● Design out waste and pollution

● Reuse, recycle and recover waste material

● Regenerate natural systems

Originally a phrase that originated out of the work of architect Walter R Stahel, the circular economy features a number of steps to tackle the growing problem of our finite resources and increasing demand for products. These include:

Pioneering design and manufacturing methods that use less materials and creating products that are engineered to last. Switching to less hazardous manufacturing methods and product alternatives that pose less of a risk to health and the environment.

This involves checking, cleaning, repairing and refurbishing old items or parts for reintroduction into the product cycle.

Turning waste and discarded materials into a new substance or product in order to save on the impact and costs associated with extracting new materials.

Although the addition of new raw materials may occasionally be necessary, the circular economy method helps to ensure that raw materials are not being used at a rate that exceeds them being replenished.

The current most widely used product economy is the ‘Linear Economy’. Unfortunately this is a wasteful method that depletes the earth's natural resources more quickly than we can replenish them.

Many manufacturing methods currently in place focus on ‘take-make-dispose’ which results in a large amount of unwanted and often dangerous landfill waste. It puts pressure on a country’s plummeting resources as new raw materials need to be found out and utilised, often through further harmful extraction methods. The steps linear economy follows a similar process:

Processes which involve the means of gathering raw materials, for example mining, logging operations, oil drilling etc. Currently, iron ore is mined from the ground as part of enormous open cast mining operations. Mining is one of the most damaging operations to surrounding environments and wildlife.

The means by which raw materials are crafted into usable products, for example the process of turning trees into paper, ores into metals etc. Large industrial foundries smelt the iron ore in blast furnaces where impurities are removed. Often these methods require large amounts of energy to produce useful products.

Products are purchased by consumers or manufacturers and either turned into other useful products or utilised for a specific purpose. For example steel could be bought by construction companies and used in buildings, infrastructure, ships, trains, cars and more.

Once a product has reached the end of its perceived ‘usefulness’ and is at the end of its life cycle, in many manufacturing methods this means a product can no longer be used. Often products are disposed of by incineration or landfill, methods that require large amounts of energy or cause lasting damage to the surrounding environment. 

After water, steel is the most recycled material on the planet. Research shows that 99% of structural steelwork is reused or recycled. Worldwide over 500 million tonnes of steel is recovered and recycled annually.

The construction industry in the UK consumes more than 420 metric tonnes of materials annually and generates around 90 metric tonnes of waste, of which 25 metric tonnes ends up in landfill.

The Steel Construction Institute (SCI) has estimated that there are around 100 million tonnes of steel in buildings and infrastructure in the UK. This steel ‘stock’ is an important and valuable material asset that will be reclaimed and either reused or recycled in the future.

The steel supply chain is a good example of a circular economic model in a microcosm. Steel as a material has many properties that facilitate easy recovery from waste, such as being magnetic, strong and durable. Properties which have allowed steel and ferrous metals to be easily recycled for a long time and the circular economic model of steel is already well established and efficient. 

Only small amounts of iron and steel currently go to landfill. If it is recoverable, it can be recycled, in some areas, up to 98% of steel is recycled.

The most widely recycled products include gold and steel, mainly due to their high value. Many methods have been widely used for decades to effectively sort and recycle metals. But how exactly does steel recycling work?

Metals are first sorted into which materials are recyclable and which are non-recyclable. The quality of metal is important, as high quality recycled products can only be created if the original materials used in the recycling process are of good quality. Quality checking methods are therefore important during this process.

Once materials have been sorted, good quality, recyclable materials are compacted using machines to ensure efficient use of space. Metal is then cleaned to remove dirt and contaminants ready for the next stage.

Metals are broken down into tiny pieces or sheets to allow further processing. Smaller pieces have a large surface area, requiring less energy compared to larger pieces. Steel is often converted into blocks while aluminium is converted into sheets.

A variety of purification techniques are used which vary depending on the metal. This is done to ensure the final product is free of impurities, which could dilute the effectiveness of the material. Electrolysis is a commonly used method of purifying some metals, whilst others use a powerful magnet.

Molten metal is then carried by the conveyor belt to a cooling chamber where they are cooled and solidified into solid metal that can be used again. Other chemicals are also added during this process to give the metal its density and other properties.

Many large steel companies currently already have methods in place to ensure the reprocessing of steel. 99% of steel from scrap cars is recycled and around 94% of steel is recycled when a building is demolished, according to a UK study. 

Recycled steel is usually produced by electric arc furnaces (EAF) which tend to be much smaller and more efficient in their operation than blast furnaces, which are used to turn iron ore into material. 

Blast furnaces are capable of producing up to 13,000 tonnes of steel each day. Converting raw iron oxides into melted steel can take anywhere from six to eight hours per batch. Electric furnaces produce 150 tonnes per batch, and batch production takes around 90 minutes. Although the yield is not as high as blast furnaces, electric arc furnaces are much cheaper to run and maintain than blast furnaces. As electric arc furnaces run on electricity, they have the advantage of being able to be generated via renewable means. This means that the entire steel recycling process has the means to be powered completely without the assistance of fossil fuels.

With the proposed steel production methods that use hydrogen instead of coal already looking promising, the future looks bright green for the steel industry. However, that goal still requires work to achieve, with many steel production companies and blast furnaces still relying on fossil fuels.

For more industry insights and information visit our blog page. 

As a trusted steel stockholder and fabrication specialist in the West Midlands, we have been providing steel across Worcerster & Hereford for many years. Whether you require steel as part of a large scale, overseas commercial project or are simply renovating your home, we can help. We offer structural steel, ironmongery products, forge and fabrication services such as gates, fences, ornaments and more. We even provide aluminium and iron products as well as gases and welding supplies. Get in touch with us today if you would like to learn