Metal Recycling

What is metal recycling?

• Several kinds and also large amounts of metals are used in industrial processes every day.

• Since the industrial revolution period has taken place, our consumption levels skyrocketed
due to the mass production of goods and the resulting low unit price.

• The most consumed metal worldwide is aluminum, followed by copper, zinc, lead and nickel.

• Metals are crucial to sustain our living standard.

• However, metals are resources that are limited.

• The depletion of metals can be a big issue in the future since the world population grows
rapidly and thus also the demand for goods made out of metal will increase.

• To mitigate the problem of metal depletion, we have to look out for effective measures. One
of those measures could be metal recycling.

• In the following, all kinds of questions regarding metal trash and the recycling of metals are
answered.
Causes for metal trash
• Industry
• Wrappings
• Cars
• Bicycles
• Electronics
• Batteries
• Deodorants and cosmetics
• Food
• Mining
Industry
• Metal trash is caused by many different kinds of industrial processes.

• In many cases, specific forms for the end-product are required.

• However, in order to accomplish this form, the remaining material has to be

removed.

• Therefore, there is a certain amount of leftovers that are usually disposed in the
trash bin or recycled in later stages.
Wrappings
• Wrappings are another contributor when it comes to metal trash.

• Aluminum is contained in many wrappings since it is light and relatively easy to

process.

• Therefore, companies and stores like aluminum-based wrappings and use them in
large amounts.
Toys
• There is also a significant number of toys that are made out of metals or at least
partly contain metal components.

• This is especially true when it comes to technology-based toys like helicopters,

remote-controlled cars, etc.
Cars
• Many parts of our cars are made out of metal.

• If we replace our cars with newer versions, large amounts of metal garbage are the
result.

• This problem has become worse over the last decades since people use their cars for
shorter periods of time compared to decades ago since the average income of people
is higher now and they are able to afford more items and are also able to replace
their cars faster by new ones.
Bicycles
• Many components of bicycles are also made out of metals.

• This includes the frame as well as some other components like brakes.

• Therefore, if we do not use our bicycles anymore, we also cause significant amounts
of metal garbage.
Electronics
• Electronics are a big part of the metal trash we produce worldwide.

• Metal is used for all kinds of electronics, including our smartphones, TVs or
computers.

• Since our society is quite technology-driven and always strives for the newest
electronic articles with the best features, large amounts of metal trash result from
this consumption behavior.
Batteries
• Batteries also contain metal components.

• Since many of our devices run by batteries, significant amounts of metal trash are
produced over time.

• This problem will become even worse when electric cars replace conventional cars
since much more batteries will be used and the trash resulting from batteries will
grow significantly.
Deodorants and cosmetics
• Cosmetics and deodorants are often packaged in metal wrappings or metal
containers in order to prevent the ingredients to evaporate.

• However, this leads to significant amounts of metal trash that could be avoided using
other kinds of wrapping techniques.
Food
• Food wrappings are often made out or at least contain some part of metals.

• For example, if you buy kebab and you want to carry it home, it is often wrapped into
aluminum foil to keep it warm, resulting in large amounts of metal waste over time.
Mining
• Significant amounts of metal waste can also be caused by mining processes.

• In the extraction process of resources, large machines are used to support workers.

• However, these machines will often suffer from damages and some parts have to be
replaced over time, resulting in metal trash.

• Moreover, in the separation process, heavy metals like mercury are sometimes used
which leads to additional metal trash.
Effects of metal trash
• Depletion of natural resources
• Global warming
• Deforestation
• Soil pollution
• Destruction of habitats
• Visual pollution
• Air pollution
• Water pollution
Depletion of natural resources
• The production of metal trash results in a significant depletion of natural resources.

• Metals are non-renewable resources which are limited.

• Through the production of metal waste, these precious metals are wasted.

• If we continue to produce large amounts of metal waste, we are likely to deplete our
metals quite soon in the future.

• This would heavily impact our daily life since without metals, we would no longer be
able to sustain our convenient lifestyle.

• Moreover, we would not be able to sustain our sophisticated technologies since

almost all of them rely on metals.

• Imagine a world without smartphones, computers or the internet!

Global warming
• Metal waste also indirectly contributes to the global warming problem.

• Since the production of waste can be regarded as inefficient production behavior and
the production of goods requires electricity, the production of metal waste implies a
waste of electricity.

• Electricity production currently relies on coal and other fossil substances.

• In the combustion process of coal, significant amounts of greenhouse gases are

released into the air which in turn contribute to global warming.
Deforestation
• Deforestation can be another effect of metal waste and the implied metal extraction.

• Since metal has to be extracted out of the ground, mining often requires to cut down
forests in order to get new mining areas.

• Therefore, the consumption of metals also contributes to deforestation.

Soil pollution
• In the process of mining for metals, the soil is often polluted with harmful
substances.

