Scrap Expo is the industry’s first live demonstration event with more than 10 acres of scrap handling equipment coupled with a curated educational program.

Registration is now open for the highly anticipated Scrap Expo, the latest event from the Recycling Today Media Group. Scheduled for Sept. 13-14, the expo is the first of its kind in the scrap industry. Attendees will find more than 10 acres of outdoor demo space lined with a variety of scrap handling equipment. Additionally, the indoor exhibit space will be home to a curated educational program and more exhibitors.

The expo will take place at the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is well-positioned to offer a vast outdoor demonstration area. Machines and materials will be on-site to give the feel of a working scrap yard. Operators will have the opportunity to grab the joysticks and get a feel for how different machines respond and operate—all in one location.

Scrap Expo will kick off Tuesday, Sept. 13, with live demos and exhibition from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and continues Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Click here for more schedule details.

Attendees can save on registration now through April 22 with our Super Early Bird Pricing discount. Group registrants of three or more from the same company also will receive a 10 percent discount. Pricing details can be found here.

Scrap Expo offers two registration options. The One Day Pass allows attendees to access the outdoor demonstration yard as well as all indoor exhibits on the day of their choosing. For attendees looking to take advantage of all Scrap Expo has to offer, our Conference & Expo Pass option provides access to both days of education as well as outdoor and indoor exhibit spaces for the full duration of the event.

Sign up here to stay up to date as more details are unveiled. Visit www.ScrapExpo.net for more information on pricing, exhibitors and education.

Steelmaker closes 2021 with strong fourth quarter, cites Alabama EAF mill as important targeted investment.

Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal has reported what it calls a “robust financial performance” for 2021, including operating income of nearly $17 billion and net income of nearly $15 billion. Its fourth quarter net income of more than $4 billion was down from the previous quarter but more than three times the net income of the fourth quarter of 2020.

“2021 was a strong year in which we accelerated progress on many fronts,” comments Aditya Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal. “The global economic rebound post initial COVID-19 restrictions being lifted supported buoyant demand in all markets delivering very high levels of profitability. This further strengthened our balance sheet and enabled the delivery of consistent returns for shareholders.”

Mittal includes on a list of “targeted investments”, the construction of a joint venture electric arc furnace (EAF) mill underway in Calvert, Alabama.

In reviewing 2021, Mittal adds, “Perhaps most critically we intensified our commitments to decarbonize, recognizing that steel can and must make a significant contribution to achieving net zero. We stated an ambition to reduce our CO2 emissions intensity by 25 percent by 2030 and continue to invest in multiple technology routes that will help us succeed. We launched our XCarb vision which includes an investment fund into the clean energy technologies that support this transformation.”

In terms of 2021 steelmaking volume, ArcelorMittal has reported a 9.2 percent rise in steel shipments compared with the year before.

Looking ahead, on the recycling and decarbonization front, the company points to its upcoming investments in EAF technology in France and a prediction for the “sales of XCarb green steel certificates [to] increase to a 600,000-metric-ton run rate by the end of 2022.

ArcelorMittal says it expects its steel shipments in 2022 to grow by 3 percent compared with 2021 and it “expects strong earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and free cash flow generation in 2022.”

Swedish government agrees to help the scrap firm ramp up a battery recycling plant in that nation.

The Swedish Energy Agency will be providing Sweden-based Stena Recycling $7.76 million in support of its investment in a new battery recycling plant in Halmstad, Sweden. Stena Recycling says its target “is to become one of Europe’s leading players in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries.”

The company says it is now “intensifying” its work on the construction of the new recycling plant in Halmstad. The facility is expected to initially handle around 10,000 metric tons of batteries per year. That will include lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles (EVs) as well as industrial and consumer products. In addition, battery centers are being established around Europe to ensure infrastructure for collecting the batteries.

“We are very pleased that the Swedish Energy Agency has granted our application and see it as important and natural to contribute to closing the loop of valuable materials contained in batteries,” says Fredrik Pettersson, CEO of Stena Recycling Sweden. “We are introducing an advanced technology, and it is exciting that we are now breaking new ground and setting the standard in battery recycling. Our goal is to have the plant operational in the first quarter of 2023.”

Robert Andrén, director general of the Swedish Energy Agency, says, “Electrification is a crucial piece of the puzzle in the work for a fossil-free society where batteries will be a central part of the future energy system. This important project means that we can create a battery value chain that is sustainable and circular from environmentally and climate-smart production to recycling, so we are not just shifting emissions from one activity to another.”

