Waste plastic makes steel
12 Aug 2005
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Veena Sahajwalla, the Director of Sustainable Materials Processing Research at the
It's been a hard sell in a conservative industry, but now steel-makers around the world are picking up on the idea and the technology could be in use in
Forty per cent of the world's steel is produced in electric arc furnaces operating at 1600°C. "Up to 30% of the coal in these furnaces can be replaced with recycled plastic and we are aiming for more," says Sahajwalla.
"Not only does the plastic replace coal as a carbon source, it also acts as a fuel, reducing the power requirements for the furnace, and the extreme temperatures of steelmaking eliminate pollutants like dioxins."
"In
Sahajwalla is collaborating with leading steel producers in
"We are currently testing mixtures of waste plastics, and we hope to implement our technology in the steel industry in