News and press releases

28/11/2006

How can carbide scrap be converted into reusable raw materials? This was the question CERATIZIT experts asked themselves because of CERATIZIT's objective to assure its own carbide powder need. The obvious solution was to build a recycling plant. Since October 2006 the recycling plant in Reutte for hard carbide scrap (waste and rests of already sintered products) has been in operation. Since the beginning of 2007 it is also possible to recycle soft carbide scrap (powder scrap and presintered residuals as well as sludge containing tungsten carbide).

“Our engineers were facing the question of how to make hard and soft carbide scrap reusable,” says Michael Rieder, manager of the powder preparation department in Reutte. After some analyses conducted by CERATIZIT it was clear that for the recycling of hard carbide scrap a well-known procedure would be applicable. For the recycling of soft carbide scrap, on the however, CERATIZIT had to develop a completely new procedure. “This will first be applied in 2007. Obviously we will have to accumulate some practical experiences in the field of recycling soft carbide scrap,” says Rieder. However, from 2007 onwards continuous recycling is planned in this area.

Creation of a recycling centre in Reutte
“In the past we had a company convert our scrap into tungsten carbide," says Rieder. “Additional costs were caused by this conversion which now can be saved thanks to our recycling plant“.

In 2005 CERATIZIT created a team consisting of experts from CERATIZIT Austria and CERATUNGSTEN S. à r. l. to develop a method for the recycling of soft carbide scrap. After successful tests in the lab the specific plant technology and infrastructure were developed. Consequently the recycling centre in Reutte was created. This centre houses all facilities which are necessary for the recycling of tungsten carbide from carbide scrap. The building which was completed at the end of July has a production surface of approx. 900 sq.m. and is divided into two production areas, namely the recycling of hard and soft carbide scrap. The prerequisites to reach the goal of producing more than 30 per cent of the raw material needed by CERATIZIT using an in-house plant have been created in this manner.

Another plant for the recycling of hard carbide scrap is planned at CERATUNGSTEN in Luxembourg.

In order to guarantee maximum utilization for the new recycling centre and to simultaneously aid the customers, CERATIZIT also buys hard carbide scrap from clients.