How Does Stainless Steel Contribute to the Food Industry?

Food comes in contact with metals in stages of its processing. To prevent transfer of harmful elements from metals to food, it is important to understand the type of interaction and select the suitable metal for food handling depending on the food processing. 

Stainless steel is extensively used in food industry due to their inherent resistance to corrosion. It can be formed into complex shapes and sterilized without deterioration. Also, it also does not impart any color and flavor to food, making it ideal for the food industry.

Most of the stainless steel used in food industry contains chromium in the range of 16 – 18 %. This provides optimum corrosion resistance in wide range of food and beverage media. A great example of industry-level usage includes brewing vessels, storage facilities, and milk tankers. 

Austenitic grades are used for storage and transportation of corrosive food products. For food containing salt, grades containing Molybdenum are suitable. 

316L/1.4404 is referred to as “food grade” in food industry. Another popular grade is 304L/1.4307.

Ferritic stainless steel is magnetic in nature and is used in household appliances. It offers corrosion resistance for when high corrosion resistance is not required. 

Martensitic grades have high levels of carbon and is hardened by heat treatment. This is used where high wear resistance is required.  420/1.4021 is used for the making knives. It retains sharpness even after prolonged use. 

Duplex grades offer high resistance to corrosion caused by saline solutions at high temperatures. It is used in custard and vinegar making, manufacturing of sauces, cheese making, and fish-canning plants. 

Selecting the correct grade of steel and alloys in food industry is a very important decision. It involves considerable costs in terms of procuring and set-up. Dubai is one of the biggest gastro-hubs. This means the demand for stainless steel is constant. This however also means stainless steel scrap ends up in Dubai scrap yards. 

Photo reference: From Pixabay copyright free image

With the extent of stainless steel used in the food industry, it is only wise to ensure that it is recycled and reused. Metal recycling companies in Dubai, like Lucky Group specializes in efficient and sustainable metal recycling. Recycling and reusing is a step towards sustainable and greener planet and is a need of the hour. Lucky Recycling, part of Lucky Group, employs advanced techniques and technology to realize their aim of promoting sustainability. 

Disclaimer: This article(s) has been prepared solely for information purpose, using publicly-accessible sources that are believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publishing. LUCKY GROUP accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage resulting from the use of information, images or opinions expressed in the report. LUCKY GROUP does not give warranty of any kind regarding the completeness, accuracy and reliability of the information included in the article(s).

Reference Links - 

• https://www.ambicasteels.com/blog/stainless-steel-in-food-industry/#:~:text=Duplex%20grades%20are%20preferred%20for,Pitting%20resistance%20than%20austenitic%20grades
• https://knifeup.com/420-steel-guide/
• https://www.hilarispublisher.com/open-access/stainless-steel-for-dairy-and-food-industry-a-review-2169-0022-1000191.pdf
• https://www.marlinwire.com/blog/what-is-the-best-food-grade-stainless-steel#:~:text=Food%20Grade%20Stainless%20Steel%20316&text=Other%20austenitic%20stainless%20steels%2C%20such,for%20nearly%20any%20food%20application
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel#:~:text=Type%20304%2C%20the%20most%20common,chlorine%2C%20also%20attack%20stainless%20steel

Effects of Not Recycling

The fact that recycling is one of the most important issues in recent times needs no introduction. Also UAE passed an ambitious law in 2018 to recycle 75% of the waste generated by the country (Gulf News, New UAE federal law aims at 75% of waste recycling), which highlights the importance of recycling with combined efforts around the world to recycle human waste suffocating the environment.

This article is not about the importance of recycling, rather it talks about what would be the results of not recycling. That is, let the landfills fester with ever voluminous mounds of trash. What will be the effects of not recycling that?

The world is already reeling from an unimaginable turnover of waste. According to the World Bank, the global volume of waste is set to increase by 70 percent by 2050. (World Bank, Global Waste to Grow by 70 Percent by 2050 Unless Urgent Action is Taken: World Bank Report)

The developed countries generate the maximum amount of the world's waste with the US being one of the biggest. An estimated 254 million tonnes of waste gets generated by the USA per annum (Environmental Protection Agency or EPA). The UAE being the highest waste generator in the Gulf region, generating an estimated 6.5million tonnes of waste and is one of the world's highest in terms of per capita waste production.(Gulf Business, UAE seeks end to status as one of world’s largest waste producers)

The effects of not recycling can be categorised broadly into two categories: environmental and economic.

