Recycling of aluminum cans: from receiving to finished products. Remelting aluminum cans at home Recycling aluminum cans as a business

It's no secret that the recycling of human waste is practically a gold mine, and it is quite problematic to objectively assess the volume of this market, in our country in particular. But, in order to at least in general terms understand the existing volumes, it is enough to consider a simple example. Have you ever thought about how many people are doing this at the same time with you around the globe, throwing another can of a soft drink into a bucket? We can say simply, there are millions of them, and that is why the recycling of aluminum cans is not only a profitable business, but also creates a significant contribution to environmental protection and the rational use of natural resources.

General view of the problem.

According to statistics, the capacity of the Russian market for aluminum cans is estimated at approximately 2-3 billion. Taking into account the weight of a can of even a small volume, which is about 15 grams, we get the amount of aluminum consumed, which is approximately 30-40 thousand tons of pure metal. And if we take into account the energy resources required for the production of metal from primary raw materials, the prospects for the development of the processing industry become obvious.

This option will also have a beneficial effect on the environmental situation. An example of the effective application of recycling technologies is the North American company Novelis, which already in 2009 was able to process more than 39 billion aluminum cans, which made it possible to obtain more than 530 thousand tons of pure metal during remelting.

Processing technology for aluminum cans.

The existing level of development of recycling of secondary raw materials makes it possible to use several methods of obtaining pure aluminum from cans. The most common are the following:

The simplest, and therefore used more often, is pressing. The starting material is subjected to primary sorting and cleaning from household waste. After that, the raw materials are crushed with simultaneous cleaning from various iron components using an electromagnet. The resulting substance is pressed, forming briquettes of a certain weight, and sent for remelting to a metallurgical plant. The disadvantages of this method include the high content of various impurities due to imperfect cleaning methods.
Another, more advanced method, which provides better cleaning, is based on similar principles. Its difference lies in the use of multistage grinding schemes and removal of impurities. As a result of processing, aluminum powder is obtained, or a material in the form of small metal flakes. Despite the higher quality processing, it has a significant disadvantage. To organize such chains of this type, extensive production areas are required. Also, the use of a multi-stage cycle significantly increases the cost of the product.
Recycling of aluminum cans based on pyrolysis is the most efficient method. The additional costs required for the appropriate equipment are offset by the cost of the resulting material.

The initial stages of processing are similar to existing operations with other methods.

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Secondary raw materials are washed, they are sorted, and various impurities are removed. Small pieces of aluminum obtained during grinding are subjected to pyrolysis in special installations.

The essence of this process is to heat the elements of crushed cans to a temperature that is 100 degrees or more above the melting point of aluminum, up to about 750 degrees. During the heating process, all organic and some inorganic impurities decompose, and the resulting liquid aluminum is poured into pre-prepared forms. The product obtained in this way is distinguished by the minimum presence of various inclusions, and can be processed at metallurgical plants without additional purification, which makes it a highly competitive material.

Taking into account the economic feasibility of processing such raw materials, we can conclude that the organization of enterprises of this type is quite a profitable event. The only problematic issue, due to the peculiarities of the mentality of the majority of the inhabitants of our country, is the issue of sorting garbage by each person. In most countries, this waste collection method has already proven its effectiveness, and it is considered unacceptable for a resident of, for example, Japan to throw an aluminum can in a food waste container. The introduction, and most importantly the adoption by the population of such a separate method of collecting waste, will significantly increase the economic efficiency of processing any secondary raw materials.

How to melt aluminum cans

Re: Smelt Aluminum 🙂

on a chipmaker they melted on a gas stove with household gas.

in general I will copy here so that we have it.

So, the task is to melt a small amount of aluminum (to begin with) until a stable liquid phase is obtained and cast. Budget: 0 rub. at the disposal of only a gas stove and handy (foot))) materials. Time before the arrival of the wife: 2h. Go!

