Introduction
Steel is one of the many metals which can be recycled endlessly without the integrity of the metal being compromised. Iron, on the other hand, has an easier capability to rearrange its atoms when heated. Recycling of this metals began as early as the 19th century where new steel products were made from melting scrap metal. Scrap metal is now a raw material used in the steel industry. Steel can be made from iron atoms being alloyed with other elements in the environment. The alloys can be used to make electro-galvanized steel sheets which are used to make vehicle bodies. When recycling this steel, however, flue gas dust emissions can be produced due to the zinc coat melting when exposed to heat. This gas can pose a hazardous risk to life by clogging the lungs (Environmental impact of the processes, 2018).
Steel and Iron recycling
Steel is an iron alloy, and it remains one of the most recycled items together with the ferrous iron element (ASM metal recycling ltd, 2018). Iron, as a metal can be recycled using five key methods that involve;
- Sorting – which is done by passing a magnetic field over the metal elements capturing the magnetic ones. Steel and iron are magnetic elements which can be sorted by using magnets.
- Shredding – which involves the use of magnetic drums that are fitted as propellers and kept rotating to extract magnetic elements from a mixture of metals
- Media separation that involves high-pressure air flows working in hand with electrical currents and floating systems. This method can be used to separate other alloys that are mixed with steel removing the protective layer most steel products have.
- Shearing – that involves the use of machines which cuts heavy pieces of steal using hydraulic pressure. The cut pieces of steel have been used to make railway lines adding to the many ways in which recycled steel can be used.
- Baling – that involves compressing iron and steel into one large block that can be moved easily at a cheaper cost than when the metals were on their own.
Different methods of recycling steel and iron have been used in the current world. The landfill is the most commonly used method that is utilized by firms to dispose of this metals. Governments find it expensive when they try to sort recyclable metals from the unrecyclable ones. They take advantage of the empty land spaces spread out throughout the country to dispose of metals. This is however detrimental to the natural state of the earth as it increases pollution levels through the emission of carbon dioxide gas produced when metals get oxidized. Subgrade filing is also a common method currently used by governments to dispose of the recycled slug as it is cost effective and reduces pollution effects on the environment. Construction materials are also known to be utilized by farmers to improve the soil fertility by scattering materials across a firm. Scientists have also found new ways to utilize industrial waste to make water purifying agents which can be used to treat sewage. The slags can be grounded into powder form which can be used to absorb the minerals found in water.
The future of industrial waste management
The Rapid increase in industrial manufacturing and processing in the business world is both of positive and negative impact on the environment and the general population in general. As stated earlier, the negative impacts of iron and steel processing include environmental pollution. Pollution has adverse effects on the environment and people, which include water contamination, cancer, air pollution, etc. steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, making this discussion basically about recycling of iron (Sverdrup et al., 2017).
For Australia, a bigger threat lies in the fact that China has closed its doors to the country’s garbage materials, leading to a dire need for Australia to invest in recycling. Existent methods of dealing with the waste, e.g., landfill and burning present just but a short-term solution to the problem. This is because, with time, all available Australia land available for filling will not last long before all of it is consumed by the waste. Burning also presents an adverse side effect which is air pollution which leads to ozone depletion hence global warming, plant deterioration due to blockage of stomata as well as contaminated air due to exposure to harmful oxides. Recycling of steel and iron slag, dross, and scaling present in itself a great investment opportunity, both financially and regarding environmental protection.
According to Dr. John Collins, landfill method of handling waste could be advanced shortly by the introduction of genetically engineered slugs which, as proposed will be capable of chewing through landfills. Dr. Collins believes that revolutionary cell biology will enable the creation of synthetic biocatalysts to digest waste and convert it to useful products. (Eandt.theiet.org, 2018). This method is not only a great possible advancement in landfilling methods but also is applicable, theoretically, in mining. The technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 has been described by the involved scientists as the most precise and versatile method of genome editing ever developed. The project, under SynbiCITE, if adopted in recycling will advance recycling miles away from where it lies today. All the same, the method has some controversy which Prof. Dietram Scheufele calls “potential pitfalls.” One is that it could be used in unethical means in the military to create viruses that could be inhaled to create genetic mutations causing cancer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, improper management of waste can cause great negative effects on the environment, yet its proper management can be used to reduce the same negative effects. To maintain a balance in the eco-system, biocatalysts have been invented to reduce the mass of landfills which have been disposed of. This will reduce the space occupied by this landfills freeing more spaces of land that can be utilized for other purposes by the government. Australia has faced bans from China on their disposal of industrial waste to their country. Australia can choose the best feasible solution for their waste management to curb any future problems which can be brought about by the dumping of this waste.
References
ASM metal recycling ltd (2018). Iron Recycling.
http://www.asm-recycling.co.uk/scrap-metal/iron.html. Accessed on 13th April 2018.
Eandt.theiet.org (2018). Genetically Engineered Slugs to Chew Through Landfill and Mine
Precious Metals. https://www.eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2017/11/genetically-engineered-slugs-to-chew-through-landfill-and-mine-precious-metals/. Accessed on 13th April 2018.
Environmental impact of the processes (2018). Environmental impact of the processes –
Jernkontoret. http://www.jernkontoret.se/en/the-steel-industry/production-utilisation-recycling/environmental-impact-of-the-processes/. Accessed on 13th April 2018.
Sverdrup, H.U., Ragnarsdottir, K. V., & Koca, D. (2017). An assessment of metal supply
sustainability as an input to policy: security of supply extraction rates, stocks-in-use,
recycling, and risk of scarcity. Journal of cleaner production, 140, 359-372.
