hazardous waste disposal/recycling

[bobc]

i am looking for some links to approved uses of steel forging scale.
in the past few years there were many articles for recycling this material, but nothing currently.
we are now hauling our scale to landfills and the disposal costs are enormous.
some manufacturers recycle their scale in melt furnaces, but our met. department will not approve this procedure as we make a high purity bearing grade steel.
any arrows pointing to possible solutions are appreciated.

thank you,
bob creely

 

[orenda1168]

Bobc:

Have you investigated disposal of the scale to another manufacturer with less stringent melt requirements?

Orenda

 

[bobc]

yes i have, but those that use their own scale in remelting are still not capable of eliminating all the scale they accumulate, so they too are landfilling the extra, good thought though. some contractors used it in years past for base in asphalting, but if the EPA gets a knot in it's panty hose, we could be liable for clean up on past road projects. the risk just isn't worth it.
the material really is minimally considered hazardous waste, but if the laws change down the road we would still be liable.
thanks for helping,
bob creely

 

[orenda1168]

Sorry for the lack of better alternatives, Bob. Don't you just hate these "rock and a hard place" situations!

Good luck in finding a cheap, "stay away from the EPA" solution.

Orenda

 

[dicksewerrat]

If you use it as mineral filler in asphalt the AC will seal it. Test some in a batch of asphalt and try to leach it out. Get some test results and then see if you can blow it by the local road authority.

Richard A. Cornelius, P.E.

http://WWW.amlinereast.com

 

[tc002]

BobC,
There are technologies out there that are being developed for the recycling of mill waste including scales, dust, and some slag as well if the slag is high enough in residual metals. Not much is being written about them recently, except for the paper I published last January in Europe in Steel Grips. But yes there is technology and to go along with the handling of this stuff we have also developed a small furnace that would smelt the materials into a hot metal for feed back to your furnace. Our system (patented) is called the RBI process where we use mill wastes, mix it with ingredients, ram briquette it into a self reducing feed for an oxygen furnace and make hot metal or go further in making stainless or ferrous products, all with add-on equipment. The process is inexpensive. We work with one of the government labs for testing the materials.
Other companies that are working on similar or parallel technologies are mainly in Europe where the dumping laws are much more stringent. Perhaps some day our values will catch up to sustainable technology.

 

[bobc]

the recycling of steel wastes all seems to have come to a screeching halt in early 2000 or there about. i don't know why.
i am interested in viewing the RBI process if a site is available.
googling "RBI" takes me in too many directions as many companies and processes use the "RBI" designation for their own interpretations.
bob creely

 

[tc002]

Dear Bob Creely,
Thanks for the response. You can contact me directly at tcinc002@aol.com

 

[kenvlach]

Here is a list of metal-containing waste recylers compiled by the EPA for metal finishers:

7.3 OFFSITE METALS RECOVERY PROCESSES
7.3.1 Horsehead Resource Development Company
7.3.2 Inmetco
7.3.3 RECONTEK
7.3.4 CP Chemicals
7.3.5 World Resources Company
7.3.6 Encycle/Texas, Inc.
7.3.7 Alpha Omega Recycling, Inc.
7.3.8 Cyano Corporation of Michigan
7.3.9 Eticam
7.3.10 Metro Recovery Systems

For the complete descriptions & locations, go to

http://www.nmfrc.org/bluebook/sec73.htm

(At least) several operate smelters & take furnace dust from the steelmaking industry and other feed sources.

The list seems somewhat dated; I know that US Filter also recovers metals.

Also, cement furnaces can take some metal slags; I believe that a certain amount of iron & other metals in the cement strengthens concrete. I know that the oil industry gets rid of metal-containing sludges (also have BTU value) this way.

 

[PB500]

For those out there working on hot rolling mills, oily mill scale coming from oil-water separators is recycled back into blast furnace where it is burned as auxiliary fuel according to a co-incineration principle, under a patent VOEST ALPINE (now Siemens...who else?) technology.

 

[tc002]

Yes, VAI is recycling some of the oily mill scale from there own hot rolling mills back into their BF in Linz, Austria as a practice to eliminate some of the iron bearing materials wastes they generate and the oily base does provide some hydrocarbons in the BF. They have to be a little careful however in selecting when to add it (the mill scale) so as to be compatible with the hot metal they are producing.
The reports I've read also indicate that 25% of the mill scale recycled goes back into the off gas scrubbers since it is so small as to be carried over by the gas stream. At least some of it is being used. Please remember that European environmental laws are way more restrictive on dumping than ours and all metals producers are under scrutiny to develop methods for a 0% waste. We still have the corporate bottom line management philosophy here both by the governement and industry. Maybe some day?