(Quick Facts regarding that metal are below each metal's name.)
Indium
Recycling of indium scrap continued to increase, but not enough to offset the decline in primary production.
Iron and Steel
Iron, including its refined product steel, is the most widely used of all the metals. Iron and steel products are used in many construction and industrial applications, such as in appliances, bridges, buildings, containers, highways, machinery, tools, and vehicles.
Lead
A major source of recycled lead is spent lead-acid storage batteries. The recycled batteries consisted of the starting-lighting-ignition type used in automotive applications as well as the industrial-type used in numerous applications, such as airport ground-support equipment, floor sweepers/scrubbers, golf cars and other human and materials transport vehicles, industrial forklifts, lawn equipment, load-leveling equipment for commercial electrical power systems, mining vehicles, and uninterruptible power-supply.
Magnesium
New magnesium-base scrap typically is categorized into one of six types. Type 1 is high-grade clean scrap, generally such material as drippings, gates, and runners from die-casting operations that is uncontaminated with oils. Type 2 is clean scrap that contains steel or aluminum, but no brass or copper. Type 3 is painted scrap castings that may contain steel or aluminum, but no brass or copper. Type 4 is unclean metal scrap that is oily or contaminated. Type 5 is chips, machining that may be oily or wet, or swarf. Type 6 is residues (crucible sludge, dross, etc.) that are free of silica sand.
Manganese
Scrap recovery specifically for manganese is insignificant. To a large extent, manganese is recycled incidentally as a minor component within scrap of other metals, particularly steel and, to a much lesser degree, aluminum.
Mercury
The chief end use of mercury in the United States through 2000 has been as a cathode in the electrolytic production of chlorine and caustic soda from brine. These industrial chemicals are used in bulletproof glass, helmets, metal processing, paper production, pharmaceuticals, plastic production, water treatment, and a multitude of other industrial applications.
Molybdenum
Molybdenum is recycled as a component of catalysts, ferrous scrap (alloy and stainless steel), and super-alloy scrap.
Nickel
Austenitic stainless steel scrap is the largest source of secondary nickel for the United States, accounting for about 86% of the 99,800 tons of nickel reclaimed in 2002. Austenitic stainless steel is very resistance to corrosion due to its nickel content and higher levels of chromium. Austenitic stainless steels are hardened and strengthened through cold working rather than heat treatment and ductility is excellent.
Platinum-Group Metals
Spent automotive catalysts are waste materials that continue to provide a growing secondary source of PGMs.
Selenium
Used photoreceptor drums and scrap generated in the manufacture of new drums can be used for the recovery of the selenium content.
Silver
Silver is recovered from spent fixer-solution and x-ray and graphic arts wastes, color film wastes, electronic scrap, jewelers’ sweepings, spent catalysts, and other heterogeneous silver bearing materials.
Tantalum
Tantalum is ductile, easily fabricated, a good conductor of heat and electricity, highly resistant to corrosion by acids, and has a high melting point. The major use for tantalum, as tantalum metal powder, is in the production of electronic components, mainly tantalum capacitors.
Tin
In 2002, 20% of the domestic apparent supply of tin metal was recovered from scrap.
Titanium
The production of titanium components generates significant quantities of new scrap. New scrap is generated during the melting, forging, casting, and fabrication of titanium components, while old scrap is recovered from used components(old aircraft parts, heat exchangers, etc.). Titanium scrap also is consumed by the steel and nonferrous alloy industries.
Section I: Introduction
Section II: Present (YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN THIS SECTION)
Section III: Future
Complete Table of Contents
Reference