Can You Recycle Stainless Steel

Stainless steel has unique stainless qualities that make it useful in various industries, from construction to medical equipment. The metal has outstanding durability and corrosion resistance properties. Although stainless steel can last for years with minimal maintenance, like other metals, it will come to the end of its life at some point. So, what happens to stainless steel when it reaches its end of life?

Stainless steel can be recycled.

It's one of the reasons why stainless steel is a popular construction material. It can be recycled multiple times with little to no change in its metallurgical properties. That means recycled stainless steel and virgin stainless steel made from raw materials will perform similarly. Besides having the same properties, recycled stainless steel is also the most cost-effective, making it more economical and environmentally friendly.

Industrial scrap

Industrial scrap comprises trimming and excess from manufacturing, fabrication or construction. These are the leftover pieces of sheet, trimmed rods and other bits of waste from using stainless steel as a production material. The material hasn't been previously used, and it is no longer useful in its current form, which is how it gets the name ‘new scrap.’

Depending on the type of stainless steel scraps, the recycling process can vary slightly but usually ends up with similar end products.

Reusing

Because of the durable nature of stainless steel products, the first step in recycling is reusing the products if they are still in usable condition. You can donate or sell stainless steel products like cutlery and household fixtures such as your kitchen sink to someone that might need them. However, you should only consider recycling when the products have outlived their usefulness.

Collection and sorting

Whether the stainless steels scrap is industrial or reclaimed, it has to be collected and transported to a metal recycling facility where it is sorted. Some of the stainless steel might still be attached to other materials or contain other types of other undesirable materials that can only be recycled at a different facility. The scraps are sorted into rubbish skips and transported to the processing plant.

Crushing and shredding  

At the recycling plant, the metal is first crushed using a metal compactor to make it easier to handle on conveyor belts. Hammer mills then shred the metal into small pieces to increase the surface areas to volume ratio of the metal in readiness for the following steps.

Separation

The recycling plant has to be sure that only stainless steel metal is recycled. Any other type of metal could affect the composition of the metal. So the processing facility uses large magnetic drums to separate the ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Non-metallic materials like plastic and wood are also removed by blowing hot air through the shredded materials and sucking up the impurities like a vacuum.

Melting and purification

After other types of metals have been removed, the remaining stainless steel scraps are melted in large furnaces. Stainless steel furnaces are designed according to the properties of the metal for fuel efficiency and to reduce the amount of energy used and the impact of the process on the environment. The furnaces also have jet stirrers that distribute the temperature evenly and promote metal circulations within the furnaces. The stirring improves the quality of the end product.

In its molten state, the metal undergoes the purification process. Most facilities use the Eddy Current electrolysis process to remove impurities and maintain the composition of the metal.

After purification, the metal is poured into moulds and cooled. The final product is then sent to steel mills for further processing and delivery.

Benefits of Recycling Stainless Steel

Stainless steel recycling is strongly encouraged because of the extensive benefits it offers to the planet, steel mills, and end users. These include;

Saving natural resources and ecology

Mining raw materials to make stainless steel has vast adverse effects on the environment. The process not only depletes natural resources but also produces by-products that have a substantial negative effect on global warming. Because stainless steel is durable and infinitely recyclable, it is a prime candidate for recycling. Recycling reduces the pressure on natural resources, requires less energy and produces less carbon dioxide, which is much better for the environment.

Usability

Recycled stainless steel is not any different from stainless steel made from raw materials. The quality and durability of the materials are the same. In fact, recycled stainless steel might be cheaper. The good news is stainless steel scrap is about 80-90% recyclable.

Economic benefits

Recycling stainless steel is beneficial to the environment and the economy, seeing how crucial it is in various industries. Recycling stainless steel only requires a fraction of the energy used to manufacture new steel. Because it is cheaper to recycle stainless steel, you can expect to pay less for it, which lowers your construction costs.