Stainless steel recycling

INMETCO is capable of handling both portable and industrial NiCd batteries, and is permitted to recycle up to 10,000 tons of NiCd batteries per year. Since INMETCO is primarly a stainless steel recycler, the economics of their NiCd battery recycling process is not as dependent on current cadmium prices as are those of recyclers who are dedicated to NiCd battery recycling alone. 

The reactors were thick-waked stainless steel towers packed with a catalyst containing copper and bismuth oxides on a skiceous carrier. This was activated by formaldehyde and acetylene to give the copper acetyUde complex that functioned as the tme catalyst. Acetylene and an aqueous solution of formaldehyde were passed together through one or more reactors at about 90—100°C and an acetylene partial pressure of about 500—600 kPa (5—6 atm) with recycling as required. Yields of butynediol were over 90%, in addition to 4—5% propargyl alcohol. 

In California, Spirulina sp. grown in paddle-wheel-agitated open ponds with CO2 is harvested through stainless steel screens, with recycling of the nutrient-rich water to the ponds. The wet Spirulina is spray-dried at 60°C for a few seconds to yield a food-grade product (47). 

The reactor effluent, containing 1—2% hydrazine, ammonia, sodium chloride, and water, is preheated and sent to the ammonia recovery system, which consists of two columns. In the first column, ammonia goes overhead under pressure and recycles to the anhydrous ammonia storage tank. In the second column, some water and final traces of ammonia are removed overhead. The bottoms from this column, consisting of water, sodium chloride, and hydrazine, are sent to an evaporating crystallizer where sodium chloride (and the slight excess of sodium hydroxide) is removed from the system as a soHd. Vapors from the crystallizer flow to the hydrate column where water is removed overhead. The bottom stream from this column is close to the hydrazine—water azeotrope composition. Standard materials of constmction may be used for handling chlorine, caustic, and sodium hypochlorite. For all surfaces in contact with hydrazine, however, the preferred material of constmction is 304 L stainless steel. 

The obvious destination for nickel waste is in the manufacture of stainless steel, which consumes 65% of new refined nickel production. Stainless steel is produced in a series of roasting and smelting operations. These can be hospitable to the various forms of nickel chemical waste. In 1993, 3 x 10 t of nickel from nickel-containing wastes were processed into 30 x 10 t of stainless steel remelt alloy (205,206) (see Recycling, nonferrous metals). This quantity is expected to increase dramatically as development of the technology of waste recycle coUection improves. 

Alkenes with between 4 and 24 carbon atoms react with phenol to produce an unrefined phenol—alkylphenol mixture. This mixture is fed to the distillation train where the phenol is removed for recycle and the product is isolated. The product is then stored in heated tanks made of stainless steel or phenoHc resin lined carbon steel. These tanks are blanketed with inert gas to avoid product discoloration associated with oxidation. 

Fig. 1. Recycling of the nonferrous metals ( ) lead, ( ) nickel (stainless steel), (U) copper, (S) aluminum, and ( ) 2iac from secondary sources from 1989...

Nickel. Around 56,000 t of nickel were recycled from scrap in 1994. This is just over one-third of the consumption of the metal. The only mining and smelter in the United States was idle in 1994, although INMETCO (EUwood City, Peimsylvania) was a primary consumer of recyclable metal in the production of stainless steel. Almost one-half of all nickel went into the production of stainless steels with an additional 29% in superaHoys and... 

The calcium cyanamide feed is weU mixed with the recycled slurry and filtrate ia a feed vessel. The calcium cyanamide is added at a rate to maintain a pH of 6.0—6.5 ia the cooling tank. The carbonation step can be conducted ia a turbiae absorber with a residence time of 1—2 min. After the carbonation step, the slurry is held at 30—40°C to complete the formation of calcium carbonate, after which the slurry is cooled and filtered. AH equipment for the process is preferably of stainless steel. The resulting solution is used directiy for conversion to dicyandiamide. 

