Transforming scrap into green steel casting
The scrap recycling circular economy fascinates industry experts, environmental promoters and technology enthusiasts equally. That is because the approach aims to increase the use of scrap in steel foundries for highly complex mold castings to 100 percent. This results in many advantages for companies that drive sustainable development in the industry. At the forefront of this is voestalpine Foundry Group.
Of course, using scrap as the main raw material in steel foundries reduces dependence on primary iron ore resources. At the same time, however, considerable energy savings can be achieved, as consumption is reduced by up to 75 percent - compared to the energy required in the manufacturing process using primary iron ore. This leads to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and supports the industry's move towards sustainable production.
In addition, the use of scrap in highly complex mold castings improves the material composition. Since scrap often comes from different sources, a wide variety of alloying elements can be introduced into the casting. Specific properties of the final casting are tailored and optimized, further enhancing quality and performance.
In addition, the scrap recycling approach closes the loop for metal products and reduces the amount of waste and landfill. When scrap is recovered and recycled, the material is reintroduced into the production process and then transformed into new products. This helps conserve limited resources and promotes sustainable use of metals.
A prerequisite for the introduction of a 100 percent scrap strategy in steel foundries is close cooperation between recycling companies, foundries and other players along the supply chain. To ensure that only high-quality scrap is used, voestalpine Foundry Group invests in innovative and efficient separation and sorting technologies.
Overall, scrap recycling in steel foundries for highly complex molding has enormous potential: reducing resource and energy consumption, saving CO2 emissions, and further improving product quality. And all this in the interests of sustainable production.
Therefore, the use of scrap in steel casting offers a wide range of benefits for companies to make the future more efficient and sustainable. We will be happy to provide you with further details on request.