Overview
Français
ABSTRACT
This article explains the economic mechanisms in the recycling of end-of-life products containing iron, in a context of growing global demand. This sector can be weakened by the highly volatile price of virgin raw materials, which may jeopardize the professional stakeholders in recycling. However, the societal context (sustainable development, Circular Economy*, COP 21 and forthcoming trends), which is generating increasingly stringent regulations in the use of natural resources and release into the environment, offers a fresh opportunity for recycling.
Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.
Read the articleAUTHOR
-
Bernard GROS: Consulting engineer, steelmaker - Independent consultant, Orval-La-Ville, Saint-Nizier d'Azergues, France
INTRODUCTION
While the articles
The first paragraph develops these economic aspects, highlighting in particular the trade-offs that now need to be made between market laws and regulations.
At EU level, directives on products and waste, translated into the laws of the various member states, guide and frame the development of existing and new recycling channels. This is beneficial overall for the preservation of our environment, by reducing the volumes of waste to be disposed of, substituting recovered materials for terrestrial resources, generating energy savings, thanks to the shortening of production processes, and overall reducing CO 2 emissions.
As far as iron-containing products are concerned, however, these new provisions are often a source of new constraints, adding costs to an already well-established industry. This is the disadvantage of having been ahead of the game, requiring adaptation, whereas other materials, having everything to create, can take these new data into account from the outset.
The second paragraph deals with the future outlook for the entire theme, and reflects on the attractions, strengths and risks for the ferrous products industry and all recycling-related business sectors. This new and favorable context is introduced by the notions of sustainable development and the circular economy, but within a highly fluctuating economic framework, resulting from the instability of prices and availability of raw materials for extraction - ores, coal and oil - in competition with recycled materials.
Recycling is in fact the result of an industrial maturity in developed countries, which are seeking to solve both their environmental problems and their dependence on raw materials extracted elsewhere than on their own soil.
Recycling is struggling...
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
KEYWORDS
environmental impact | recovery | smelting | local regulations | global market | opportunities
This article is included in
Metal manufacturing processes and recycling
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Recycling capital goods containing iron
System economy
Bibliography
Events
ADEME, Filières & Recyclage, every 2 years in Paris :
http://www.ademe.fr/actualites/manifestations/colloque-national-filieres-recyclage
Batimat Reed Expositions International construction show, every 2 years in Paris (odd-numbered years)
Standards and norms
The table at 1 lists the standards and their subjects that relate to, or have an impact on, the recycling of ferrous products.
Regulations
The table 2 sets out the regulations governing the recycling of iron-containing goods and waste, and their purpose.
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
