, respectable prices can be obtained on the scrap metal market or from scrap dealers - up to several thousand euros per ton, depending on the metal and the daily price.

Types of scrap

Russian legacies in the Retzow Heath

There are different types of scrap. The variety criteria aim at the later use of the scrap. The different varieties generally differ by

the size of the individual parts of the scrap: In the general type of scrap 3 z. B. the individual pieces must not exceed the dimensions 150 cm × 50 cm × 50 cm and must have a material thickness of at least 6 mm;
the raw materials from which the scrap was extracted, e.g. B. sheet metal scrap, carrier scrap, copper scrap;
the chemical properties and the degree / quantity of so-called attachments, d. H. whether there is foreign matter or rubbish in the scrap, e.g. soil, plastic and packaging, or whether the scrap consists of a single material, e.g. B. copper pipes or copper pipes with insulating materials, or whether it is a mixture of different metals.

The so-called “European scrap list for ferrous scrap”, which defines the criteria for ferrous scrap (ferrous scrap), provides a clue.

A certain type of scrap is defined from the three criteria mentioned above and thus both its monetary value and its recycling potential. The monetary value of a ton of scrap can range from a few euros to the 5-digit range, depending on the type and quality.

Scrap is probably the oldest example of recycling in human history. Theoretically, metal can be melted down and reprocessed as often as desired without significant losses. In fact, it's one of the few examples of real recycling. Here, a new product of the same quality and quality is created from a raw material. Most of today's so-called recycling processes are downcycling , i.e. H. A high-quality raw material becomes a new, lower-quality product. Crushing concrete turns it into crushed stone, colored plastic turns into black plastic, and burning it turns packaging into energy and heat. In scrap recycling, a sorting depth, quality assurance and efficiency are achieved that have so far been unmatched in the recycling of other materials.

Process chain

Mixed scrap

The process chain for reuse looks roughly like this: after use, metal-containing waste is disposed of and collected by scrap collectors . As a rule, these are independent mini-entrepreneurs who collect scrap from companies and private individuals with a truck and bring it to a scrap dealer . Alternatively, there can be various collective forms by the municipalities or other waste disposal companies. The scrap dealer with the classic scrap yard cleans and sorts the incoming scrap and then sells it to further refining or collecting scrap wholesalers or directly to the recycler. The chain of intermediaries can be up to 4 or 5 dealers depending on the type of scrap. You should consider that the sorting depth in Fe scrap alone can easily extend to over 40 specifications for collecting and sorting. At the end of the chain is the metalworking industry, which creates new goods from scrap. As a secondary raw material, scrap plays just as important a role in manufacturing as the original iron ore .

In case of doubt, the exact definition of the metals and alloys or a preliminary analysis is first carried out using a hand-held spectrometer that works with the technology of laser-induced plasma spectroscopy. In addition, all deliveries must be tested for radioactivity using a detector installed at the delivery point .

A few examples from the long list of different types of scrap and their recycling potential are given below:

Electronic scrap consists of discarded electronic devices and assemblies . In addition to organic and inorganic insulating materials , it contains steel , aluminum , copper , tin , lead , silver , gold and other precious metals . Since some of these substances are problematic in landfill and incineration, there is u. a. in Germany a separate collection and collection. Electronic scrap is dismantled by hand, pre-sorted, shredded and processed using various processes (e.g. density separation using air separators, iron separation using magnetic separators ) so that non-ferrous and precious metals can also be recovered. During copper refining ( electrolysis ), foreign metals (including the precious metals) remain in the electrolysis sludge and are subsequently separated.
See also Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act

Cable scrap consists of disused electrical cables and, in addition to insulating materials, can also contain aluminum or steel in addition to copper. In the past, a cryotechnical process was often used to separate the insulating materials , in which the insulating materials become brittle and can be broken by the cold. Today, cable scrap is shredded in cutting mills, then separated into fractions of copper granulate and plastic granulate by air sifting.

The smoldering of cable and electronic scrap releases large amounts of gaseous pollutants (including dioxins ). This process is still used today in third world countries without the corresponding flue gas cleaning being carried out.

Steel scrap

Compared to using scrap steel to extract steel, extracting steel from ore requires more than twice the amount of energy. The savings per ton correspond to the average six-month consumption of a four-person household.

Due to the high level of economic efficiency, the entire global scrap volume, around 530 million tons annually, is recycled. The recycling share is:

Pressed scrap

USA: 60%
EU: 56%
South Korea: 52%
Germany: 45%
Russia: 44%
Japan 42%
China: 20%

The amount used in million tons:

EU: 116
China: 85
USA: 59
Japan: 49
Russia: 32
South Korea: 25
Germany: 21

In Germany, 45% of steel production is covered by scrap.

Steel scrap from nuclear reactors is often too radioactive to be reprocessed. In addition, scrap can become radioactively contaminated if radiation sources are not removed from disused medical equipment. In the past, careless handling has resulted in radioactive scrap, for example in the Goiânia accident and the nuclear accident in Samut Prakan . For this reason, radioactivity measurements are now carried out at various points along the recycling routes.

Commercial scrap recycling

The metal scrap market in Germany is highly fragmented. In addition to a large number of scrap collectors and operators of scrap yards, there are also larger companies that buy metal scraps from production in particular from companies. Recognizing possible stolen goods that are offered by metal thieves now poses a particular challenge for recycling companies.

The largest German companies are Scholz AG from Essingen (Württemberg) (turnover: 4.7 billion euros), TSR Recycling from Bottrop (turnover: 2 billion euros) and Interseroh (turnover: 899 million euros) in the scrap recycling sector. Schrott Wetzel in Mannheim with a turnover of 300 million euros is one of the larger companies .

Others

The impostor Victor Lustig (1890–1947) “sold” the Eiffel Tower to a scrap dealer in 1925 . After he recognized the fraud, he was so ashamed that he did not go to the police; Lustig tried the coup a second time. However, his second buyer went to the police; the dizziness was exposed.