Few metals are as emotive as uranium. Due to its not unique but certainly special properties, uranium can be both a source of unlimited low emission power or a potential method of mass destruction either in the form of a bomb or as with Chernobyl when human error can allow a plant operation to go horribly […]

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I grew up in a family of teachers, writers and musicians (though my mother should have been a mechanical engineer). So having a son who is obsessed with manufacturing processes (his favorite show is How It’s Made) gives me a chuckle. It’s not enough for him to know that his new Razor is made of […]

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Since I now have to spend the rest of my life with titanium screws in my arm, I thought it was interesting – and maybe a little morbid, I’ll admit – to read some articles about the recycling of metal pins, screws and joints after they’re found in the ashes of cremated bodies. Hey, I warned you […]

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Electronic waste is a growing frustration to those in the metals industry, since the recyclable metals contained in e-waste often fill local landfills instead of finding a life after death. We’ve discussed the problem of e-waste a few times, and last month, we shared some simple ways to recycle cell phones. Although electronics such as […]

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Photo Credit: No Dirty Gold (c) 2006.
Mining for gold isn’t always as pretty as that glimmering necklace or your favorite gold ring. “Customers don’t realize that one wedding ring weighs 10 grams and causes three tons of toxic waste,” says Greg Valerio, owner of ethical jewelry company Cred, which partners with the Colombia-based Green Gold Corporation.
We’ve all […]

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Gold, copper, silver, platinum, and zinc are a few of the metals that hide deep within the ocean floor and camp out in deep-sea vents. As hoards of precious metals plummet and the metals become scarcer, exploring and mining beneath the waves seems more commercially viable. British engineering company Soil Machine Dynamics is creating the […]

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Anodized aluminum casings and a magnesium alloy cover can make a drastic difference in laptop care–and disposal, given the recyclability of the materials. This week, HP introduced the latest HP EliteBook 6930p, a small-sized laptop with abilities that read like an all-terrain vehicle. Whether you’re working in extreme conditions or checking e-mail in the kitchen, this […]

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It’s possible you didn’t even realize it was missing, but the news is official: Aluminum’s back. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now amending a clear water regulation, the F019 hazardous waste listing, which previously restricted the use of aluminum in automobiles. It’s been decided that cuts in carbon emissions are worth possible water contamination from […]

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The market is slowly improving for copper consumers as Comex/LME prices have drifted lower over the last two months and scrap prices decline. Whether prices will get back to the levels seen last December of $6500/ton remains to be seen, but falling scrap demand in China has helped the availability of raw material supply to […]

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Despite new recycling programs, mobile phones can’t always count on life after death. Most people are too busy to search for those opportunities. That’s a shame for those in the metals industry, since copper, platinum and silver are just a few of the metals that are discarded when cell phones move to the local landfill. […]

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