The importance of steel

as recycled material

Steel is an essential part of our society. It can be recycled almost indefinitely without compromising its quality. A third of the steel produced in Germany is made by recycling steel scrap in electric steelworks. Historically, however, the capacities of electric steelworks are currently low, but are being greatly expanded in the course of the current transformation.

In principle, steel recycling plays a central role from a sustainability perspective. By reusing steel, natural resources are conserved and the need for new raw material extraction is reduced. The technical usability, availability and individual quality of steel scrap are among the most important limiting factors.

The theoretically endless recycling possibilities reduce the amount of waste and save landfill space. This leads to a reduction in environmental pollution and supports the social and ecological goals of our society.

Advantages

of steel recycling

Conserving resources is one of the biggest advantages of steel recycling. Recycling saves raw materials and energy. For example, just as much new steel can be produced from one tonne of scrap steel as from 1.5 tonnes of iron ore.

Recycling steel also significantly reduces CO2e emissions. This saves over 20 million tonnes of CO2e in Germany every year. The CO2e savings are based on a comparison between recycling and primary production (blast furnace route).

From an economic point of view, steel recycling offers cost efficiency and creates jobs.

Steel recycling

the process

The steel recycling process begins with the collection and sorting of steel scrap. This is then divided into own scrap, new scrap and old scrap. The scrap is processed by pressing, shredding and shearing.

Once cleaned, steel scrap is melted in electric furnaces and processed further. Quality controls and certifications such as DIN ISO 9001:2015 ensure high quality and stable processes.

The processed steel scrap is moulded into the desired shape and melted in the electric furnace. Stainless steel is also recycled and often contains chromium, nickel and molybdenum, which can be recovered.

Steel recycling

at the EMW Steel Service Centre

Steel recycling, green steel, energy efficiency and resource conservation are integral parts of our philosophy - always closely aligned with applicable international environmental standards.

We strive for environmentally friendly production processes and continuously optimise our processes with 100% electrically operated slitting and sheet plants. We recycle steel by recirculating the chipping scrap produced by chopping off excess hems from coils.