Upgrading nonferrous metal scrap for recycling purposes

Reusing materials in the post-consumer phase of a product is very important; however, it is often difficult to separate the metals, resulting in a scrap that is high in impurities and limited in application. To prevent the mixing of scrap, separation at the source is required. Recently, several techniques for separating nonferrous metals have become available, including eddy-current separation to separate nonferrous metals from a mixture of waste, fluid-bed separation to separate light and heavy metals, and image analysis to separate cast and wrought alloys. For more information, contact G.H. Nijhof, Nijhof Consultancy, Heemsteedse Dreef 92, 2102 KN Heemstede, Netherlands; telephone 31-23-529-2273; fax 31-23-529-2273; e-mail nijhof. consultancy@wxs.nl.