Rebar Recycling: One Way You Don’t Know Before

May you know, it can save many cost by recycling, do you know how to make money by scrap rebar recycling?

Contents

About Rebar

Rebar is short for Reinforcement Bar and also called as reinforcement steel bar.

Since steel is known for its high tensile strength, these are used in RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) to increase the concrete’s tensional strength. The steel bars are deformed on the surface to provide better friction with the concrete. These bars come in different sizes and are usually denoted as #3, #4, #5, etc.

Some common types of bars used are Carbon steel bars, stainless steel bars, and wire mesh bars.

About Scrap Rebar

With the increase in recycling of materials to decrease the cost of materials and harm to the environment, some countries have started the use of recycling scrap metals.

Scraps are recyclable materials usually found after the demolition of previously constructed structures or during excavation.

Steel is one of the most expensive materials found at a construction site and unlike waste materials, even scrap metals have monetary worth.

Scrap Rebar is the reinforcement steel that is milled from scrap metals. These scrap rebar are referred to as mild steel by their manufacturers. These bars have ribs on the surface, identical to the high yield traditional deformed bars.

While it may have its pros, one of its major disadvantages is that it has been reported that scrap rebar proves to be relatively very brittle.

Regular Process of Recycling

The recycling step can be categorized into a few steps.

To recycle the reinforcement steel from a demolished structure or an excavated site, before starting you have to ask the previous owners permission for reusing the scraps.

Step 1: collection.

The collection process for metals differs from other materials due to its increased worth. It is more likely to be recycled than to be sent to a landfill.

The collection of scrap metal can be from vehicles, demolished sites, railroad tracks, or junkyards.

Although the ones bought from said junkyards shall also be inspected for safety standards.

Step 2: inspection or sorting.

It includes inspecting which of the found scrap rebar is in a state to be recycled i.e. not broken and free from rust and which scrap is unusable and goes to the landfill.

Usually, large-sized magnets are used for this purpose as they can detect metals free from impurities.

Other than this method, metals can also be classified or sorted based on their color e.g. light silver means aluminum.

If a rebar is still intact with the concrete then the affected part can be removed with the help of a rebar cutter, affirming that the remaining part’s length is long enough to be used again.

Rebar with rusts should not be used since they go against safety standards and can cause accidents.

Step 3: processing.

For scrap rebars that are not in a state to be directly reused by simply straightening them, they are shredded.

This is done to make the melting process easier.

Step 4: melting.

The shredded scrap metals are taken to a large furnace and melted. Different types of metals are taken to different furnaces for melting.

Step 5: purification.

It is affirmed if the resulting metals are free from any impurities and are of good quality.

Step 6: solidifying.

The purified metals are cooled and solidified. The scrap metals are given the desired forms for which they’ll be used e.g. reinforcement steel, bars, and other shapes.

After this, they are transported to industries for different industrial uses like construction and manufacturing, etc.

This cycle of recycling metal is a repetitive process. After the transported metal fulfills its useful life, it is then recycled again and the same process is repeated.

Different Ways to Recycle

The scrap rebar found from a construction site that seems in a better condition and does not require the melting process can be used directly.

One of the most common ways to reuse scrap rebar is to use it as a table. The table can be made by bending the bar’s legs.

This can be done by using Rebars Machine’s (Scrap) Rebar Straightening Machines for as low as $450 USD. There are multiple types of machines available at Rebars Machine. It make rebar recycling so easy.

Some use the type rotor straightening system and some use the two roller configuration. Similarly, the rod can also be bent by the machine to make chairs for placing reinforcement. The same process is done, by molding the bar’s legs, but on a smaller rod.

Another way to reuse the scrap rebar is for aesthetic purposes.

For example, they can be wrapped around by bending on a table or other object. They can also be used to prop up different sorts of vegetables like tomatoes or a young tree.

Sometimes these scrap metals are just melted in a furnace and some other metals are added to it to produce different alloys or enhance its properties. This allows them to save costs on their productions.

Scrap rebars are also used for sculpture making, the possibilities are endless using Rebar straightening machines.

What Benefits of Recycling

Bluntly speaking, the most common and major reason for industries to recycle scrap metal is to save costs. Steel is one one the most expensive materials at a construction site and recycling it saves a huge amount of money.

According to sources, recycling scrap metal can:

Save around 90% use of raw materials
Decrease 40% use of water
Every ton of production of new steel from scraps can save about 1110 kg of iron ore, 630 kg of coal, and 50 kg of CaCO

Apart from costs, recycling of scrap plays a major role in the protection of the environment. The scraps that are recycled are saved from going into the landfill.

Some scraps contain toxic impurities in them and upon dumping can cause contamination to the soil and water.

According to sources, rebar recycling can: