Alloy steels (9% of primary nickel use)
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Considerations are similar to stainless steel but there are many more steels in common use with widely
varying nickel contents and so it is important for users to maintain the steel identity of scrap if they wish
to maximise its secondary value. This is quite a challenge in a big steel works that is also producing very
large volumes of non-nickel containing grades.
Alloy steel scrap is often used as a component of blended stainless steel scrap. Some nickel-containing steel becomes caught in the huge-volume recycling loop for mild steel, resulting in a minor increase in the residual nickel content of mild steel. The identity of the nickel is effectively lost and disappears from the nickel recycling loop.
Turnings are collected and recycled, often as feed for stainless steel blends. Most nickel in dusts from
melting, grinding or fabrication is captured at the steel works but, because of dilution, is usually remelted
into general steel grades.
Next: Ni-based alloys
