In countries with no organized programs for end of life vehicles (ELV) recycling, many times the scrap iron collection is performed by workers, who remove the metals (and other materials) from vehicles which have been abandoned by the owners or directly dismantle vehicles obtained through other sources.
In cases where these vehicles have been abandoned they are sometimes located in private properties of the dismantling enterprises, or in the case of countries like India, even along public highways. In other instances, owners of ELV dispose them of the vehicles by selling them to metal recycling establishments.
Many times dismantlers are also involved in the collection of end-of-life vehicles. Some of these dismantlers are equipped with a limited number of tools. As such they are only able to remove parts which can be easily taken out (e.g., car doors). For the recovery of iron or steel from these cars which are harder to access they might decide to directly transport the ELVs to shredding facilities.
In order to facilitate the transportation of automobiles to shredding plants (also known as hammer mills), metal recycling companies often compact cars before sending them to their destination. When this compaction is done, workers in some recycling facilities will cut (shear) the vehicles at convenient locations (e.g., the chassis, B pillars and C Pillars) using tools such as plasma torches or hydraulic cutters. This cutting allows the dismantler to pack more crushed cars in a container or truck.
There are a number of different techniques that are used to collect iron from old cars. One common technique is to use a magnet to attract the iron. This can be done by using a large magnet that is attached to a crane, or by using a smaller magnet that is hand-held. Another technique is to use a metal detector to find the iron. This can be done by using a metal detector that is specifically designed to find iron, or by using a general metal detector that can be set to find iron. Once the iron has been found, it can be collected by using a variety of tools, such as a crowbar, a pry bar, or a hammer.
How is scrap iron from cars reused?
Once scrap iron has been collected from old cars, it can be reused in a variety of ways. One common way to reuse scrap iron is to melt it down and then cast it into new products, such as steel beams, car parts, or appliances. Another way to reuse scrap iron is to use it as a raw material for making new steel. This can be done by adding scrap iron to molten iron in a steel mill.
Reusing scrap iron is important because it helps to conserve natural resources, such as iron ore, and it also helps to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills.
