Shredded Scrap

Iron and steel scrap, commonly referred to as “ferrous metal scrap,” is a recyclable material that is produced as a byproduct of making iron and steel goods, fabricating ferrous materials, or as a result of the end of the useful life of ferrous products. Iron scrap is typically recycled for producing steel.

Iron and steel production must change in order for the world to move toward a low-carbon future. There is no one answer for CO2-free steel-making; instead, a wide range of technological choices must be used, either individually or in combination, depending on local conditions. This collection of information sheets provides an overview of some important technologies, efforts, and problems.

Homogeneous iron and steel scrap, magnetically separated, originating from automobiles, unprepared No.1 and No.2 steel, miscellaneous baling and sheet scrap.
Average density 50 – 70 pounds per cubic foot.

Steel that has either reached the end of its useful life (known as “post-consumer scrap”) or was created during the production of steel goods (known as “pre-consumer scrap”) is referred to as scrap.

The word “scrap” could give the impression that this is a waste product, but in reality, it is a valuable raw material that is employed in every step of the steelmaking process. Steel is the most recycled material in the world because of its natural magnetic, which makes it incredibly simple to separate and recycle.

Iron ore and recycled steel scrap are the two main metallic inputs in the production of steel. Iron ore accounts for roughly 70% of the total metallic input used to make steel globally, with scrap accounting for the remaining 30%.

When a piece of steel reaches the end of its useful life, it can be melted down and used to make new steels by changing the chemistry and shape of the new material. After being sorted and segregated, scrap steel can be used to create any new steel product.

Since scrap is a component of the raw material mix at every steel factory, every steel plant is also a recycling facility. Each charge of the basic oxygen furnace used in the blast furnace (BF) steelmaking process, which refines carbon-rich pig iron into crude steel, normally contains 15% to 25% scrap.

Scrap serves as both a cooling agent and a source of iron units, absorbing excess heat from the exothermic decarbonization process. In some instances, scrap is used as a direct supply of iron units in the BF, which lowers greenhouse gas emissions. In electric steelmaking, re-melting charges containing up to 100% scrap2 is done using electrical energy to create new steel products.

Every tonne of scrap used in the production of steel prevents the consumption of 1.4 tonnes of iron ore, 740 kg of coal, and 120 kg of limestone, as well as 1.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions from the industry. Scrap also plays a significant role in reducing resource consumption.

Utilizing scrap metals mostly protects natural resources. Most metals can be recycled multiple times without losing any of their original qualities. Similar to an above-ground mine, a scrap metal recycling operation provides the manufacturing, transportation, and construction sectors with raw materials.

The steel industry uses all scrap that is available on an ongoing basis to produce new steel. The fundamental qualities of the original steel are maintained in recycled steel, and the quality can even be raised by recycling. When compared to the volume of crude steel produced annually, which is 1,869 Mt, the annual use of scrap for the manufacturing of steel is roughly 650 Mt, with equal amounts used in the primary and secondary pathways.

In addition to considerably reducing the consumption of other natural resources including limestone, iron ore, and coal, this prevents the yearly emission of 975 Mt of CO2. According to worldsteel, the ferrous scrap used by the foundry industry worldwide each year is over 70 Mt. Ferrous scrap recycling is the world’s largest recycling operation, with a total volume of 720 Mt.