Lost in the shuffle: A taxonomy for the accumulation of unwanted elements in steel recycling.

ABSTRACT: Aiming to reach circularity and resource efficiency, the metal industry pushes towards recycling secondary products instead of producing from primary material. This increases the use of scrap, which can bring about several benefits but could also come at the expense of the materials' quality and the potential loss of valuable resources. The above is mainly a result of the likely accumulation of unwanted elements throughout the recycling process, which may dissolve and become difficult to extract from the metal's melt, turning into what is known as tramp elements. This study focuses on the opportunity to limit the accumulation of unwanted elements before they end up in the molten solution. Taking an exploratory approach with the use of observation and expert interviews, this study examined

SUBMITTER: Perez Horno B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12618735 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature