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The large scale mechanical processing of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) started in the United States and was improved in Europe. In the United States, ELV recycling focused on high volumes while in Europe, optimization of processing plants was directed at high grades and recoveries. Legislation by the European Commission (EC) and the fast-growing consumption of metals in China has created an uneven playing fi eld and new markets, which infl uences the technological developments in the United States and the European Union. In the Netherlands, the EC legislation has been implemented by car dismantling and in the future, mechanical auto shredder residue processing will be added to reduce cost.

Background Integrated steelmaking is known to emit coarse airborne ‘nuisance’ dust (10–100 µm) to the production site and in the local environs. We present a method to quantitatively analyse the provenance, mineralogical and chemical attributes of the constituent particles in nuisance dust related to the integrated steelworks of Tata Steel, IJmuiden, the Netherlands. The dust is characterised per particle, using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM–EDS) microanalysis, and in bulk with quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Based on mineralogical characteristics, particles in the dust are sorted into populations that can be related in detail to industrial processes and subsequent atmospheric weathering influence. The method is illustrated by application to a nuisance dust complaint sample from the neighbouring town Wijk aan Zee containing a large contribution of several dust sources from the integrated steelworks. Results Besides a background contribution from urban and natural dust, diverse sources from the integrated steelworks are identified in the nuisance dust sample, derived from coke-making, iron-ore agglomeration processes and blast furnace ironmaking, steelmaking slag processing, process fluxes, as well as steelmaking refractory materials. The most voluminous of these in the sample are directly verified by comparison with a set of reference source materials. The abundances, mineralogical and chemical attributes of the various dust particle populations in the sample are quantitatively examined including, specifically, the occurrence of the potentially toxic elements Mn and V. These elements occur with highest concentrations in dust derived from steelmaking converter slag: V is housed in dilute form (solid solution) in the phases di-calcium silicate and brownmillerite, and Mn chiefly in Mg–Fe-oxide (Mg-wustite ((Mg,Mn,Fe)O) and its oxidation product ((Mg,Mn,Fe)(Fe,Mn)2O4)). Conclusions By treating nuisance dust as a particulate, multi-phase, multi-source material, the outlined method provides crucial information for toxicological evaluation and for mitigation of emissions, which is not obtainable by bulk chemical analyses alone. It also helps address the lack of adequate monitoring options for deposits of nuisance dust from integrated steel production, necessary to evaluate the relationship between deposition and monitored emissions that are regulated by the European Industrial Emissions Directive and by local permits based on this legislation.

This article describes a new method for identification and separation of non-ferrous scrap metals using an electromagnetic sensor that is based on the eddy current principle. The electromagnetic sensor (EMS) is a prototype system that has been developed by Delft University of Technology in co-operation with industry. Experimental results obtained with different non-ferrous metals are presented. The theory behind the sensor and the main components of the system are described.