1. The oven is a tin can with a diameter of 100mm. At the bottom there is a hole for the entrance of the flame, the crucible stands on three whale bolts inside the can, 20mm from the bottom (Fig. 1). The flame should flow around the crucible, creating a hot-air cushion - in this way, problem No. 1 is solved: colossal heat loss by radiation and convection when an open crucible is heated by a burner.

2. Crucible - a tin can with a diameter of 70mm. The crucible must be closed with a lid to reduce heat loss. There is a risk of burning the bottom, so water and sand are at hand, water is poured onto the stove (in parallel, protecting the stove from overheating).

We melt beer cans from aluminum

The crucible heats up more from the edges, the risk of burning out the center is minimal.

3. The burner is designed on the basis of a conventional burner. The first step is to remove the flame diffuser, and install a piece of pipe - I used a diameter

10mm and long

40mm (fig. 2). The larger than the standard diameter of the outlet allows the flame not to be extinguished with a larger volume of supplied gas (this was problem No. 2). And now the main secret of the torch - with the help of a wire, the pipe is fixed beyond the outlet! So

Thus, the gas sucks in air, and the gas-air mixture at high speed (it is important that the mixture does not have time to burn) is thrown into the furnace and burns there, flowing around the crucible from all sides (Fig. 3). At the same time, the flame is transparent blue, without soot, etc. - burns out very well (in photo 3 the burner works at full capacity, although the flame is not visible). Just in case, the room is well ventilated.

The crucible is heated to red color instantly. I add aluminum (wire), close it with a lid - melting begins (Fig. 4). The metal melts, slags float up and / or settle to the bottom. For security reasons, the process is not left unattended for a minute. The metal is added in portions every 5 minutes. In total, it took about 20 minutes (it could be faster, it took longer to get used to it). Then I add salt, remove the slags, and voila! Excellent liquid metal (fig. 5), suitable for casting small items. The metal is cast into a tin can, we get an ingot weighing about 100 g (Fig. 6). The problem is solved!

Results. According to preliminary estimates, melting up to 0.5 kg in such a furnace is easy, up to

1kg (330ml - can volume) should be tried. In the future, since everything works, it will be possible to improve the design and optimize the process: the crucible is definitely replaced with stainless steel, it is more correct to flux and degass the metal, be puzzled by casting issues, etc. Now we need to cover our tracks so that the wife can fry her cutlets there as if nothing had happened. I did it!

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»At home

How to melt aluminum at home

We melt aluminum at home

Date: 01/01/1970

It is extremely sad when small but important functional elements break in the house: guides for roller shutters or sliding doors (burst), fittings (something fell off), etc. Typically, these elements are made of aluminum. Finding their replacement is difficult, but it so happens that it is necessary to eliminate a malfunction in the functionality of a door or window right now, at least temporarily.

Fortunately, if you know how to solder, then many malfunctions of aluminum fittings or profiles can be repaired. However, such work requires experience and accuracy.

The main snag is to get a working material, that is, molten aluminum, which will be used to solder the broken parts.

At what temperature does aluminum melt?

That's right, at a temperature of 660 degrees. An ordinary gas stove will not give us this, and it is not worth doing such things at home - it is better to take work outside. Let's look at how you can prepare your solder by melting aluminum at home. Let us remind you once again that if you are not comfortable with a soldering iron, then we would not recommend starting all this.

So, the price of an aluminum ingot ranges from 55 to 150 rubles. per kg depending on the grade of the alloy. If we are not aiming at a particularly high quality of work, then any will do. In principle, you can use the trims of the old profile.

To successfully complete the operation, we need a portable gas torch or blowtorch. Depending on the model, they give a temperature of 1000 - 1300 degrees.

How to melt aluminum cans and make something unusual out of them

This is quite enough.

What are we going to melt in?

To do this, we need a refractory container, for example, made of stainless steel. You can use a scoop bowl if nothing else is available. We also need a calcined steel plate or another container where we will pour molten aluminum.

