Scrap

Scrap ( Lower Rhine shape of shot with the original meaning of " cut piece " ) is valuable metallic material, which serves as a secondary raw material. It arises in the scrapping of metal products, such as cars and other vehicles as well as the scrapping of ships and aircraft, when their useful life is over ( old scrap ). Scrap generated in the metal-working industry such as chips during turning or milling ( new scrap ). The detection and treatment of production residues (circulatory scrap ) and of no more use or use subject matter, and industrial goods made ​​of steel or cast iron - the so-called scrap - done to make steel mills and foundries a raw material for direct use are available. The worldwide consumption of Fe - scrap in the steel and foundry industry is moving currently at about 500 million tons per year.

General

Since there are proven separation and recycling methods for all metals and these have a significant energy savings compared to new production, the separate collection of waste metals is an important contribution to sustainable circular economy. In the household accumulating scrap metals have a recycling rate of over 60%.

Light metals such as aluminum or empty cans can be detected via the separately collected fraction of light packaging. For bulky waste from metal in most cities and counties, a Scrap Metal Collection is offered or recommended the levy on the recycling center. If larger amounts incurred are for the scrap metal market or the scrap dealer also considerable prices to achieve - depending on the metal and daily rates up to several thousand euros per tonne.

Scrap

We distinguish between different types of scrap. The sort criteria focus to the later use of the scrap. The different varieties are distinguished by generally

• The size of the components of the scrap. In the general type of scrap 3, for example, the individual pieces must not exceed the dimensions of 150 cm × 50 cm × 50 cm and have a thickness of at least 6 mm have.
• The starting materials from which the scrap was recovered, eg sheet metal scrap, carrier metal scrap, copper scrap, etc.
• The chemical properties and the degree / amount of so-called adhesions, that is, whether there are any foreign substances or waste are in the scrap. For example earth, plastic, packaging, etc., or if the scrap consists of a single material, such as copper or copper pipes or pipes with insulating materials if it is a mixture of different metals, such as tin, steel beams, iron.

A clue is the so-called " European scrap directory for Fe - scrap ", which defines the criteria for Fe - scrap ( scrap Ferruginous ).

From the above three points, there is a certain type of scrap and thus both their monetary value as well as the recycling potential. The monetary value of a tonne of scrap can range from a few Euros into the 5 - figure range, depending on the kind and quality.

Scrap metal is probably the oldest example of recycling in human history. Metal can theoretically be as often melted down without significant losses and reprocessed. In fact, it is one of the few examples of true recycling. This will create the same grade and quality of a starting material a new product. In most of today's so-called recycling processes, it is actually down-cycling, that is, from a starting material of high quality is a new product of lower quality. So concrete is to by crushing gravel, colorful plastic to black plastic, packaging by incineration for energy and heat. In the scrap recycling a sort of depth, quality assurance and efficiency is achieved, which is unprecedented in the recycling of other materials.

In the colloquial sense of the term is also used for the identification of useless things whose use-value was initially considered to be much too high.

Process chain

The process chain of reuse looks roughly like this: after the use of metal-containing waste is disposed of and collected by scrap collectors. This is, generally speaking, independent mini entrepreneurs who collect a truck scrap by companies and individuals and bring it to a scrap dealer. Alternatively, there may be also various forms by the local authorities or by other disposal companies. The scrap dealer, the classic junkyard, cleans and sorts the incoming scrap and then sells it to more ennobling or collecting scrap wholesalers or directly to the recycler. The chain of middlemen can be long depending on the type of scrap to 4 or 5 dealers. Consider that the sorting depth alone in the Iron and steel scrap good cook can extend to more than 40 specifications for collecting and sorting. At the end of the chain is the metal-processing industry, which again creates new goods from the scrap. Scrap has in the industry as a secondary raw material for the production of a position as important held as the original ore.

In the following, a few examples from the long list of different types of scrap and their recycling potential are:

Electronic waste consists of discarded electronic devices and assemblies. It contains organic and inorganic insulating materials especially steel, aluminum, copper, tin, lead, silver, gold and other precious metals. Since some of these are problematic in the landfill and incineration, there is, inter alia, in Germany a separate collection and recording. Electronic waste is broken down by hand, sorted, shredded and by various methods (eg, density separation by air classifier, iron removal by magnetic separators ) worked, so that even the non-ferrous and precious metals can be recovered. In the copper refining (electrolysis ) foreign metals ( precious metals and others) remain in the electrolysis mud back and separated below. See also Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act

Cable scrap consists of used electrical cables and can except the insulating materials besides copper, aluminum or steel included. To separate the insulating materials used to be a cryotechnical method was often used, in which the insulating materials can be broken by cold and brittle. Today, cable scrap is crushed on cutting mills, then separated by air classification into fractions of copper granules and plastic granules.

The carbonization of cable and electronic scrap has high amounts of gaseous pollutants released (among dioxins ). This method is still used in third world countries without appropriate flue gas cleaning is performed.

Steel scrap

Compared with the use of steel scrap for steel production is required for the production of steel from ore more than double the amount of energy. Per ton, the savings equivalent to the average annual consumption for a four-man half- household.

Because of the high cost, the entire global volume of debris, about 530 million tons, the recycling is supplied.

The recycled content is:

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

The amount of use 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 thus.

Steel scrap from nuclear reactors is often too radioactive to be reprocessed. By incautious handling came in the past to radioactively contaminated scrap. Therefore, the recycling channels radioactivity measurements are made at different points in the meantime.

Business

The scrap metal market is highly fragmented in Germany. In addition to a variety of scrap collectors and operators of junkyards there are also larger companies, in particular companies buy metal scraps from the production.

The largest German companies are the Scholz AG Essingen ( Württemberg) ( Sales: 4.7 billion euros ), TSR Recycling from Bottrop ( turnover: EUR 2 billion ) and Interseroh ( Turnover: 899 million euros ) in the range scrap recycling. Among the larger companies still belongs Schrott Wetzel in Mannheim with 300 million euros in sales.

• Junk cars in the GDR
• "Wild " junkyard in the U.S.
• Scrap transport on the Saar
• Decommissioned F-84 as an example of " military scrap "
• TSR Bremen

Others

The impostor Victor Lustig (1890 - 1947) " sold " in 1925 the Eiffel Tower to a scrap dealer. After this had recognized the fraud, he was so ashamed that he did not go to the police; Funny attempted the coup a second time. However, his second buyer went to the police; the dizziness to fly.