What kind of metals can be recycled

Metal recycling not only protects the environment, but it may also generate income! The most important issue concerning metal recycling is to know what type your metal is. There is a variety of metals that can be recycled, i. Use of a magnet is the easiest and fastest way to pre-classify an unidentified metal. If the magnet attracts the metal, it is ferrous, i. Even though their value is lower compared to other types of metals, ferrous metals are primary target materials of all recycling systems.

Moreover, scrap yards accept them quite easily, but for very low price. On the contrary, non ferrous metals are much more valuable, especially copper and lead.

Despite this first classification, recycling of non ferrous metals requires further identification. The reason for that is quite simple. End-of-life vehicles can be pulled apart and these parts can be recycled and transformed into like-for-like parts with exactly the same material quality.

Tin — recycling tin requires 99 per cent less energy than creating it from scratch. A good source for scrap tin at home are old kitchen equipment such as soup ladles, woks and cooking bowls. Lead — the use of secondary lead slashes CO2 emissions by 99 per cent. Those working in the construction industry will also encounter lead products on an almost daily basis — usually replacing them with alternative materials. Browse older posts.

Twitter Facebook 33 77 11 info asm-recycling. Toggle navigation Call ASM. Blog later post index earlier post What metals can be recycled? Tuesday, 15 March Over million tonnes of metal is recycled each and every year, processing ferrous and non-ferrous metal scrap into valuable secondary raw materials for the smelting of new metals. Take a look at some of the other metals you can scrap with us, with a quick guide as to where you can find these types of metals at home: Copper — premium-grade copper can hold up to 95 per cent of the value of the original primary metal itself.

Purification is done to ensure the final product is of high quality and free of contaminants. One of the most common methods used for purification is Electrolysis. After purification, melted metals are carried by the conveyor belt to cool and solidify the metals. In this stage, scrap metals are formed into specific shapes such as bars that can be easily used for the production of various metal products.

Once the metals are cooled and solidified, they are ready to use. They are then transported to various factories where they are used as raw material for the production of brand new products. When the products made of these metal bars come to the end of their useful life, the metal recycling process cycles again. The expansion of community recycling programs and public awareness help in this regard. Another important reason for the low recycling rate has to do with the design of various metal products.

The growing complexity of various modern products and their material mix makes recycling increasingly difficult. For instance, a smartphone can contain more than 70 different elements. So, extracting every kind of materials from a mobile phone and reusing them in the production of new products makes it difficult. Modern recycling technologies can effectively identify many different kinds of metals, though there is still the need for even more effective recycling technologies to separate non-ferrous metals.

Separating ferrous metals from non-ferrous metals is one of the most important steps in the sorting process. As ferrous metals contain iron, they are attracted by magnets and easily pulled out of the mixed waste stream. In scrap yards, cranes fitted with an electromagnet can remove larger pieces of ferrous scrap.

When sorting metals from a mixed stream of recyclable material, the paper is removed first, leaving only plastics and metals. Then, electric currents are induced across the stream where only metals get affected.

This process is called eddy current separation. Although aluminum is not magnetic, this technology can levitate it and allow plastics to drop out of the process. Recovering precious metals such as palladium, platinum, gold and other valuable metals such as copper, lead, and silver from electronic waste becomes economically viable only if enough scrap is collected. Such separation takes more technologically advanced and sophisticated recycling equipment.

These days, in large recycling facilities, the use of sensors to identify metals through infrared scanning and x-ray has become popular. Three common categories of metal sensing processes include biotechnology, hydrometallurgy, and pyrometallurgy.

The use of these technologies can effectively improve metal recovery rates. Traditionally, metal recycling has been regarded as a profitable business opportunity. In recent years, however, depressed prices have proved to be challenging. At an entrepreneurial level, a common entry point into the metal recycling business is through starting scrap metal collection business or becoming a scrap metal vendor.

If you are looking to set up a metal recycling-related business in the U. This interactive map allows you to find metal recycling laws pertinent to every jurisdiction. It represents over 1, for-profit companies from 40 different countries worldwide.

It has over member companies. Being a member of trade associations in the recycling industry enables a new recycling business to know and understand the trends in the industry and maintain a good relationship with other businesses in the industry.