Scrap Metal

[bigfizz]

When I go to the local 'Recycling centre' (council tip) I am encouraged to put all the metal in to a separate skip for recycling. Looking in there its full of all types of rusty metal often with other materials connected (garden tools with wooden handles etc). Is this actually recycled? if so what does the end metal actually have any actual use? I can't imagine the quality or purity would have any commercial use apart from ballast!

[minesapint]

I would't say it was that much of a problem.

It strikes me that if this scrap is sorted magnetically by dipping an electromagnet on a crane into it, it's a fair bet that the majority of the scrap collected in this way will be either iron or steel.

When this magnetic scrap is put into the furnace, the wood, plastic and other stuff is burnt off immediately by the intense heat. It follows that If the furnace is at the right temperature for melting iron or steel, the furnace should now only contain iron or steel. Other "impurities" are also probably floated off as slag.

[minesapint]

Years ago, my local steelworks used to use exactly this method of melting scrap.

The only difference then was that the scrap used to come from all over the UK into the works by rail. The electromagnets on the cranes would then remove all the ferrous metal and send it to the furnaces.

Non-magnetic scrap would be left in the railway trucks and disposed of by other means.

I don't imagine that the method is much different nowadays although with the advent of recycling centres, it must have been modernised somewhat.

I can't imagine one of these recycling centres employing a man with a screwdriver and a few other tools to take handles etc off stuff before sending it on!

[Birt]

Mines a pint is correct. All combsutible material is burnt off in the furnace. All the non ferrous metals are seperated by magnets and the remainder is usually seperated by melting them. Different metals have different melting points so melt at different times allowing them to be collected seperatly.