The total metal supply consumed in 2002 was 134 million metric tons. Recycled metal contributed 74.8 million metric tons, which is an amount that equals to 55.6% of the metal supply.
Iron and steel contain the highest quantity of metal supply and recycled material in 2002. By weight, iron and steel accounted for the largest 88.5% of metal apparent supply and 92.3% of recycled metal.
As measured by recycled metal as a percentage of apparent metal supply, lead was the most recycled metal at 71%, followed by iron and steel at 58%; the least recycled were tin at 20% and zinc at 26%.
Following is a list of the current recyclable metals. To learn about the actual process of metal recycling, please visit our section Current Recycling Process – Metal.
(Quick Facts regarding that metal are below each metal's name.)
Aluminum
Aluminum UBCs accounted for more than one-half of the reported old scrap consumption in 2002.
Beryllium
Beryllium is used in many applications where such properties as light-weight and stiffness are important.
Cadmium
Three-fourths of cadmium consumption is used in nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries and because batteries are easy to recycle, most of the secondary cadmium comes from spent NiCd batteries.
Chromium
The major end use of chromium is in stainless steel, and this is the major form in which chromium is recycled. Chromite ore is smelted to make ferrochromium, a chromium-iron alloy that results from the removal of oxygen from chromite. Ferrochromium is then added to iron at steel-producing plants to make the iron-chromium alloy stainless steel.
Cobalt
Cobalt-bearing scrap is generated during manufacture and used in the following applications: catalysts used by the petroleum and chemical industries; cemented carbides used in cutting and wear-resistant applications; rechargeable batteries; and super-alloys, magnetic and wear-resistant alloys, and tool steels.
Columbium (Niobium)
Columbium (also called niobium and indicated by the chemical symbol Nb) is a refractory metal that conducts heat and electricity well and is characterized by a high melting point, resistance to corrosion, and ease of fabrication.
Copper
In 2002, copper recovered from all refined or re-melted scrap (about 80% from new scrap and 20% from old scrap) composed 30% of the total U.S. copper supply and had an equivalent refined value of $1.75 billion.
Gallium
In processing Gallium-arsenide scrap, the material is crushed if necessary, then dissolved in a hot acidic solution. This acid solution is neutralized with a caustic solution to precipitate the gallium as gallium hydroxide, which is filtered from the solution and washed.
Gold
The scrap component of the gold supply is perhaps the most difficult of all metal supply components to quantify. In many areas of the world, especially in those areas where the holding of gold is encouraged by tradition, secondary gold, especially that derived from gold jewelry, changes hands both locally and internationally, often using goldsmiths as collection sites.
Section I: Introduction
Section II: Present (YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN THIS SECTION)
Section III: Future
Complete Table of Contents
Reference