We make a small well of bricks, so that our container can be installed on top (by the way, you can put it on skewers, they are also quite refractory).
Before installing the container, we kindle a fire in the well. It will help keep the container warm when we stop using the burner. In addition, the fire will help warm up the aluminum from the bottom.
When a certain amount of hot coals is formed, we put our container with aluminum, and heat for 15 minutes. Here you can also leave the second container or plate to warm up.
After that, turn on the gas burner to maximum and heat the aluminum from above.
The metal will start melting in just a few seconds, however, our goal has not yet been achieved - we need uniform heating.
For this, the container must be shaken periodically. This should be done very carefully, using pliers and thick gloves (for welders, that's it). In principle, the molten composition can be stirred with steel wire (just as gently).
Please note that when using recyclable materials (profile remnants), paint may evaporate, which is not recommended to breathe.
When melted, aluminum oxide forms, which in turn forms dross.
After the formation of a homogeneous (scale-corrected) liquid aluminum, the container is carefully taken with pliers. The contents are poured onto a calcined steel surface. It should be poured in such a way that only the metal is poured out, and the scale remains in the original container (in principle, this is not difficult - the main thing is not to tilt too much).
That's it, your molten aluminum is ready for further work.

How to melt aluminum at home with a blowtorch?

Important! When melting aluminum, use protective equipment: gloves, safety shoes, overalls, respirator, special tools to avoid getting molten aluminum on the body. Molten metal can splatter on contact with water droplets and cause very dangerous burns. Be extremely careful! Finished melting furnaces in this store.

The video shows how you can melt aluminum at home using a simple blowtorch. The method is quite simple, it does not require blowing, which is necessary in cases where firewood, coal and other solid fuel are used to create the desired melting temperature of aluminum. The video clearly shows how the necessary aluminum materials are prepared and the smelting process itself.

In this video, another craftsman will present his model of a melting furnace and explain how to make an aluminum melting crucible and get it ready for use.

And here the actual melting process is shown and practical advice is given. Pay attention to how the master is protected from injury.

Here there are materials about how to make crafts from gypsum, and here about the simplest oven for aluminum. There is also an article on this topic here.

How to melt aluminum at home?

As you know, the melting point of aluminum is 660 degrees. This is a fairly low-melting metal that can be melted at home using a gas torch or blowtorch, which are capable of producing temperatures in the range of 1000-1300 degrees (this is quite enough to completely melt aluminum).

It will be necessary to melt this metal in a sufficiently refractory container, for example, from stainless steel.

Under the container we make a small hearth of bricks, in which it will be necessary to make a fire in order to warm the aluminum from below and not let it cool down.

A bowl with aluminum is not placed on a hearth with fire, but on top we heat it with a blowtorch or burner.

The aluminum will start to melt quickly enough. In order for the molten composition to be homogeneous, it should be stirred periodically using steel wire, or something else refractory.

This must be done very carefully. You should definitely wear protective clothing and footwear, as well as thick gloves, as splashes of molten metal on your skin can cause severe burns. Therefore, you need to take care of your protection first.

General view of the problem.

Processing technology for aluminum cans.

The existing level of development of recycling of secondary raw materials makes it possible to use several methods of obtaining pure aluminum from cans. The most common are the following:

The simplest, and therefore used more often, is pressing. The starting material is subjected to primary sorting and cleaning from household waste. After that, the raw materials are crushed with simultaneous cleaning from various iron components using an electromagnet. The resulting substance is pressed, forming briquettes of a certain weight, and sent for remelting to a metallurgical plant. The disadvantages of this method include the high content of various impurities due to imperfect cleaning methods.
Another, more advanced method, which provides better cleaning, is based on similar principles. Its difference lies in the use of multistage grinding schemes and removal of impurities. As a result of processing, aluminum powder is obtained, or a material in the form of small metal flakes. Despite the higher quality processing, it has a significant disadvantage. To organize such chains of this type, extensive production areas are required. Also, the use of a multi-stage cycle significantly increases the cost of the product.
Recycling of aluminum cans based on pyrolysis is the most efficient method. The additional costs required for the appropriate equipment are offset by the cost of the resulting material.