• For example, for the extraction of certain metals, chemicals have to be used in order
to separate metal from dirt.

• If these chemicals are not disposed in an environmentally-friendly manner, they can

cause significant soil pollution.
Destruction of habitats
• Moreover, mining often causes the destruction of habitats of many animals and
plants.

• Since for the set up of new mines, large areas of land have to be used, many animals
have to relocate since their natural environment is destroyed by human intervention.
Visual pollution
• Metal trash can also cause visual pollution.

• In many countries, metal trash is not just dumped into landfills, it is often just
dumped on the streets.

• This is not a pretty picture and the life quality for people living near the polluted
spots will decrease.
Air pollution
• The production of garbage made out of metal can also lead to air pollution.

• In the recycling process of metals, fuel has to be used. By burning fuel, harmful gases
are emitted into the air, resulting in air pollution and often also contributing to global
warming.
Water pollution
• Moreover, metal waste can also lead to water pollution.

• Since metal trash is often dumped into landfills, harmful compounds are released
over time.

• If the landfills are not set up properly, these substances can reach the soil and
eventually will end up in the groundwater.

• Moreover, in many developing countries, illegal dumping is a big problem.

• Metal waste is often just disposed into rivers or lakes where harmful compounds are
likely to contaminate the water.
How can metal trash be recycled?
1. Collecting
2. Sorting
3. Processing
4. Shredding
5. Melting
6. Purification
7. Solidifying
8. Transportation
9. Use for different industrial processes
10. Start the recycling loop again
1. Collecting
• Depending on the value of the metals, scrap metals can either be collected for
recycling purposes or end up in landfills.

• Metals not valuable enough will be dumped into landfills while precious metals will
be collected in order to recycle them.

• In order to be able to collect these metals, people have to contribute their part.

• For example, if people just dispose their metal trash in the regular trash bin, it will
likely not be recycled and rather burned which leads to a significant waste of
resources.

• People have to make sure that they separate their waste in a way that their precious
metal trash can be recycled.

• This could be accomplished by bringing this kind of trash to scrap yards where they
can then by sorted and processed.
2. Sorting
• In the next steps, the different metals have to be separated and sorted.

• This is often done with the help of magnets or other devices, using the different
characteristics of different metals to separate them.

• These characteristics include the weight and the color of the trash.

• For example, when it comes to separating gold, it is clear that gold is pretty heavy
and has a quite unique color.

• By using these kinds of characteristics and methods, the metal trash can be sorted in
an efficient manner before it is reprocessed further.
3. Processing
• Since the metal trash usually is quite bulky and space-consuming, it has to be made
more compact in order to make it suitable for shredding purposes in the next step.
4. Shredding
• With the help of the processing step, the scrap metals are now ready to be shredded.

• By using big machines, the metal waste is disassembled into small pieces of metal.

• By doing so, the material is prepared for the melting phase.

5. Melting
• The metal that was previously shredded into small pieces is now ready to be melted.

• The melting process involves very high temperature and is done in furnaces which
are specifically designed for melting metals and therefore are able to endure the high
temperatures.

• The temperature is subject to the specific metal that should be melted.

• For example, while aluminum has a rather low melting point of 1220 degree
Fahrenheit (660 degree Celsius), gold has a much higher melting point of 1945
degree Fahrenheit (1063 degree Celsius).

• While melting metals is quite energy consuming, it is still more efficient to melt and
recycle metals compared to the extraction of metals out of the ground.
6. Purification
• After the melting step is finished, the metals have to be purified in order to make
them suitable for further use.

• This purification can be done through various processes like electrolysis or other
methods, depending on the metal type.

• The purification step has the goal to guarantee a high quality and to make sure that
the recycled product is free from any contaminants.
7. Solidifying
• After the metal has been melted and purified, it is time to cool it down and bring it in
shape so that it has the right form to process it further.

• Depending on the purpose of the recycled material, this form can vary from small
units of metal up to big solid metal blocks.

• However, it should be assured that the end-product is suitable for transportation

purposes.

• Thus, solid metal blocks should be not too big or too heavy in order to be able to
transport them by conventional trucks.
8. Transportation
• In the next step, the solidified and formed metals have to be carried to different
kinds of factories where they can then be used for the manufacturing of new goods.
9. Use for different industrial processes
• After the recycled metal has been transported to the respective factories, they are
usually melted and reprocessed into certain shapes and forms, sometimes certain
ingredients are added to make the metal more robust, depending on the specific end
product.

• Since the recycling processes are quite sophisticated in our current time, people will
not even be able to recognize that their products are made out of recycled metals.
10. Start the recycling loop again
• The previous steps have shown in detail how metal is recycled efficiently and how it
is used in further steps.

• However, this is not the end. Even the new items made of recycled metals will
eventually become old and end up in the trash bin.

