Aluminium and steel recycling

In the company HPS Aluprodukt we care for the environment which is under constant damaging human effects. One of these effects is garbage accumulating. Our aluminium and steel products meet the standards, which ensure effective recycling.

Metals can be recycled indefinitely without them losing their characteristics. Metals present approximately 8 % of all consumer waste and a big proportion of it are aluminium and steel. Unfortunately, only approximately one third of all the used metals is being recycled and the rest ends up at dumpsites.

Aluminium recycling

Aluminium is produced from bauxite, which contains approximately 15 % of alumina. Alumina is a hard substance, composed of aluminium and oxygen. Oxygen needs to be removed from alumina in order to produce aluminium and this process requires a great amount of energy.

Recycling of 1 kg of aluminium saves up to 6 kg of bauxite, 4 kg of chemical products which are used when producing aluminium and 14 kWh of electrical energy.

Aluminium recycling requires only 5 % of energy and produces only 5 % of  CO2 emissions compared to primary production from bauxite. Besides that recycling also reduces the amount of waste at dumpsites. Aluminium can be limitlessly recycled because the transformation does not damage its structure. Aluminium is also the most cost efficient material for recycling.

Recycling of one aluminium tin saves as much energy as it is used by a television in three hours.

Steel recycling

Steel is an iron alloy which consists of carbon. There is a relatively small amount of carbon (usually less than 2 %) in steels. Nevertheless, it has the most important effect on usefull steel characteristics.

Like aluminium, iron is also produced from ore. Iron supplies are large but it is usually in combination with oxygen. Iron production from ore takes place in special ovens called »plavž« (furnace). Ore melts down and reduces to iron in the furnace. This procedure requires a lot of energy. Some steel which comes running from the furnace is turned into iron casting and most of it is turned into steel. Steel is produced by removing a great part of carbon from iron.

Annually, approximately 11 million tons of waste from iron and steel is produced. Around 70 % of it is recycled and the rest ends up at dumpsites.

Recycling of one ton of steel packaging:

1. saves 1,5 tons of iron ore,
2. saves 0,5 tons of coal,
3. saves 40 % of water needed in production,
4. saves 75 % of energy, needed for steel production from basic raw material,
5. saves 1,28 tones of solid waste,
6. reduces emissions in air for 86 % and
7. reduces water pollution for 76 %.