The initial stages of processing are similar to existing operations with other methods. Secondary raw materials are washed, they are sorted, and various impurities are removed. Small pieces of aluminum obtained during grinding are subjected to pyrolysis in special installations.

Without going into details, just to give an idea, the recycling of aluminum cans accounts for more than half of all metal recycled. Continuing to be frank about the recycling industry: If you buy products in an aluminum can once every 60 days, be it canned vegetables, fruits or soda, the product can be packaged in the recycled can that you bought last time.

This is because the manufacturer only needs 60 days from receiving the aluminum cans to receiving the recycled aluminum and returning it to the production cycle. Here is some additional information that highlights the importance of recycling aluminum cans:

Recycling of aluminum scrap

Unlike some products, scrap aluminum can be recycled many times over and over again, according to research and industry data. This also means that it is much more profitable to buy recycled cans at the grocery store.

Highest recirculation rate

More than 57 percent of all used aluminum cans in Russia were recycled in 2014, giving banks the highest recycling rate of any product collected and sent to recycling centers across the country. This means that, according to the Aluminum Association and other research institutions supporting manufacturers, about 55.5 billion aluminum cans were recycled in 2014, which is almost 2.3 billion cans more than a year earlier. Despite this, aluminum cans account for only 20 percent of the recycling of what is disposed of in landfills.

Comparing the process of making aluminum cans, which uses metals and ores, to recycling metal, recycling waste requires 95 percent less energy. This means that factories specializing in the production of metals emit 95 percent less greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Plants also require substantially less energy to produce a recycled can than the original product. Every kilogram of recycled aluminum saves energy, which is enough to generate 24 kilowatt-hours of electricity. The plant saves enough energy per year to light St. Petersburg for about six years.

Money goes back to your pocket

And as long as the safety of the planet remains a compelling reason to recycle, there is nothing wrong with having cash in your pocket. Recycling centers throughout the country pay for the returned aluminum cans, separately, in kilograms and tons, as it is convenient for you and depending on the center's acceptance policy. The amount varies slightly, but this is not unusual, you can count on 150-250 rubles per kilogram of aluminum. Of course, mere pennies for one or two aluminum cans, but this is already a matter of volumes.

Can processing plant.

· S

· refined ferrous metal.

· lightweight inert material.

· heavy inert material.

Video

Can processing plant.

This plant is designed to process and improve the quality of waste from cans, sorted from solid waste and industrial waste. The plant can accept cans of mixed (iron and aluminum) and other materials, and can also recycle cans containing a significant percentage of foreign materials (nylon, iron wire, wood, plastic, cloth, etc.). After the processing process, the final product will be ready for sale as secondary raw materials. The composition of the installation can be changed depending on the incoming material and the required output at the request of the Customer.

The installation consists of the following components:

· crusher - for separating ferrous metals from non-magnetic materials such as wood, paper, plastic, glass, non-ferrous metal, etc.

· magnetic separator - for magnetic separation of ferrous metals from non-ferrous metals and non-metallic materials in the flow.

· S igzag separator - for separating material using the gravimetric method (specific gravity). With the help of belts, vertical columns and air currents, scrap metal is separated from impurities.

· eddy current separator - separates non-ferrous metal (aluminum, copper, etc.) from plastic, wood and other non-metallic materials from the flow.

Thanks to the installed software, the client can adjust the type and speed of the stream processing.

Received material after processing:

· refined ferrous metal.

· refined mixed materials.

· lightweight inert material.

· heavy inert material.

Hammer crushers, shredders and other machines in the plant are designed to reduce maintenance and oversight by personnel. The control software is simple and intuitive and allows for quick production control. Netmus supplies a can crushing and cleaning plant completely ready for operation and equipped with protective devices, in accordance with current legislation, as well as dust separation systems.

Mind-blowing drinks every week in the world 6 billion cans of fizzy drinks. If you put them on top of each other, then it will be enough for the moon, and if you hand them over, then you can get rich!

