Alternative alloying agents

Statement by a process engineer in the steel mill at Buderus Edelstahl

“One of my most exciting projects at Buderus Edelstahl is investigating alternative alloy materials. The aim is to reduce our carbon footprint while ensuring our process stability. In terms of sustainability, recycled products are to be used instead of primary raw materials. This requires endurance and persistance, because it is a long way from a good idea to regular use. Some experiments looked promising at first, but later showed side effects that would have affected our quality and process stability. We are currently working on extracting the alloying element nickel from recycled “spent batteries”. In addition to this series of trials, other recycling products are also being tested, such as plastic waste, which could be a substitute for blown carbon. We set high expectations in the test series with these recycling products. I am convinced that we will be successful with this work and thus make an important contribution to sustainability at Buderus Edelstahl.”