Update: California seeks comments on scrap metal definition revision - Recycling Today

2022-05-28 12:44:11 By : Ms. Anas Cui

The state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control is accepting comments through Sept. 7.

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control has issued a request for comments from Aug. 31 through Sept. 7 related to proposed emergency regulations to amend title 22, California Code of Regulations, division 4.5, sections 66260.10, 66261.6, and 66273.9. The agency says it is seeking to clarify the definition of scrap metal found in sections 66260.10 and 66273.9 by aligning it with the federal definition of scrap metal while also removing duplicative language in the current state definition of scrap metal. DTSC also proposes amending section 66261.6 to clarify the conditions under which scrap metal could be exempted, as a “recyclable material,” from regulatory requirements of hazardous waste.

The proposals have grown out of concerns about fires and hazardous waste releases from metal shredders, the DTSC says.

If the proposals are approved by the Office of Administrative Law, metal shredding facilities in the state would be required to avoid “releases of toxic metals like copper, lead, and zinc; monitor environmental conditions; and set aside financial assurances in the event the facility must be closed to address safety concerns,” according to the DTSC website. Metal shredder operators would have 30 days to apply for interim authorization to continue their operations until they transition into a protective permit under the interim standards.

According to the comment period notice from the DTSC, “The August 2021 finalization of DTSC’s analysis of the metal shredder industry (“Final Report”), along with several recent findings and occurrences, led DTSC to determine that the current regulatory system has created an unforeseen emergency necessitating immediate action to avoid serious and imminent harm to the public peace, health, safety and general welfare.”

The Final Report states in part, “Metal shredding facilities generally do not produce waste that exceeds the federal regulatory levels established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and thus are not federally regulated as a hazardous waste. Metal shredding facilities do, however, generate waste that exceeds California's regulatory thresholds for the characteristic of toxicity, and is recognized by DTSC to be a non-RCRA hazardous waste.”

The DTSC has determined that unprocessed obsolete scrap metal arriving at auto shredding facilities is waste because consumers have discarded the material and that, before being shredded, the depolluted metal feedstock did not meet the definition of a hazardous waste under California law. The agency also has determined that metal shredder aggregate, the mixture of recoverable ferrous and nonferrous metals and nonrecoverable metal shredder residue, including plastics, rubber, glass, foam, fabrics, carpet, wood, residual amounts of fluids such as fuels, oils and grease, dirt and/or other debris, exiting the hammermill shredder does not meet the definition of scrap metal under California law and is hazardous waste and therefore is not exempt from regulation under the California Hazardous Waste Control Law.

According to the DTSC’s Final Report, “Because metal shredder aggregate and metal shredder residue must both be managed as hazardous waste, and because metal shredding facilities are engaged in treatment activities on the aggregate and residue, a form of authorization is required for these hazardous waste treatment activities.”

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, opposes the DTSC's proposed emergency action. ISRI's Vice President of Advocacy Adina Renee Adler shared the following statement with Recycling Today: "There is simply no legitimate emergency on which the proposed action can be met. Shredders operate in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, having spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the last 10 years to upgrade their facilities and install the latest in environmental control and process technologies. Regulating shredders as hazardous waste treatment facilities is neither needed nor would it even address the incidents DTSC cites as creating the need in the first place. This is in stark contrast to the industry’s voluntary initiatives of the last several years, which will yield long-term and effective results. DTSC also failed to consider the devastating impact such a move will have on supply chains for clean steel and aluminum infrastructure as well as the tens of thousands of jobs supported by the recycling industry. Worse, the very low-income, minority and environmental justice communities they seek to protect will be the worst affected by these job losses and the blight that is sure to come when end-of-life vehicles and appliances have nowhere to go but empty lots in urban and rural areas throughout the state. In our comments, we called upon DTSC to reconsider their proposal. If there are legitimate concerns they believe need to be addressed, we are eager to work closely with DTSC to identify appropriate solutions."

*Updated Sept. 9 to include the statement from ISRI.

The process recovers high-purity rare-earth compounds from motor magnets, the partners say.