About 70% of aluminum cans goes into recycling - this means that the used can goes back to the counter after about six weeks.
In a year, 1 can can be recycled and re-issued up to 8 times!

Aluminum cans recycling plant

In England, in the town of Warrington, there is one of the world's largest recyclers of used aluminum cans. Used cans from all over the world arrive at the factory.
They are pressed into briquettes of about 65,000 pieces. One such briquette can weigh up to a ton.
Aluminum, unlike paper and plastic, does not lose its qualities after recycling.
It may seem surprising, but 75% of the aluminum ever produced is still in industrial circulation.

How much energy can you save?

Every year, recycling aluminum cans, tools, cars and aircraft saves enough energy to meet the needs of a large country like India.

The braces from pressed cans are loaded onto a conveyor belt, which transports them to a powerful shredder.
Unfortunately, during the secondary processing of aluminum, it is impossible to separate it from debris using a magnet, as is the case with iron and its alloys, therefore an optical sorter is installed at the outlet of the shredder, through which at a speed of 3 meters per second
raw material passes.
The machine's infrared sensors detect metal.
Then the plastic and glass are blown away with a powerful jet of air. A powerful magnet collects all the pieces of steel and only aluminum remains.
Another problem is that aluminum chips contain impurities in the form of varnishes and paints, so the raw material is heated to 550C. Aluminum will begin to melt only at a temperature of 660 degrees, and varnishes and paints do not withstand strong heating, evaporating.

Melting recycled aluminum cans

The purified aluminum chips are ready for the next stage of processing - smelting.
Two blazing furnaces heated to 730C process up to 100 tons of aluminum per shift.
The problem is that molten aluminum interacts with atmospheric oxygen, forming an oxide film on the surface of the melt.
This is an unwanted product of remelting - slag. The smelter carefully rakes the slag from the metal surface with a huge mechanized shovel.

The metal can now be fed to the filling area. A river of molten metal falls down into an opening in a furnace the size of a double-decker bus. Now we need to pour the liquid metal into molds.
When the hot melt occupies the entire bath of the furnace, It is released into one of three molds buried 10 meters into the ground. Three vertical aluminum ingots are formed inside it. Portion after portion of the hot metal is fed into the mold.
Then it is quickly cooled with water; during cooling, the metal becomes more compact, making room for the next portions.
As a result of two and a half hours of work, three huge aluminum monoliths called ingots are obtained.

Each of them is 10 meters long and weighs 27 tons.

In fact, it is made from a million and a half used beverage cans.

Where do aluminum ingots go next?

Today the demand for aluminum is such that the ingots are not stale. Their transformation into new aluminum cans will begin after a 900-kilometer journey to Germany, where the enterprise
they are heated in an oven to 525C.
At this temperature, the bonds between the aluminum atoms weaken and the internal stress in the ingot disappears. The ingot is repeatedly rolled through rolls. It's like rolling out dough - each time the ingot gets thinner and finally turns into a strip 0.25mm thick and 10km long.
Heavy bobbins with aluminum tape are returning to the UK to complete their transformation into a can, or perhaps something else, sublime.
Basically, recycled aluminum goes into three areas: beverage products, household products, and aerospace orders.
So the production of aluminum cans is also an aerospace science. Aluminum alloys for rockets are very similar to aluminum alloys for cans, so your drink can find its way into space.

Production of cans from aluminum tape

Meanwhile, on the ground, the aluminum strip is charged into a high speed hot stamping machine.

This press dispenses thousands of empty blank cans. The secret to turning them into real cans is thorough crimping.

The workpieces pass through successively tapered rings and are crimped. They take the shape of a perfect cylinder. We can assume that the bank has already been born.

The drink was first poured into cans in 1959.

This happened in the USA and since then banks have been recycling practically all over the world.
Each can of recycled aluminum saves 1 cent. Every day, up to 10 million cans are produced at such a plant, which are then transported around the world.