Recycling Steel For A Sustainable Future

Steel is an alloy that is made by combining iron and other elements such as carbon

, manganese, chromium, vanadium and tungsten. It is extremely advantageous to recycle steel as compared to mining for fresh ore therefore the steel industry has been carrying out steel recycling for more than a hundred and fifty years. Another major reason that has led to the rise in steel recycling is that this precious metal does not lose any of its physical properties during the recycling process. There is also a substantial amount of money, material requirements and energy that save by recycling steel as compared with the refinement of coal.

A few of the environmental benefits of recycling steel are as follows:

Conserves energy: Recycling steel helps conserves a tremendous amount of energy that would otherwise be spent on the production of new steel. During the mining process the iron ore needs to be extracted, refined, and then transported to processing companies around the world. This process makes use of a large amount of energy as fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline are also used during every step in the steel production process. Recycling scrap steel requires a mere fraction of the energy needed to produce new steel, thus reducing energy use.

Conserves natural resources: Since the iron ore that steel is made from is derived from underground mines, less mining for fresh steel means less disturbance of the land and surrounding ecosystems. Recycling steel can help significantly reduce the increasing demand for raw materials and help conserve resources for the future generations. For every ton of steel that is recycled up to 1.5 tons of iron ore, .5 tons of coal and 40% of the water utilized in the production process is saved. This also contributes to the overall amount of energy saved.

Reduces wastage: If steel is not recycled, it inevitable ends up in a landfill like any other piece of garbage. Due to this landfills are filling up quite quickly. Recycling steel prevents large quantities of this metal from being sent to landfills and puts it to better use. This in turn translates into less space used in landfills and fewer landfills lead to a more pristine environment and less health concerns. Studies carried out at recycling centers have shown that every ton of steel that gets recycled saves up to 4 cubic yards of land fill space thus preserving the land for other needs.

Thus, it is imperative that steel recycling be taken into consideration for the welfare of the environment and the human race as a whole.

by: Karen Adams

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