The INMETCO NiCd Battery Recycling Process

The International Metals Reclamation Company, Inc. (INMETCO), located in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, began operations in 1978 as a metals recycler. INMETCO is committed to the concept of sustainable development, which requires 

INMETCO s High Temperature Metals Recovery process reclaims the nickel, chromium, iron, molybdenum and cobalt fi om the secondary wastes indicated above and produces a remelt alloy in cast pig form, weighing 25-30 pounds. The remelt alloy is shipped to most of the stainless steel manufacturers in the United States, as well as certain other international companies, for use as raw material feedstock in the production of more stainless steel. As an ISO 9002 certified facility, INMETCO, a fully permitted facility, is the only High Temperature Metals Recovery facility in North America dedicated to the recovery of nickel, chromium, iron and molybdenum from both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. 

In the Cadmium Recovery Facility, fNMETCO reclaims cadmium from spent NiCd batteries and produces a high purity cadmium shot known as Cadmet A or Cadmet B. The majority of recycled cadmium is returned to the battery industry for the production of new nickel-cadmium batteries. fNMETCO s Cadmium Recovery Facility began operations in 1995, and since that time, fNMETCO has been the only true recycler of NiCd batteries in North America. 

The fNMETCO HTMR process uses industry standard equipment in a unique and patented process. At the heart of the fNMETCO process is the use of coal or carbon products to reduce oxidized metal wastes to their metallic form in a rotary hearth furnace. The technology has been adapted to produce direct reduced iron from ore concentrates, carbon steel waste products, or a combination of these materials. The 

High Temperature Metals Recovery process consists of four basic steps (1) feed preparation, (2) reduction, (3) smelting, and (4) casting. 

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