Automaker Nissan Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and Waseda University in Japan say they have started testing a jointly developed recycling process to recover rare-earth compounds from electrified vehicle motor magnets with the goal of enabling practical application of the new process by the mid-2020s.

According to a news release from Nissan, most motors in electrified vehicles use neodymium magnets, which contain scarce rare-earth metals, such as neodymium and dysprosium. Reducing the use of scarce rare earths is important not only because of the environmental impact of mining and refining but also because the shifting balance of supply and demand leads to price fluctuations for manufacturers and consumers.

Nissan says it has been working from the design stage to reduce the amount of heavy rare-earth elements (REEs) it uses in motor magnets since 2010. In addition, Nissan is recycling REEs by removing magnets from motors that do not meet production standards and returning them to suppliers.

Currently, multiple steps are involved, according to the company, including manual disassembly and removal. Therefore, developing a simpler and more economical process is important to facilitate recycling.

Nissan says it has been collaborating with Waseda University, which has a strong track record of researching nonferrous metal recycling and smelting, since 2017. In March of last year, the collaboration successfully developed a pyrometallurgy process that does not require motor disassembly.

The process involves adding a carburizing material and pig iron to the motor, which is then heated to at least 1,400 C and begins to melt. Iron oxide is added to oxidize the REEs in the molten mixture. A small amount of borate-based flux, which is capable of dissolving rare-earth oxides even at low temperatures and highly efficiently recovering REEs, is added to the molten mixture. The molten mixture separates into two liquid layers, with the molten oxide layer (slag) that contains the REEs floating to the top, and the higher density iron-carbon (Fe-C) alloy layer sinking to the bottom. The REEs are then recovered from the slag.

Nissan says testing has shown that this process can recover 98 percent of the motors’ REEs while also reducing the recovery process and work time by approximately 50 percent compared with the current method because no time is needed to demagnetize the magnets nor to remove and disassemble them.

Waseda and Nissan say they will continue their large-scale facility testing with the aim of developing practical application, and Nissan will collect motors from electrified vehicles that are being recycled and continue to develop its recycling system. 

The new enhancement automatically tightens belts and minimizes maintenance requirements.

Prab Inc., a manufacturer of equipment and systems for processing metal scrap that is based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has released the Auto-Take Up System as a conveyor enhancement that automatically tightens belts and eliminates the need for manual adjustments.

As chains on conveyance systems age, they stretch, which is one of the most common causes of premature belt wear and unplanned conveyor maintenance. According to a news release from Prab Inc., a stretched chain can cause the belt to slip off of the sprocket and fold up under itself, leading to belt damage, stopped production and downtime.

To prevent a belt failure, operators have traditionally performed manual belt adjustments, which require the machine to be shut off while an operator crawls into a pit underneath the press to check the belt’s tension and tighten it with a wrench. Prab says this type of maintenance typically needs to be repeated twice a year.

To prevent these maintenance concerns, Prab reports that its Auto-Take Up enhancement monitors tension using load cells on chain conveyors, including steel belt conveyors, drag conveyors and the Prab ScrapVeyor. The system is wired to a PLC control panel, which monitors tension and automatically tightens the belt to eliminate the need for manual adjustments and downtime.

Prab says the enhancement can be added to new conveyors or retrofitted onto existing models. If retrofitted onto an existing conveyor, the system can be operated using that conveyor’s original control panel. Automatic adjustments can be scheduled to be completed during low production times or shift changes.

“Manual belt tightening increases downtime for preventive maintenance and, if not addressed properly, risks a belt failure that can damage the conveyor,” says Mike Hook, sales and marketing director at Prab. “The Auto-Take Up eliminates the need for manual belt adjustments for improved conveyor uptime.” 

U.K.-based scrap firm says freight rail in that nation and in the U.S. is keeping trucks off the road.

United Kingdom-based scrap recycling firm EMR Ltd. says it is working to meet its net-zero carbon emissions target by 2040 and cites its use of rail shipping as a “great example of some of the benefits that decarbonizing our operations can bring.”

In the U.K., EMR says it works closely with its rail freight partners “to move materials to our deep-sea docks as well as to [U.K.] customers where possible.”