• From there on, the recycling cycle continues and starts again.
What are the advantages of metal recycling?
• Efficient use of resources
• Save energy
• Mitigate many sorts of pollution
• Stop deforestation
• Slow down global warming
• Slow down landfill growth
• Save habitats
• Economic upside
Efficient use of resources
• Through the recycling of metals, we can use our natural resources more efficiently.

• Moreover, metals are a limited resource.

• In order to sustain our consumption behavior which involves the consumption of

significant amounts of metals, we have to make the metal recycling processes quite
efficient.
Save energy
• Even if the recycling process needs plenty of energy, especially in the melting
process, it is still more energy-consuming to extract metals out of our ground than to
recycle them.

• Therefore, through the recycling process, we can save energy that would otherwise
be necessary to extract metals through mining.
Mitigate many sorts of pollution
• As we have seen in the previous analysis, the extraction of metals leads to significant
pollution of many sorts.

• With the help of recycling, we reduce the need for metal extraction and therefore we
can also mitigate the adverse effects from mining activities on our environmental
system.
Stop deforestation
• Deforestation is a big problem which is partly caused by mining activities.

• Mining is crucial in order to extract metals.

• Thus, with the support of metal recycling, we can reduce the overall amount of
metals that has to be extracted out of the ground and can in turn mitigate the issue
of deforestation.
Slow down global warming
• Through the recycling of metals, we can also indirectly slow down the global
warming process.

• On the one hand, we can save energy.

• On the other hand, we can mitigate deforestation.

• Since trees are natural storage spaces for greenhouse gases like CO2, cutting down
forests lead to a significant emission of CO2 into the atmosphere.

• Thus, by improving recycling processes for metal, we can significantly mitigate the
global warming problem.
Slow down landfill growth
• Part of the metal trash, especially metals that are of low economic value, are often
disposed into landfills rather than recycled.

• If we are able to improve recycling processes and make them more efficient, it will be
profitable for industries to also recycle these low-value metal trash items.

• Therefore, we could slow down the growth of and the need for landfills.
Save habitats
• Extracting metals out of the ground often involves mining activities.

• For those activities, large areas of land have to be used.

• However, those areas of land are the habitats for many animals which now have to
leave their natural living spaces and relocate to other places.

• Thus, the recycling of metals can also lead to saving habitats for many animals and
also plant species.
Economic upside
• Apart from the environmental upsides of metal recycling, there is also an economic
incentive to recycle metal.

• Some metals are quite precious and are traded at high prices at the worldwide
commodity exchanges.

• Therefore, it can be quite profitable for firms to recycle metals and to sell them after
the recycling process has been finished.
What are the downsides of metal recycling?
• Energy and time consuming
• Labor-intensive
• Bad working conditions
• Health issues
• Recycled products may be of low quality
Energy and time consuming
• The recycling of metals can be energy and time consuming.

• This is especially true in countries where the processes regarding metal recycling are
still quite inefficient.

• Therefore, in those countries, part of the metal recycling may not be profitable and
thus significant amounts of metal trash may be disposed into landfills instead.
Labor-intensive
• The recycling of trash can also be quite labor-intensive, especially in countries where
the process is not fully automated by machines.

• Thus, plenty of work is needed to recycle metals which in turn can be quite costly.
Bad working conditions
• In many developing countries, there are quite bad working conditions when it comes
to metal recycling.

• Workers are often exposed to harmful substances and may not even wear protection
measures like gloves.
Health issues
• Moreover, safety requirements may also be quite low which means that workers are
exposed to significant health risks.

• For example, people may not wear helmets or other forms of protection.

• If metal parts fall down on their hats during the separation process, workers may
suffer from severe long-term health issues or may even die.
Recycled products may be of low quality
• Even if in many countries, recycling processes are quite sophisticated and therefore
deliver high-quality products, in some countries, recycled products may significantly
vary in quality.

• For instance, if the separation of metals is not done in a proper way, there may be
harmful by-products contained in the recycled products.

• This could mean that items made of recycled steel are more likely to corrode or that
durability of a product may be lower.
Conclusion
• The consumption of metals and the resulting metal waste is a huge environmental
problem. Metal waste imposes several adverse effects on our planet.

• Therefore, it is crucial to develop processes in order to mitigate the problem.

• One effective measure against the problem of metal waste is metal recycling.

• By doing so, we can use resource more efficiently and also mitigate several kinds of
environmental problems.

• It should be noted that the recycling of metals also has some downsides.

• However, through the improvement of recycling processes, these weaknesses can be

prevented.

• By reducing our consumption of metal items, we can also make our contribution on a
daily basis and therefore ensure a livable future for the next generations.
Sources
• https://www.statista.com
/statistics/241475/worldwide-demand-for-base-metals-by-type/

• https://www.steelforge.com/literature/metal-melting-ranges/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrap