Similar motor, shown for configuration style only

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Lithium-ion battery component for an electric vehicle.

Lithium Ion (L-I) batteries now exist in many items we all use, from mobile devices to e-scooters, bikes, and electric vehicles. The main concern with L-I batteries is fire risk, with residences, vehicles and businesses catching fire.

When L-I batteries enter waste streams and remain undetected, they can cause huge fires at landfills and recycling plants — putting yard personnel and the surrounding community at risk due to the release of toxic gasses from the batteries.

The challenge is that most consumers “are not aware of the safety, fire, and insurance risks posed by improperly manufactured, charged, stored, damaged or discarded rechargeable batteries and battery-containing devices, particularly lithium-ion batteries,” ReMA stated in its February 27, 2025 position paper, ReMA Position on Non-Embedded Small and Medium Format End-of-Life Battery Management.

L-I battery fires behave differently and require different suppression methods. The problem isn’t the fire per se — it’s the chemical release. Randy Narine, an active fire fighter, and CEO of Clean Core Research, shared his insights in an interview with Recycling Product News (source).

“This is the biggest education point that I’m trying to get out there,” says Narine. “The fire is one piece. The structure collapse is another. The biggest concern for me is the actual chemical release; identifying what’s been exposed, cleaning it up, and mitigating that risk.”

His concern extends well beyond scrap yards. A CBS News report about L-I fires interviewed a homeowner who lost his house to a L-I fire — the battery was in the vacuum cleaner, which had been left on the charger too long. His children, who were alone in the house, safely escaped; his two cats did not.

In another incident, a mobile phone caught fire on a plane mid-flight, filling the cabin with smoke. L-I fires burn hotter and spew toxins. In the video, you can see people on the flight holding tissues to their noses in order to breathe.

The toxic chemicals can contaminate anything they come into contact with, such as the wiring and electronics critical to the aircraft’s function.

Narine’s Toronto, Canada company conducted an investigation following a lithium battery fire in a residential setting. Although the fire was extinguished quickly, within days the home began showing signs of corrosion, including degraded outlets, rusted tools, and the HVAC system testing positive for chemical contamination.

This same kind of hidden damage, Narine says, “can occur in scrapyards and MRFs. The byproducts create some serious oxidation. It will rust metal at an astronomical rate.”

Scrapyard owners: Take proactive steps

The first step is risk assessment. As ReMA states in its position paper, an L-I battery in your scrap pile isn’t a what-if; it’s a given. If a fire were to start in your yard, who or what is at risk? While the safety of workers is your primary concern, what critical infrastructure could be damaged due to contamination or oxidation?

Narine recommends developing and adhering to proper handling and storage of L-I batteries to prevent unintentional fires that could shut you down.

Second, make a plan. Consult with your local fire officials to understand their approach to L-I fires and hazardous gas containment versus simply extinguishing the fire. If a fire were to occur, ensure you have a plan for safe evacuation of all yard personnel and quickly notifying first responders.

Your plan should also include post-fire testing, clean up, long-term response. The huge problem with L-I fires is the long-term contamination to surrounding structures and equipment, the soil, and even the PPE worn by yard personnel.

Keep abreast of state and Federal regulations and updates regarding L-I batteries

According to ReMA, states are considering end-of-life battery management legislation for small, medium, and large format batteries, and battery-embedded devices.

At the end of 2024, New Hampshire’s then Governor Sununu signed legislation, to take effect July 2025, that bans lithium-ion batteries and some electronic waste from disposal at New Hampshire landfills and incinerators, stemming a serious fire hazard. (source)

The key, however, is public awareness and education. While NH’s new law “requires owners and operators of disposal facilities to take steps to prevent the disposal of the batteries and electronics,” preventing disposal in the first place is difficult — especially since recycling opportunities are still difficult to locate in many states.

The post L-I Battery Fires in Scrap Yards: Mitigating Risk, Contamination appeared first on K2 Castings.

WTE facilities incinerate collected municipal refuse to produce electricity; they also recover ferrous and non-ferrous recyclable scrap.

Each year, Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plants along the East Coast generate over 500,000 gross tons of post-burn municipal ferrous scrap. These facilities incinerate collected municipal refuse to produce electricity, which is sold back to local power grids.

During incineration, both ferrous and non-ferrous metals are recovered from the waste stream, sorted, processed, and sold as recyclable scrap. WTE scrap is a secondary grade due to contamination and density. How can WTE operators improve their quality and revenue opportunities?

The incineration process

WTE plants burn commingled waste materials including paper, wood, plastic, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, dirt, rock, food waste, packaging, small appliances, electronics, and glass. During incineration, non-ferrous metals such as lead, tin, zinc, copper, and aluminum — which have lower melting points than ferrous steel and iron — melt and combine with ash and ferrous materials. These elements are known as “residuals” and contaminants; the steelmaking industry wants to minimize both.

After incineration, the combusted material is quenched with water. During this cooling process, the liquified non-ferrous metals and ash become caked onto the ferrous metals, creating stubborn coatings. The cooled, coated ferrous metals are then magnetically separated from the ash, producing what is known as post-burn municipal scrap, or “post-burn muni.”

Challenges with post-burn municipal scrap

Household municipal scrap consists primarily of thin, lightweight sheet materials, resulting in lower-density shredded scrap grades. Because of their light density and residual coatings (primarily copper and lead), post-burn municipal scrap can only be used in limited quantities during steelmaking. The central challenge is finding a steady market for this abundant but low-grade steel product.

Currently, most post-burn muni is sold as low-value unprocessed shredder feed, or light iron, to ferrous scrap shredders, who process it into REMA grade 210 or 211 shred for remelting into new steel. However, shredders mix this material sparingly into their feedstock to prevent excessive chemical residuals (copper and lead). Selling muni as a feedstock to the more advanced shredders for extra processing and blending caps the value of the muni shred commodity.

An innovative processing solution

Recently, a WTE plant owner invested millions in a specialized shredding operation designed to more effectively remove adhered ash from post-burn ferrous scrap. This system includes:

• Shaker screen system
• Hammermill-style shredder
• Air stream extraction system
• High-end drum magnets
• Eddy current non-ferrous separation systems
• Classifiers

This advanced processing produces a much cleaner grade of post-burn ferrous muni shred, which can be blended in higher percentages with conventional REMA 210/211 shred products.

The path forward

The critical question is whether this new process can produce post-burn muni shred with residual copper and lead levels low enough for direct consumption by steel mills. Several strategies could improve the product quality:

• Enhanced ash removal: Smaller shredder grates or ball mill processing could further densify the output and reduce contaminants.
• Dilution strategy: Mixing in clean shredder feedstock such as white goods (appliances) and #2 HMS with the post-burn feed could dilute the higher chemical residual levels.

Steel mill melt tests are essential to determine whether this improved grade of post-burn muni shred meets specifications for direct mill consumption. These tests will decide whether this innovation can transform a low-value byproduct into a viable steelmaking feedstock.

Steel mills could gain a new supply of cost-effective scrap while muni plants gain extra value in their upgrade efforts.

The post The Future of Post-Burn Municipal Shred from Waste-to-Energy Plants appeared first on K2 Castings.

Cordless power tools are convenient but battery packs present a fire hazard for scrap yard owners.

Lithium-ion batteries are one of the most persistent fire risks in scrapyards. Most operators are well aware of the common culprits: laptops, cell phones, and power tools. But just as often, batteries show up tucked inside less obvious items and when they get missed, they can end up in your shred pile, waiting to ignite.

Some of these items are small and hidden. For example, electronic toothbrushes, vape pens, and wireless earbuds all contain lithium cells, but their small size makes them easy to overlook. Even everyday greeting cards with built-in music or lights can hide a thin lithium battery that can ignite when punctured.

Then there are the bigger items that arrive with batteries built into places you might not expect. Adjustable recliners, hospital beds, and mobility scooters often carry large lithium packs concealed inside the frame.

Modern hospital beds can have battery packs hidden inside the frame.

E-bikes have become slimmer and lighter, and more difficult to differentiate from a regular bicycle, while still containing large battery packs within the frame.

As home battery backup becomes more popular, smart electrical panels containing lithium batteries are beginning to appear in scrap yards, nearly indistinguishable from a standard electrical panel.

And of course, we can’t forget the more familiar but still dangerous items: Electric lawn equipment, laptops, and power tools are all repeat offenders. While many yards have trained staff to pull these on sight, the sheer volume of material means even common items slip through.

The key takeaway is this: lithium-ion batteries are showing up in more products every year, and not all of them look like electronics. A simple reminder to your crews about these hidden battery sources can help keep them vigilant. Every pack you pull out before the shred pile is one less chance of fire.

Common Sources

Laptops and tablets

Cordless power tools

E-bikes and scooters

Cordless lawn equipment (trimmers, chainsaws, blowers)

Hidden & Less Obvious Sources

Adjustable recliners and lift chairs

Hospital beds

Home security systems and electrical panels

Vape pens and e-cigarettes

Bluetooth headphones and speakers

Electronic toothbrushes and shavers

Musical greeting cards and light-up decorations

The post Hidden Fire Hazards in Scrap: Uncommon Sources of Lithium-Ion Batteries appeared first on K2 Castings.

Screenshot from Aurubis Richmond company video

Aurubis AG, one of the largest copper recyclers worldwide, announced the opening of its Aurubis Richmond (Augusta, GA) facility September 24, 2025.

According to the company press release, it’s the first U.S. multimetal recycling and smelter plant of its kind. The facility, already in operation, is producing key strategic metals such as copper, nickel, tin, and precious metals, for American manufacturers.

Naveed Moghadam, Commercial Director at Aurubis, stated at ReMA’s September 2025 Copper Roundtable that the company wants to be a first mover against its competition.

“We see the U.S. as a key and growing market where development is happening,” Moghadam said. “We invested in the site because we wanted to be one of the first players to support manufacturing being reshored to North America.”

From the company press release: “The demand for strategic metals, such as copper, is rising steadily worldwide. American industry alone currently needs about 1.8 million tons of copper per year. Experts estimate demand will rise nearly 30% in the next five years.

“As of now, the US imports about half of the copper it processes. Multimetal recycling can close this gap quickly: As the first, and most technologically advanced, secondary smelter, Aurubis Richmond reinforces the independence of American supply chains by processing complex recycling materials.”

The new facility, which is the nation’s largest and most advanced secondary smelter, will provide metals for AI and data centers, energy infrastructure, electrification, and defense. The company invested $800M in building the new site and has added 240 high-quality industrial jobs to the local area.

Be sure to watch the company video for further details (click / tap the image; the link goes to company press release page):

U.S. continues to see strong EV sales

ReMA Copper Roundtable participants agreed that copper is a critical material for the future and that demand is great.

As noted in our January 26, 2025 copper update, AI and data centers are two main drivers of copper demand. Projected electricity consumption from data centers is expected to double by 2026, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

While EV sales in the U.S. increased 7.3% in 2024, consumers have been slower to adopt these vehicles than the rest of the world, said David Brooks, Global Head of Metals at Argus Media.

According to the IEA’s “Trends in electric car markets” report, global electric car sales exceeded 17 million in 2024 — totaling 20% of new car market. Global EV sales were 25% higher in 2024 than 2023.

Approximately 1.3 million EVs were sold in the U.S. during 2024 — a 7.3 increase over the previous year and roughly 12% of global sales.

Global Electric Car Sales: 2014-2024 ©IEA

On June 30, the White House announced tariffs on all copper products, excluding copper cathodes, which the market needs. “The tariff on copper products is designed to encourage new mills in the U.S. and more domestic production,” said David Brooks.

These are all encouraging signs, and we thank ReMA for remaining on top of these developments.

The post Aurubis Opens New Smelter in Augusta, GA appeared first on K2 Castings.

$40,000 available for immediate shipment.