The unit was built in a loop because the needed 85 standard m /hour gas exceeded the laboratory capabilities. In addition, by controlling the recycle loop-to-makeup ratio, various quantities of product could be fed for the experiments. The adiabatic reactor was a 1.8 m long, 7.5 cm diameter stainless steel pipe (3 sch. 40 pipe) with thermocouples at every 5 centimeter distance. After a SS was reached at the desired condition, the bypass valve around the preheater was suddenly closed, forcing all the gas through the preheater. This generated a step change increase in the feed temperature that started the runaway. The 20 thermocouples were displayed on an oscilloscope to see the transient changes. This was also recorded on a videotape to play back later for detailed observation. 

Sev eral months before the accident, reactor 5 in the series was found to be leaking. Inspection showed a vertical crack in its stainless steel. It was removed for repairs, but it was decided to continue operation by connecting reactor 4 directly to reactor 6 in the series. The loss of the reactor reduced the yield but production continued with unreacted cyclohexane being separated and recycled at a later stage. 

Hydrolytic Kinetic Resolution (HKR) of epichlorohydrin. The HKR reaction was performed by the standard procedure as reported by us earlier (17, 22). After the completion of the HKR reaction, all of the reaction products were removed by evacuation (epoxide was removed at room temperature ( 300 K) and diol was removed at a temperature of 323-329 K). The recovered catalyst was then recycled up to three times in the HKR reaction. For flow experiments, a mixture of racemic epichlorohydrin (600 mmol), water (0.7 eq., 7.56 ml) and chlorobenzene (7.2 ml) in isopropyl alcohol (600 mmol) as the co-solvent was pumped across a 12 cm long stainless steel fixed bed reactor containing SBA-15 Co-OAc salen catalyst (B) bed ( 297 mg) via syringe pump at a flow rate of 35 p,l/min. Approximately 10 cm of the reactor inlet was filled with glass beads and a 2 pm stainless steel frit was installed at the outlet of the reactor. Reaction products were analyzed by gas chromatography using ChiralDex GTA capillary column and an FID detector. 

Stainless steel scrap Machining and cutting of pipe Sold to scrap recycler 700,000 —164,300 (net revenue received)... 

The disc holder was machined to fit into the stainless steel flange in such a way that it directs the gas to consecutively sweep both faces of the catalyst disc, with an expansion volume in-between. This configuration provided good gas-phase mixing in the cell, thus allowing the reactor to be characterized as a CSTR. This mode of internal mixing eliminates the need for internal moving parts or external recycle loops and pumps. 

The space between inner and outer cylinders forms the annulus. The column bottom plate is made of stainless steel and typically contains 90 exit holes below the annulus. The holes are covered by a filter plate to keep the stationary phase in place. Three different column sizes are available for the laboratory P-CAC unit the physical characteristics of the different annular columns are summarized in Table 1. The collection of the different fractions at the lower end of the annular column is regulated by a fixed glide ring system. Each chamber in the fixed glidering corresponds to an exit holes in the bottom plate of the column. The number of exit holes equals the number of chambers. The fixed glide ring system allows the continuous and controlled recovery of the separated fractions at the end of the column. Thus cross contamination is avoided and precise fraction collection is ensured. The whole process of collecting the fractions is conducted in a closed system. Unused eluent can be easily recycled. 

The MCFC has some disadvantages, however the electrolyte is very corrosive and mobile, and a source of CO2 is required at the cathode (usually recycled from anode exhaust) to form the carbonate ion. Sulfur tolerance is controlled by the reforming catalyst and is low, which is the same for the reforming catalyst in all cells. Operation requires use of stainless steel as the cell hardware material. The higher temperatures promote material problems, particularly mechanical stability that impacts life. 

Technically, the process is being exploited in discontinuously operating units of stainless steel (similar to type 316) which are constructed in two ways. In one method, an esterification vessel is combined with a Raschig column, a heat exchanger to preheat the alcohol recycled for esterification by the vapors emerging from the column, and an air cooler. In a second type of esterification unit partial condensation of the water from the vapors is carried out. Contrary to the former process, neither an esterification column, nor a heat exchanger, nor an equipment for a subsequent separation of the reaction water, nor a reflux pump is needed. 

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