Page 12 from: Recycling International November/December issue 2024
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THE MAN WHO INNOVATED TATA STEEL DIES
Ratan Tata, the Indian entrepreneur who transformed Tata Group into a
multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, has passed away at the age of 86.
Tata led the company for more than 20 years.
He took over the reins of Tata Group from his uncle in 1991, amid a power
struggle within the company’s leadership. Despite the internal challenges,
Ratan Tata unified the leadership and set out to modernise the company’s
image. His efforts paid off and in 2008 Business Week named Tata Group
one of the ten most innovative companies in the world.
Tata expanded the group significantly through international acquisitions,
turning it into a conglomerate with more than 100 subsidiaries. In the
Netherlands, Tata Group is best known for its 2007 acquisition of the
British-Dutch steel company Corus, a successor to Hoogovens. Today, Tata
Group remains the primary shareholder of Tata Steel in IJmuiden.
TSR WINS THREE-YEAR SUPPLY DEAL
WITH NOVELIS
TSR Recycling has struck as three-year agree-
ment with Novelis to provide approximately 75
000 tonnes of aluminium scrap to be processed
into low-carbon sheet for the automotive indus-
try.
TSR, part of the Remondis Group, processes 7.2
million tonnes ferrous and non-ferrous metals and
has 170 business locations with 4 500 employees
across Europe. The deal will see recycled alumini-
um delivered to what Novelis says is Europe’s larg-
est recycling centre at Nachterstedt in Saxony-
Anhalt, Germany.
MARKET DEMAND
Novelis says the strategic agreement directly sup-
ports rising market demand for high-recycled-con-
tent aluminium. Novelis is developing innovative
solutions with its automotive customers to absorb
more pre- and post-consumer scrap into new
alloys.
Denis Reuter, coo TSR Group says: ‘We are excited
to deepen our collaboration with Novelis based on
our joint purpose to maximize circularity and
decrease carbon emissions, conserve natural
resources and reduce energy of the material indus-
tries.
‘By working together, we can lead the transition
toward a circular economy for the automotive sec-
tor and beyond.’
WM SPREADS ITS ROOTS IN TEXAS
US recycler WM is constructing a new recycling
facility in Fort Worth, Texas. It believes the site will
boost recycling efforts across the north of the
state.
WM’s plant has been designed to treat around 145
000 tonnes of recyclables per year. The 10 500m
site is scheduled to begin operations by the end of
2025. It will include multiple lines of advanced optical
sorters.
WM says the expansion is part of the company’s US$ 1
billion (EUR 900 000 million) investment to update its
recycling facilities in the US between 2022 and 2026.
Meanwhile, WM recently acquired medical waste spe-
cialist Stericycle for US$ 7.2 billion. The recycler
believes the healthcare market offers long-term
growth in terms of scrap management.
Together, the partners aim to ‘unlock new opportuni-
ties’, according to Stericycle ceo Cindy Miller. She says
customers are looking to manage a greater volume
and variety of materials in a safe, responsible and sus-
tainable way.
PIONEERS CLAIM TURBINE BLADE FIRST
A European consortium to manufacture recyclable wind turbine blades is
claiming success as its four-year project comes to an end.
The ZEBRA (Zero wastE Blade ReseArch) project, established in 2020, complet-
ed a 77m blade at LM Wind Power’s blade manufacturing plant at Castellón in
Spain, in December 2023 using resin and fabric designed to be recycled.
According to the LM Wind Power website, the project successfully recycled
resin and fabrics from the blade (and manufacturing waste), reformulating them
back into usable materials.
Using recycled Elium resin in the manufacture of a shear web, which is a struc-
turally important component of the blade, is said to be a world-first, demon-
strating the potential of the resin technology to deliver sustainable blade
designs.
The ZEBRA partnership is led by the French Institute for Technological
Research, IRT Jules Verne. As well as LM Wind power, it includes Arkema (resin
supplier), Owens Corning (glass fibre supplier), SUEZ (dismantling and waste
processing), Canoe R&D centre (recycling technology), and Engie (life cycle
analysis).
According LM Wind Power, the project is a testament to the power of collabo-
ration in driving sustainable innovation.
‘By demonstrating the feasibility of full wind turbine blade recycling, the proj-
ect paves the way for a more sustainable future in the wind energy sector.’
CALL TO ARMS FOR UK PLASTICS
RECYCLING
Recycling plastic targets in the UK are achievable with
increased investment, smarter legislation, and improved
communication and collection systems, according to the
national industry association.
The potential for greater recycling comes from the British
Plastics Federation (BPF) in an updated version of its
Recycling Roadmap which was first published in 2021. It
notes that many of the required changes mentioned then
have not happened. ‘This is due to delays in implementing
key policies as well as particularly challenging economic
circumstances,’ says the BPF.
Achieving a recycling rate of 69% by 2030 (as outlined in
the first edition) will take longer and requires urgent col-
lective action from the government and industry, as well as
support from the public, it argues.
The new edition urges more government investment in the
UK’s recycling infrastructure, for both mechanical and
chemical recycling. The forecast highlights that the amount
of material chemically recycled within the UK by 2030 is
200 000 tonnes lower than the first roadmap indicated. But
it notes that 400 000 tonnes of chemically recycled materi-
al is possible by 2035 if certain obstacles are overcome.
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