Batch feeder

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UPDATE 11/11/2025 this unit has been sold

This unit is useful for –

• Electricity in a remote location
• Cogeneration
• Economy where grid supplied power is costly or unreliable
• Mining Crypto
• Backup power for large facilities

General Electric Gas Turbine Model MS5001 PA DLN & 30 MW Generator

2014 Manufacture. New, never installed. Properly stored in the USA.
Full Metallic Enclosures. Natural Gas fuel.
Turbine
– API 616 Gas Turbine for Petroleum, Chemical, & Gas Industry
– Fuel – Gas
– Starting Induction Motor 600hp

– Rated 40,000 kVA
– Output 30,000 kW
– pf 0.75 4 pole, 3p 13,800V 1674A 60Hz 1800 RPM
– TEWAC Totally enclosed water cooled

Serious Inquires only.  Located in the Continental USA.

The post For Sale: General Electric Gas Turbine Model MS5001 PA DLN & 30 MW Generator appeared first on K2 Castings.

One question we’re asked repeatedly by yard owners or managers: Should they consider adding solar to unused land attached to their yard. By solar, people mean the panel installations you see tucked into small unused plots of land that abut roads, interstates, and farms. Solar installations can also be found on capped landfills.

Adding a solar installation sounds good. Similar to adding solar panels to your home’s roof, the upside means you pay less for electricity and can charge your EV, should you own one. It also means you can store what you don’t use or sell your electricity to the local utility. Win-win-win.

But, installing solar on unused land in your recycling yard involves several considerations, including the acreage you have available, if it’s suitable for an installation, and if the ROI is greater than the start-up costs and ongoing maintenance.

Most important is your location. If you live in the Northeast, you’ll have to contend with shorter days in winter, snow, clouds, etc. Or, you live in a state that (so far) has few solar installations but could use the energy yours would generate.

Consideration #1: Do you have the acreage required?

According to Lumify Energy, “. . . a solar farm requires around 25 acres of land for every 5 megawatts (MW) of installation capacity. A minimum of 10 acres is considered the industry standard for smaller projects (around 1 MW). You’ll also need to take into account that panels should only cover part of the parcel area under planning regulations.” (Source)

A one megawatt hour supplies the equivalent of 1,000,000 watts or 1,000 kilowatts (kW) an hour. How many watts a solar panel produces depends on various factors, including the panel wattage and climate factors, such as sunlight, wind, and temperature.

Another calculation to consider is how much electricity your state generates from solar installations, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association®.

Their interactive map shows how many households are supported per megawatt of power by state. As you can see, California leads the way with 275 — versus South Dakota at 114. (View the map and website)

Consideration #2: What is the environmental impact of the installation?

Because solar installations require large land use, the installations come under a lot of scrutiny.

• Will the installation impact wildlife and plant species?
• Does the location abut a farm or natural waterway?
• How will the installation impact soil quality and the surrounding ecosystem over time?

Your best bet is to find a knowledgeable company or organization to help you navigate this process — and to help you work through your local, state, and Federal regulations. For example, SELT, a non-profit in New Hampshire that conserves land, worked with ReVision Energy for its solar installation. You can learn more about Community Solar at the ReVision website.

Consideration #3: What’s the potential ROI?

We asked a solar installation specialist for specific numbers. He said it’s hard to get specifics because it depends on multiple variables: The scale of the project, the rate structure for the location, land costs, and proximity to utility infrastructure vary so much, the economics of any project can swing quite a bit.

He also added some insider advice. “If a project is pitched by a solar developer, the goal is to keep costs in check, so they’ll bundle project costs or string together a portfolio of projects. The developer has to show attractive returns to move a project forward. Your land lease or other compensation will be ‘appropriately proportioned’ among project costs.”

He advises that you consider doing some of the project development yourself once your power utility is fully invested in getting solar projects running — especially if grant or rebate money is available to cover the development costs or carry the project through.

“Without these grants,” he adds, “projects do not spontaneously get done.”

Otherwise, the driver of a project is the economic beneficiary of the project. If your recycling facility can benefit from providing a portion of its own power and storing it or selling off peak power back to the utility via net metering, then consider doing it yourself.

