Recovery of a Recyclable Metal Alloy From High Speed Steel Grinding Swarf

Summary:

High-speed tool cutting and other metal cutting and grinding technologies generate significant quantities of "swarf", a waste mix containing metal cuttings, coolant oil, filtration material, phosphorus and other material. This residual stream is commonly landfilled, but contains potentially valuable constituents. This pilot project developed a method to separate and recover usable steel alloy from the swarf through a series of scrubbing cycles and magnetic separation. Additional research is required to optimize the process.