Technology

It is an age-old discussion between the steel industry and its suppliers: how to keep copper contamination in metal scrap within acceptable bounds ?
Even after hand-picking, the red metal often remains present in unattractively high levels.

For metal-scrap processing companies, particularly automobile (ELV), electrical and electronic (WEEE) and incineration scrap companies, copper contamination of ferrous scrap is becoming an insurmountable issue.

Excessive copper contamination in the melt causes new steel to become either too soft or too brittle, making it unsuitable for further use. According to steel producers, this escalating problem is undermining their confidence in the use of scrap as a raw material.

ReSteel products offer scrap processing companies in the European market a concrete technological solution to escalating scrap contamination issues (like copper), delivering clean scrap with a constant and known specification, and a reduction of copper rich parts in metal scrap by more than 90%.

Working principle

The goal of the Clean Scrap Machine of ReSteel is to extract non-contaminated Ferro parts from a mixstream of scrap.
This separation technology is based on specific physical properties of the scrap elements:
- Shape
- Density
- Magnetic properties: the amount of magnetic forces on
   the element, when influenced by a magnetic field.

The mixstream of scrap is transported over a belt with a high velocity. As a result of that the material falls from the belt into a funnel system. The front drum of the CSM contains a system which attracts the non-contaminated Ferro parts which causes their falling movement to be deflected, towards the front drum. These parts are drawn into the first funnel, closest to the machine.
Contaminated parts, such as transformers and motor armatures and heavy and compact Ferro parts are less influenced by the system, which causes them to follow the normal fall movement. These parts fall into the second funnel.



The end result of the machine are two different fractions.
a. The Clean Scrap Fraction (CSF) will contain clean scrap. Clean scrap in this regard means scrap with a very low copper grade.
b. The Remainder Fraction (RMF) will contain almost all   elements containing copper with a minority of Ferro parts.
    This fraction needs handsorting afterwards.

So not only can our clients meet the quality standards of the steel industry, they can maximize the value of their steel scrap, and increase their processing capacity - ensuring a brighter future for steel recycling with clean scrap.

ReSteel's technology is the result of four years of research and testing conducted by scientists at the department of Civil Engineering & Geosciences at the Technical University Delft (TU Delft) – one of Europe's leading technical universities.

Heading the team at TU Delft is Professor Peter Rem, an internationally-renowned specialist in separation techniques. Professor Rem was recently the recipient of an award for most entrepreneurial scientist, for his contribution to the technology behind ReSteel.

ReSteel’s ongoing technology partnership with TU Delft and Professor Peter Rem is instrumental to the continual development of new technologies in scrap separation techniques.