Also keep in mind that due to project scope, you may require financing. You’ll also have to consider tax rates, any state rebates, electric rates, and the number of years your solar system will be in service.

Have you added a solar installation? Let us know — we’d love to feature a write-up of your experience here on the blog.

The post Considerations for Adding Solar to Unused Land at Your Recycling Facility appeared first on K2 Castings.

In case you missed it, ReMA published its 2023 Yearbook in February 2024 (download the PDF). The Yearbook replaced the ISRI Factbook, which we relied on to provide vital statistics about our industry, including the major importing and exporting countries for steel and iron, aluminum, copper, and stainless.

After considerable research by our team, we discovered current data for metal recycling is difficult to find and assemble; official U.S. data points are through the end of 2023.

The Yearbook, therefore, provides a good overview of the industry — with the caveat that things are rapidly changing.

For up-to-date news, we recommend visiting the ReMA website — members can log in to view trade and other info. We also recommend reading industry journals, such as Metals Recycling. Hopefully, ReMA will publish its 2024 Yearbook within the next couple of months.

The data presented by ReMA provides many positive signs and trends for our industry. All stats listed below are end of 2022 unless otherwise noted.

Iron and Steel

The U.S. processed nearly 70 million tons of recycled iron and steel.

U.S. steel mills consumed approximately 56.6 million metric tons of recycled iron and steel and produced 82 million metric tons of steel. The authors note that recycled ferrous metal consumption is projected to rise in the coming years amid significant electric arc furnaces (EAF) capacity expansion plans in the U.S. and abroad.

The U.S. steel consumption by end-use market was broken down to include Construction (46%), Transportation (26%), Machinery & Equipment (8%), Energy (6%), Appliances (5%), and Other (9%).

Nearly 80% of the recycled iron and steel recovered in the U.S. is sold to domestic steelmakers, foundries and other manufacturers. The balance is exported to recycled steel consumers in 80+ countries around the world — making the United States the largest single exporter in the world.

In the following chart from the Yearbook, note that Mexico, India, and Bangladesh increased their imports by double digits over 2021.

Recycled Iron & Steel Exports by Country © ReMA Yearbook 2023

Non-Ferrous – Aluminum

The U.S. recovered nearly 9 million metric tons of non-ferrous metals.

Non-Ferrous breakdown includes: aluminum (5.4 metric tons), copper (1.8 metric tons), lead (1.0 metric tons) and nickel / zinc (.5 metric tons combined)

The share of aluminum produced in the U.S. from recycled material continues to grow, with domestic recovery increasing 6.3% in 2022; 80% of U.S. aluminum production comes from recycled aluminum.

The Transportation industry is the largest consumer of aluminum at 35%, with Packaging at 23% and Building at 16%.

Copper

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 830,000 metric tons of recycled copper were recovered in 2022.

The superior quality of U.S. recycled copper is highly valued by manufacturers overseas. U.S. exports of recycled copper and copper alloys exceeded 926,000 metric tons valued at nearly $4.9 billion in 2022. Note in the chart below that Exports exceeded Domestic Recovery.

Building Construction is the largest consumer of copper at 46%; Electrical / Electronic Products comprise 21% of the end use market.

U.S. Recycled Copper Industry © ReMA Yearbook 2023

Nickel and Stainless Steel

Stainless steel producers in the U.S. rely on recycled metal to supply 90% of their raw material needs.

The production of stainless steel, alloy steels, and other nickel-containing alloys account for more than 85% of nickel consumption in the U.S.

EV batteries are in increasingly important source of nickel demand as lithium-ion batteries depend on nickel-containing cathodes to boost performance.

U.S. Stainless Steel Industry © ReMA Yearbook 2023

Recycled Material Trade Flows – Exports

ReMA’s 2023 Yearbook provides data for ferrous and non-ferrous exports for January – September 2023 and compares this time period to the same one in 2022.

