2017-Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
SIPS 2017 Volume 7. Recycling, Secondary Batteries and Environmental Protection

Editors:Kongoli F, Aifantis K, Kumar V, Pagnanelli F, Kozlov P, Xueyi G
Publisher:Flogen Star OUTREACH
Publication Year:2017
Pages:205 pages
ISBN:978-1-987820-73-7
ISSN:2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series)
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    Sustainable Technologies to Save Energy and Reduce Emissions in Metal Recycling Processes

    Rocky (Zhong-Ling) Wei1; Joachim von Scheele1;
    1THE LINDE GROUP, Shanghai, China;
    Type of Paper: Regular
    Id Paper: 153
    Topic: 7

    Abstract:

    Recycling is becoming a more and more important resource of metal. In electronics and car recycling, this mainly applies to copper, iron, steel, lead, aluminum, and gold.
    The combustion processes in the metal recycling process are a large user of energy and source of emissions. There are two main ways to save energy and reduce emissions in those processes: the Direct Way 每 the most efficient ways to save energy and decrease emissions are to minimize the need and the generation, respectively; the Indirect Way 每 energy recycling and post treatment to remove CO2, NOx, SOx, etc.
    There is large short-term opportunity to decrease energy use and emissions from the metal recycling industry sector by using the Direct Way. It has been proven that the need for energy in many of these combustion processes can be reduced by 20-50% by applying different types of oxyfuel combustion 每 an excellent example of the Direct Way. Reduction of CO2 emissions will follow the reduced energy need. A special combustion technology called Flameless Oxyfuel is also very efficient to reduce NOx emissions. Lindeㄛas a global leading industry gas company, has pioneered the development and implementation of flameless oxyfuel technology in the copper, lead and aluminum recycling industries. Flameless Oxyfuel provides an overall thermal efficiency in the heating of 80%; the commonly used air-fuel that reaches 40-60%. With Flameless Oxyfuel, compared to air-fuel, the energy savings are at least 25%, but many times 50% or even more. The corresponding reduction in CO2 emission is also 25-50%. Savings in terms of NOx emissions are substantial, sometimes exceeding 90%. Flameless Oxyfuel combustion has major advantages over conventional oxyfuel and, even more, over any kind of air-fuel combustion. The improved temperature uniformity is a very important benefit, which also reduces the fuel consumption further.
    Over the past decades, there were many hundreds of successful installations of different oxygen and oxyfuel solutions in the metal recycling industry sector, all resulting in reduced fuel consumption and less emissions. Here follows are examples: OXYGON vessel preheating, Flameless Oxyfuel for copper and lead recycling, LTOF for aluminum recycling; Installations of OXYGON, LTOF and have demonstrated reductions of the hazardous NOx emissions by 60-95%.
    Flameless Oxyfuel solutions are creating benefits for the metal recycling industry sector in terms of cost savings and improved working environment, but also for the society as a whole. This is particularly important in Asia, with both a large population and a huge heavy industry production. These well-established technologies can strongly support a quick path to make the metallurgical processes in the metal recycling industry ※green§!

    Keywords:

    CO2; Industry; Metal; Non-Ferrous; Recycling; Scrap; Technology;

    Cite this article as:

    Wei R and von Scheele J. (2017). Sustainable Technologies to Save Energy and Reduce Emissions in Metal Recycling Processes. In Kongoli F, Aifantis K, Kumar V, Pagnanelli F, Kozlov P, Xueyi G (Eds.), Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit SIPS 2017 Volume 7. Recycling, Secondary Batteries and Environmental Protection (pp. 111-113). Montreal, Canada: FLOGEN Star Outreach