1.                  Environmental

First, let’s talk about plastic. Recent reports around the world of the presence of plastic in the bowels of aquatic creatures especially an infamous one have raised alarm over the problem that the accumulation of plastic waste poses. According to a World Bank report, 242 million tonnes of plastic waste was produced globally which constituted 12 percent of the total solid waste generated worldwide (World Bank, Global Waste to Grow by 70 Percent by 2050 Unless Urgent Action is Taken: World Bank Report).

Scrap metal, easily recyclable, when not recycled puts pressure on landfills and serves to increase the toxicity of the environment.

Glass can be recycled ad infinitum thus saving cost as well as lessening water pollution.

If recycling is not done (and not done properly), there are environmental costs to bear globally.

2.                  Economic

There are significant economic implications of not recycling in addition to the obvious environmental effects.

In 2017, the global recycling industry generated an estimated $265.61 billion (975.64 billion dirhams) of revenue. The global plastic recycling industry alone was estimated to have a market size of an estimated $37.6 billion (138.1 billion dirhams).(Cision, Global Waste Recycling Market Outlook Report 2017-2018: $37.6 Billion Opportunities in Plastic Recycling)

Revenue generated leads to more jobs. In the US alone, tens of thousands of people work in the recycling sector. If recycling is stopped, these people along with thousands of others around the world will lose their jobs.

Recycling also helps to reduce prices on many items such as glass and some types of metal. Since the material is recycled every time, manufacturing costs are cut drastically in half. The effect of not recycling would not only put immense pressure on already depleting finite resources but would also make prices inflate for a lot of materials.

Thus, to conclude, the impact of not recycling has a tremendous cost, both environmentally and economically and would only clog the various spheres of the planet with unmanageable clutter, both hazardous and non-hazardous. Therefore, in a world of fast depleting resources, recycling is the need of the hour.

How to sell scrap metal for money?

Where to look for scrap metal?

1. Look in your garage or basement.
2. Check in your neighborhood for discarded metal by the side of the road.
3. If you are holding on to old auto parts, those can be sold as scrap metal.
4. An old lawnmower has lots of metal parts and can be sold as scrap. Just make sure you empty the fuel tanks before you put it up for sale.
5. Yard sales are a good place to score some scrap metal for cheap.

How much is it worth?

Copper- Copper is the most valued scrap metal. Almost any metal recycling yard will accept it, depending on its condition. When copper is recycled, 100% of the metal is recovered. You can scrap motors that have copper or even copper wires. Old Christmas tree lights contain copper. And so do old toasters with their copper wiring. Old-fashioned or industrial plumping fixtures were also made of copper.

Brass- Recycling alloys like brass can also prove valuable. Brass can be found in gears, locks, valves, musical instruments and ammunition.

Aluminium- Aluminium is easily available as beverage cans, car bodies and tins. It is relatively cheap to sell as scrap.

Steel - Steel is the most common metal to scrap but the least lucrative. It can be commonly found in kitchen utensils, hubcaps and beer kegs.

How to sell it?

Step 1: Sort and clean the scrap metal
By doing these two things you significantly reduce the word the scrap yard has to do to recycle the metal. For that, your scrap metal could be bought for more.

Step 2: Find a transport vehicle. If you are carrying small quantities of scrap metal you can even use a bicycle to transport the scrap to the recycling yard. But if you are transporting huge quantities of scrap, then a pickup truck with an open back is your best option. Scrap metal in an open pickup truck can be easily unloaded by a crane. If you take your scrap metal in a closed vehicle, then you might damage your car's interior while unloading the scrap.

Step 3: Negotiate for a good price. Compare prices of the metal you are selling beforehand. You can either research it online or call up different scrap yards in your neighborhood and ask them their prices. Scrap yards usually pay more for larger quantities of scrap. Also in some areas, scrap metal fetches more during colder seasons.

Where to sell it?

The easy answer for this is scrap yards. But this question will deal with how to go about finding a scrap yard and sell your scrap? There are a few steps to this.

1. First, find a local scrap yard. You can look in your local classifieds book or do an internet search. Search for "scrap yard your-location-name" or "metal recycling your-location-name".

2. Different scrap yards buy different kinds of metal. Shortlist the scrap yards based on what you are selling.

3. Compare prices before you visit the shortlisted scrap yards by calling them and asking how much they offer for the metal you are selling.

4. Negotiate!