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Recycling is processing of used materials into new products, which can be used again. For example, we use recycled paper, recycled plastic, recycled glass and many more. Recycling helps us in many ways – conserves limited and exhaustible resources, saves energy, is environmental friendly, creates jobs and helps in proper waste disposal. There are many other benefits too and so we recycle food scrapes, leather, rubber, wood in addition to those mentioned above. Metal scrap is also added to this long list as the resources of metals are depleting at an alarming rate. Recycle scrap metal constitutes about 8% of the total materials recycled. Let us look into scrap metal recycling in detail.

Due to the ever increasing demands of the human race and the ever decreasing sources of metals, recycling has become of prime importance. Not only this, but the environmental pollution, the greenhouse effect and the effects of carbon footprint has necessitated that we concentrate on the recycling of different products.

Scrap Metal Recycling: Process
Unlike recycled paper and recycled glass, recycled metal can be put to indefinite use. Metal can be recycled again and again as it does not lose its strength or material compound. This makes metal recycling very beneficial. The process of metals recycling is different than plastic recycling; continue reading the process of recycling scrap metal.

Step One: Collection
Scrap metal is collected from the households as well as from the different industries. It is then sent to the sorting agents.

Step Two: Sorting
The metals are sorted based on their type and composition. Like metals are packed together and sent to the scrap metal recycling centers.

Step Three: Inspection
The metals are inspected to see if they are sorted correctly and if the like ones are kept together. Later they are melted.

Step Four: Melting
The metals are, later, heated in smelters. Smelters are devices which melt big chunks of metals at very high temperatures. Each metal or similar metals have different smelters because of their different melting points.

Step Five: Cooling
This is the last step in scrap metal recycling. Once the metals melt fully, they are molded into small bars and are allowed to cool down before they are reused. These small bars are called as ingots.

Many people may ask the question how to sell scrap metal and what is this scrap metal used for? The metal recycling plant sells these metal bars to different industries and manufacturers, at a price, who use it to make different materials from them. The scrap metal prices will depend upon the purity, quantity, the market conditions and the demand for the material. You buy products like soda cans, use them and throw them in the garbage, from where it goes through the same process. Many entrepreneurs have started their own scrap metal recycling business after realizing the importance of recycling material and the never ending source of scrap metal. Recycle scrap metal is encouraged by the government also in order to reduce the environmental problems.

Scrap Steel Recycling & Scrap Iron Recycling
Steel is derived from iron ore. About 98% of the iron ore is used in making of steel because we use a lot of steel in our day to day life. It is the most widely used, and also the most widely recycled metal. Steel is recycled from appliances, construction materials, automobiles and from soda cans. The sources of scrap iron are demolished steel structures, railroad cars and tracks and old obsolete machines. Recycled steel is derived from the recycled iron and the process is much simpler and cheaper than extracting steel from iron ores. Scrap steel is also helpful in reducing air pollution and water pollution and is also an energy saver. Recycled steel is used to make stainless steel utensils, cars, bridges, construction materials, soda cans, etc. According to scientists, 3000 pounds of iron ore is saved when 1 ton of steel is recycled. Scrap metal recycling saves us a lot of iron as well as coal. This is a recycle scrap metal benefit.

Scrap Copper Recycling
There is a lot of demand for copper and the natural mineral is exhausting rapidly. It is thus, necessary to recycle copper and use it to satisfy the ever increasing demand. Usually, recycled copper is impure and is refined into a grade ‘A’ quality before it is used to make beautiful articles.

We can conclude from the above that scrap metal recycling has its benefits. It helps us to reduce the environmental issues and save our natural resources. Next time you see a scrap metal, be sure to dispose it properly so that it can be recycled. Encourage use of recycle scrap metal. Remember that using recycled materials does not harm your health.

While many people tend to visualize acid rain as an occurrence marked by pure acid falling from the sky, it is a pure misconception on their behalf. Basically, acid rain is a broad term which encompasses certain types of precipitation by which the chemical compounds suspended in the atmosphere come down to the Earth. Forget about what causes acid rain, many people out there don’t even have the slightest idea as to what is acid rain. That being said, it is important to understand what acid rain actually is before moving on to understand the details of acid rain causes and effects.

What is Acid Rain?

In geography, the term acid rain is used to refer to the phenomenon of precipitation wherein the droplets of water coming down to the Earth are characterized by unusually high acidic content. In several cases, the concept of acid rain is used as an attribute of a broader concept known as acid deposition. In this concept, the acidic compounds in the atmosphere come down to Earth in form of rain as well as snowfall, sleet etc. All the lifeforms inhabiting the planet bear the brunt of acid rain. Some of the most prominent acid rain effects include acidification of freshwater sources such as lakes and rivers, damage caused to the plants, depletion in the fertility of the soil, damage to the human built structures etc. When we talk about acid rain effects on plants, we also refer to th effects of this harmful phenomenon on crops.

If you are fascinated by science, you will find the chemistry of acid rain equally interesting. The acidic compounds in water are measured in terms of pH value – with low pH value signifying highly acidic nature of the liquid. While pure water has a pH value of 7, normal rain water can have the same ranging between 5.5 to 7. The slight increase in pH value of normal rain water can be attributed to the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When the pH value of rain water goes below 5.5 it technically qualifies to be referred acid rain.

Causes of Acid Rain

Coming back to acid rain causes, virtually all of them can be attributed to human activities. As we mentioned earlier, acid rain occurs as a result of chemical reaction in the atmosphere. The most common chemicals which contribute to this process are nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, both of which have the ability to dissolve in water with ease. These chemicals are basically the pollutants which are released in the atmosphere as a result of various human activities. Among the various human activities which contribute to acid rain, the most prominent one is burning of fossil fuels to produce electricity, power vehicles and power industries.

Pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are released in the atmosphere in form of exhaust smoke as a result of these activities. Being light in nature, they start ascending in the atmosphere and eventually come in contact with the rain bearing clouds. When these clouds start precipitating, the water droplets come in contact with the chemicals suspended in the atmosphere. The chemicals get dissolved in these water droplets wherein they react with oxygen and other chemicals, and come down to the ground in form of acidic rain. Acid rain can also occur in areas wherein there is less air pollution as these light chemicals are easily guided off by wind to far off places.

Other Causes of Acid Rain

One of the lesser known facts about acid rain is that it can be caused by oil spills as well. Acid rain caused by oil spill can be attributed to the fact that oil spilled in the ocean tends to evaporate into the atmosphere along with the ocean water. In this process, the particles in oil get suspended in the atmosphere, and eventually come down in form of acidic compounds. Other than these causes, there also exist some natural causes of acid rain in form of volcanic eruptions and forest fires.

Those were the details about the causes and effects of acid rain. With so much of damage attributed to acid rain, it is undoubtedly one of the most serious environmental issue we are facing today. In order to curb this phenomenon, we need to identify acid rain causes and eliminate them. While natural causes of acid rain do exist, they are negligible as compared to the human induced causes. The planet has been subjected to acid rain since centuries, but lately it has worsened to a significant extent. It is but obvious that human activities play a major role in the occurrence of acid rain on the planet. Taking into consideration the future implications of acid rain, the onus is on us to make sure that we implement acid rain solutions and stop contributing to this natural hazard, knowingly or unknowingly.