The company continues, “We use two sets of railway wagons [gondola cars] that are known as MBAs (or monster boxes). Each set includes 18 wagons with an individual capacity of 84 cubic meters (110 cubic yards) and a potential payload of 72 metric tons. This means that each train EMR runs has a carrying capacity of around 1,300 metric tons.”

Moving the same amount of material by road would take 40 trucks, according to EMR, which adds that each train equates to less road traffic, less congestion at its own yards and a decline in use of truck scales which means “faster service for customers who deliver their scrap to us.”

In the U.K., EMR says it sends out trains six to seven times per week from yards in Sheffield, Birmingham or Swindon, with many going to the firm’s Liverpool docks to be exported around the world. Rail-connected mills and foundries in the U.K. also can have material delivered to their operations.

EMR also operates scrap yards in the United States. The company says its shredder yard in Becker, Minnesota, includes a new $2.5 million rail line to enable the firm to send out prepared scrap to mills throughout the U.S., cutting the number of trucks needed to transfer material long distances there as well.

As EMR and its partners look to cut carbon emissions out of their supply chains, switching to rail provides significant benefits, says the company.

DB Cargo, a Germany-based rail service provider with operations in the U.K., provides regular sustainability reports to EMR, says the recycler. “It has calculated that [the] carbon footprint of rail freight is significantly less than road, and DB Cargo suggests EMR is saving around 8,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions thanks to the use of its rail freight services.”

Citing freight rail as an area of its operations it is “keen to invest in,” EMR says is increasing the number of trains it will operate in the U.K. to up to nine per week.

EMR says rail is not yet a fully net-zero emissions method of transport, but “as technology progresses in the years ahead, we hope the arrival of hydrogen-powered trains and a decarbonized electricity supply for our rail networks will ensure that, by 2040, our use of rail is entirely carbon neutral.”

Steelmakers in South America have surpassed pre-COVID-19 output levels.

South American steelmakers produced 26.4 million metric tons of steel in the first seven months of 2021, representing a 26.3 percent increase compared with the same time frame in 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions were widely in force.

Brazil, the continent’s leading steelmaker, has demonstrated a similar pattern of increased output, despite its status as one of the most COVID-wracked nations in South America. Despite its health woes, steelmakers in Brazil produced 22 more steel in the first seven months of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020.

The 3 million metric tons of steel produced in Brazil this July represents a 22 percent increase from the 2.45 million metric tons produced in July 2019, before COVID-19 began its economic ripple effects.

In South America overall, the 3.8 million metric tons of output this July represents an 18 percent increase compared with the 3.22 million metric tons made in July 2019.

The resurgence of the steel sector has been accompanied by announced furnace restarts and capacity expansions from steelmakers in Latin America.

In early June, Mexico-based steelmaker SIMEC disclosed that it plans to double the capacity at its scrap-fed electric arc furnace (EAF) rebar mill in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil. S&P Global Platts, citing a Simec announcement, reported the EAF mill there will expand from capacity of 500,000 metric tons per year to 1 million metric tons.

The plant, operated by the GV do Brasil Simec subsidiary, produces “rebar and rebar coils,” according to S&P. Some $300 million will be invested by Simec to install new EAF technology and a new rolling mill.

In late April, Brazil-based Gerdau announced its intention to restart an EAF mill in Guaíra, Brazil, in the second half of this year because of “the positive scenario for steel demand” in the region.

In neighboring Peru, EAF steelmaker Aceros Arequipa in April announced signing a contract with Germany-based SMS Group for a new vacuum tank degasser to its mill in Pisco, Peru.

The degasser will be integrated into an already delivered SMS Group melt shop and enable the Peruvian steelmaker to widen its production in terms of quantity and quality, according to SMS.

Aceros Arequipa also made a move to strengthen its access to North American ferrous scrap feedstock. In July, the company agreed to purchase an auto shredder yard in Florida formerly operated by Topsham, Maine-based Grimmel Industries.

At the time of that purchase, Aceros Arequipa Strategic Sourcing Manager Diego Arróspide Benavides told Recycling Today, “The new furnace requires almost 400,000 tons per year or more, so we must assure the volume." He added that “100 percent of the ferrous scrap will be shipped to Pisco" from Florida.