Appendix C includes five charts worthy of attention, including U.S. Recycled Material Exports by Country. This chart, which is by FAS Value ($), is a little misleading as it includes ALL material — paper and fiber, electronics, glass, and post-consumer plastic.

The individual charts by recycled metal type are more informative to shredder yard owners.

We’ve included two charts, U.S. Ferrous Exports (Chart 1) and U.S. Aluminum Exports (Chart 2). We encourage you to download the full report for further reading.

Chart 1
While Turkey has received lots of press about being the largest importer of U.S. recycled iron and steel, what’s also interesting is Italy’s 6,702% increase for the Jan – September 2023 period.

According to analysis by the Italian CDP Group, “Italy is the second largest steel producer in Europe, after Germany, and the eleventh in the world. Over 85% of production is secondary steel, made from scrap iron in electric furnaces.

“Steelmaking based on the electric furnace is a national technological excellence, consolidated since the post-war period, which allows the sector to achieve higher productivity levels than its main competitors.

“Italy is also second in Europe for steel consumption. This is among the key inputs of several strategic supply chains such as construction, industrial machinery, automotive, energy and electronics.” (Read the full report.)

Chart 2
The aluminum export market data shows two countries — China and Thailand — increased imports of U.S. recycled aluminum significantly in 2023 — with Vietnam and Japan in third and fourth place, respectively.

Also note the U.S. increased total exports slightly — by 3.9% — for the 2023 vs. 2022 period.

The post ReMA 2023 Yearbook Provides Detailed Overview of Metal Recycling Industry appeared first on K2 Castings.

“I just took over an aging shredder. How do I determine if I need a new rotor and how much life is left in it?”

Good question! First, compare the original condition to the current condition. Try to find the rotor arrangement drawing, which came with the shredder when it was new or when the replacement rotor was purchased. This drawing should show disk thickness and key dimensions.

Check that the tie rods are still holding the rotor tightly together
Measure the outside-outside end disk distance across the rotor. If it’s growing an inch or more, the spread can mean loose or broken tie rods or loose or missing end disk nuts. A loose rotor will have limited life.

Look at rotor disk thickness and edge wear
Monitor the disks diameter indirectly, by tracking the distance between hammer pin hole and edge of the disk.

Monitor disk thickness and “wash out” around the hammer swinging area about the pin hole.

Check bearing bolts for tightness and bearing housings for damage
Clean up debris and keep bearing areas clear.

Tips for maintaining the rotor to extend its life

Build up the disk diameter with weld rod; build up gradually and evenly.

Don’t let the edge of the disk get too close to the pin hole — this leads to a break out at the pin hole. Break outs can be “repaired,” but they don’t last. Better to have a new rotor on deck at that point.

Keep in mind the rotor disk is doing some of the densifying work in the mill, thus the wear. Pin protectors should extend past the end disk. They protect the end disk as well as the hammer pin as they mash and densify scrap in the mill.

Build up disk thickness where hammers might ‘wash out’ material on the disk sides. Build up evenly, attempting to keep the rotor balanced.

7018 rod is an economic build-up rod. A better, but costlier rod is Lincoln Lincore 15CrMn or Stoody 2110 or 110. Don’t let an outside welding supplier sell you on any other fancy hardsurface welding wire or electrodes. Fancy doesn’t pay in this application.

Build up a bit, let it wear a few days, then build on top of it. You can have a problem welding on top of the previous work-hardened welding and not having it “spall” off.

Other advice

If you have a severely worn rotor, consider recording quarterly measurements.

If you see the distance outer-disk-to-outer-disk start to spread, you may be on the way to a failure. It could be months or it could be YEARS. Hard to say. That’s why you measure regularly. The key indicator is rate of change.

The amount of heavies, rotor bearing damage, and bent rotor shaft also tell the tale of the life of the rotor.

I figure it this way: If you’re going to stay in the shredding business, have the spare. The money is spent either now or once it fails. You can avoid months of lost production with a spare rotor on site. Consistent production is the key to stable revenue.

The post How Do I Know If I Need a New Shredder Rotor? appeared first on K2 Castings.