Efficient use of foundry dust
The use of resources in the metal industry is to be improved even further through efficient use of foundry dust.
The kick-off event of the ForCYCLE II project group took place on 06 November 2019, in the Max-Joseph-Saal of the Residenz palace in Munich. The project group is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection and stands for more resource efficiency in the Bavarian economy, in particular for SMEs and trades. Within this framework, a total of eleven projects with an average project period of three years have been worked on since mid-2019. The objective is to develop innovative technologies and processes for recycling, as well as the efficient use of resources.
The "Securing and maintaining raw materials through the preparation and utilisation of foundry dust – Bavarian Consortium for Foundry Dust Metal Recovery" subproject is being worked on by the University of Augsburg together with bifa. Several Bavarian foundries are involved in the project: Franken Guss GmbH & Co. KG, Giesserei Heunisch GmbH, Kemptner Eisengießerei Adam Hönig AG and Trompetter Guss GmbH Co. KG. In addition, the SMEs AKW Apparate+Verfahren GmbH and GPS SIC Keßl GmbH u. Co. KG are involved in the project.
As in other branches of industry, more environmentally friendly production is an important element of the corporate strategy of Bavarian foundries. The recoverables contained in the dust are currently lost in landfill. As costs are also increasing continuously, treatment and subsequent utilisation of the dust makes sense, not only from an ecological point of view, but also economically. The properties of the dust involved are decisive for its potential utilisation. These not only include the chemical composition (content of main components and trace elements), but also the physical properties (bulk density and particle size). Despite higher fractions of valuable materials, there are currently no or insufficient material utilisation options for many of the types of dust separated out in the exhaust gas cleaning in foundries. In addition, the particle size of the filter dust is mainly within a range between 0.063 mm and < 0.250 mm. This makes the handling and treatment significantly more difficult.
Furthermore in the project, potential parameters for reducing the quantities of waste are to be considered. In addition to appropriate collection and supply logistics, adapted treatment and extraction processes must be available. As this has only been the case to a minor extent to date, further development efforts are also required here.
The objective of the project is, to work with the foundries to develop practical ways which enable the treatment and potential reuse of the foundry dust produced. In this way, economic alternatives to disposal are to be developed, and the recoverables contained in the residual materials, for example, tin and iron, are to be made available for reuse.
You want more information?
You are welcome to contact me:
Dr. Karsten Wambach,
kwambach@bifa.de