Scanacon is currently developing a metal recycling solution for pickling, milling and etching processes in stainless-steel production. The Scanacon system will be the first ever to extract metallic nickel for your waste streams, reducing solid waste volumes and carbon emissions related to acid neutralization.

Adding metal recycling to a new of existing Scanacon acid recycling solution means you are closing the loop, re-circulating not only acid but alloy metals too. The fully automated process will continuously regenerate up to 30 kilograms* of high-value metallic nickel every hour – ready to be fed back into production without ever leaving the plant.

THE CHALLENGE

At Scanacon, we accepted the challenge from producers of steel, titanium, and zirconium to help them eliminate environmentally unfriendly waste from their processes. The aim was to reduce environmental impact to close to zero and boost profitability for steel plants.

Pickling, necessary but problematic

With a 40-year history in acid pickling chemistry, we have a deep understanding of the problems associated with your pickling operations. Pickling is an expensive, non-core activity, a necessary production step that is messy and difficult to control from a process perspective. It also involves health and safety risks. Although acid used in the process can be recovered to meet environmental legislation, the regulations and demands from authorities are getting tougher every day. The most challenging aspect is that pickling processes generate massive volumes of waste acid and neutralization sludge with a non-recovered valuable metal content.

Customers ask us, how can we...

• Reduce the large volumes of sludge that are generated?
• Recover the high value metals such as chrome and nickel?
• Clean and neutralize the contaminated water for release back to nature?
• Eliminate the heavy use of lime?

The overriding question is how can we minimize environmental impact and at the same time boost profitability?

The answer is… the Scanacon way!

The Scanacon way is recycling valuable metals, acids and water used in the surface treatment process, thus keeping generation of hazardous waste close to zero and minimizing the plant’s environmental impact. Costs related to the handling of sludge are virtually eliminated and profitability increases dramatically.

THE SOLUTION

With Scanacon’s innovative solution, the metals in your waste stream can now be recycled and your plant’s environmental impact from the pickling process can be reduced to almost zero. It's a true game changer for producers of steel, titanium and zirconium.

THE SYSTEM

Fully automated and continuous, the Scanacon Metal Recycling solution is available as a complete integrated system.

Small footprint, modularized and scalable

The system comprises standardized Scanacon core technology, combined with new innovative products developed in-house, in a four-step process, with no sludge produced from neutralization. It has a small footprint and is modularized and scalable. The system is capable of:

• Treating all types of pickling flows from a Scanacon Acid Recycling system.
• Capturing up to 99% of dissolved heavy metals in the waste flow of the Acid Recycling system.
• Minimizing or eliminating acid sludge from the  Acid Recycling system waste flow.

For a medium-sized installation…

The Metal Recycling system for a medium sized installation (2 m³/per hour) is capable of:

• Recycling up to 20* kg of nickel per hour
• Recycling up to 40* kg of chrome per hour
• Generating up to 120* kg of chrome/iron metal oxide powder per hour
• Eliminating sludge from neutralization of Acid Recycling system waste flow up to 100%*

* example figures, may vary depending on feed

THE BENEFITS

The Scanacon Metal Recycling system is a win-win investment, for the environment and for your operating budget.

The system is a sustainability platform for meeting one of the steel industry’s main environmental problems.

Environmental benefits

• Reduces majority of pickling acid sludge to landfill
• Reduces waste flows of heavy metals (going to landfill)
• Reduces waste water load on neutralization or wastewater treatment plant
• Reduces CaO/Ca(OH)₂ usage
• Savings on CO₂ through direct and indirect effects of less CaO use
• Reduces transport needs for CaO incoming
• Reduces transport needs for sludge to landfill

Benefits for your budget

• Recovers the high-value metals nickel and chrome as well as Iron from the waste stream.
• New value from metals being recycled back into production or sold as product.
• Savings on acids due to recycling.
• Less chemicals per ton product.
• Savings on neutralizing agents such as lime to treat waste streams.
• Savings in wastewater plant / discharge to exterior wastewater treatment plant.
• Savings on sludge handling and sludge filter press costs.
• Less volumes to handle/ship/landfill.
• Savings related to landfill.

Don’t have a Scanacon Acid Recycling system yet?
‍‍No problem. Now is your chance to invest in our complete Acid and Metal Recycling solution.

Best of all, a full return on your investment in approximately 2 years
‍‍So why continue allowing your waste to cost you money when it can help lower your operating costs?

THE INSTALLATION

Scanacon recycling solutions can easily be integrated into your production process

1. Pickling process
A typical pickling, chemical milling or etching process bath.  

2. Scanacon Acid Recycling system
The Scanacon Acid Recycling system separates the free acid from the dissolved metals and sends the free acid back to the pickling process while the dissolved metals are sent as a weak acidic waste stream.

3. Scanacon Metal Recycling system
The waste stream from the Scanacon Acid Recycling system is treated in the Scanacon Metal recycling process, creating a product of recycled metals and water that can be reused in the process.

4. Recycled metals
Recycled metals, such as Nickel, Chrome and Iron can be sent back and reused in the steel making process or sold on the market.