Stena Recycling says its investment in battery recycling is intended to meet the substantial increase of batteries predicted in society and to stay ahead of an EU directive that is scheduled to come into force starting in 2025. The directive will impose stricter requirements on battery recycling and the recovery of a roster of materials including cobalt, lithium and nickel. That, in turn, says Stena, will reduce the need for the extraction of virgin minerals and metals.

“The recycling of lithium-ion batteries is a fast-growing challenge for society and must be improved through increased capacity and other more climate-smart technologies,” says Pettersson. “With our size, infrastructure, customer base and expertise, we can create circular solutions that reduce the overall climate footprint by ensuring that more batteries are collected and recycled in an appropriate way.”

Stena says there are currently “only a few” recycling facilities for lithium-ion batteries from hybrid and EVs in Europe, and these use melting furnaces in the final stages of the recycling process, which produce CO2 emissions.

The company says it has selected an alternative technology that is expected to provide a higher recycling rate and a lower climate impact than existing melting furnace technology.

This process is based on grinding batteries in an inert environment, followed by “an advanced process to separate the different fractions in order to recover valuable metals.” From the black mass fraction, nickel, cobalt and lithium will be among the materials extracted in the next step.

Connecticut hauling franchisor markets recycling aspects of its hauling and appliance pickup business.

The Junkluggers, a discarded materials and obsolete appliance removal brand based in Seymour, Connecticut, says it is moving into 2022 with large goals after “a successful and productive year” behind it.

The brand, founded in 2004, says it grew throughout the pandemic, opening more than 40 locations in 2021, helping The Junkluggers to more than double its revenue from 2020. The Junkluggers says it is “more determined than ever to continue progressing the industry by focusing on environmental solutions.”

Josh Cohen, founder and CEO of the company, comments, “At The Junkluggers we are no ordinary junk removal company. We are passionate about our sustainable approach and helping our customers declutter while doing everything we can to donate, recycle and keep items out of the landfill.”

The Junkluggers says it partners with “countless” local charities and organizations to get items into the hands of those who need them, and that its top priority is to keep 100 percent of reusable items out of landfills by 2025.

Included in the Franchise Business Review Top 2022 Franchises, The Junkluggers made the list at number 32 while also being recognized by Entrepreneur magazine on its Franchise 500 list. A Franchise Business Review survey found more than 94 percent of franchisees enjoy being a part of the business and believe leadership promotes a strong culture, according to The Junkluggers. The company also conducted an internal survey and says it found that 97 percent of the home office team “enjoy the company’s culture and were happy at work.”

“We resonate with prospective franchisees as they learn that we are so much more than just a junk removal company,” says Cohen. “Making a positive impact on the environment and having deep roots in the communities we serve by partnering with local charities and making donations is what we do every day, and our franchisees want to be a part of that.”

The Junkluggers describes itself as focusing on green, community-oriented practices, striving to enhance lives, the community and the environment by donating, recycling “upcycling” and supporting local charities. It now has 88 franchise locations in the United States, with 76 currently operating and 12 in the planning stage.

Equipment and technology company’s white paper directed to metals shredding plant operators.

Erie, Pennsylvania-based global equipment provider Eriez has issued a white paper on shredded metals separation titled “Processing Zurik to Zorba.” The document “highlights separation equipment that efficiently upgrades zurik to a more desirable and profitable zorba fraction while also reducing scrap yard fire hazards,” states the company.

The white paper, written by Eriez Recycling Market Manager Mike Shattuck, posits that stockpiles of zurik generate “a significant fire risk due to the hot metals surrounded by flammable debris.” It then outlines a procedure for “transforming relatively low-value zurik material into a copper-rich, high-value zorba product that is easier to market and sell,” says Eriez.

Shattuck says size reduction and liberation of zurik is key to ensuring the process improves profitability. “This copper-rich Zorba also commands a higher price than standard zorba and also is easier to market and sell. Additionally, this system creates a fine saleable stainless steel product.”

According to the white paper, equipment used within the zurik-to-zorba process consists of a ring mill, a small drum-type magnetic separator, an ultra-high-frequency (UHF) eddy current separator and a stainless steel magnetic separator.

Achieving maximum recovery and grade of the Zorba (more than 95 percent aluminum) requires the technology of a UHF eddy current separator, according to the firm. “Standard eddy current separators are only capable of recovering material coarser in size due to less frequency changes found in this type of magnetic circuit design and the larger size distribution,” states Eriez.

The white paper can be downloaded from this web page.