Plastic to assist in making steel

13-Aug-05

As the plastics industry tries to cope with recycling issues, research in this direction is leading to various new ideas and innovative applications of waste plastics. Alternative technology for plastic waste disposal which is environmentally friendly are being sought. The latest in the field of recycling seems to be a technique developed in Australia to use waste plastic in steel making. Many waste plastics, from shopping bags to dishwashing liquid containers and drink bottles, contain high enough levels of carbon to be useful in steel making. Under the process, waste plastics are fed into electric steel-making furnaces as an alternative source of carbon and heated to super-hot temperatures of 1,600 degrees Celsius (2,912 Fahrenheit). Carbon is used to add strength to steel. The higher the carbon content, the stronger but less ductile is the steel. Conventionally coal and coke is added. The process does not replace all of the coal and coke, but uses a mix of plastic and coal.This process could have implications for recycling scrap metal that accounts for 40% of steel production. Currently a steel making furnace melts scrap steel.