Recycling material & By-Products
The core task of residual materials management
The demand for raw materials in our economy is steadily increasing, but the planet’s resources are not infinite. This limited availability of raw materials in general, coupled with the particular scarcity in our region, makes it necessary for the future to develop and to implement innovative processes for the recycling of by-products and dismissed goods. The raw material management of Lech-Stahlwerke is therefore based on the principle of recycling and waste avoidance. The goal is to channel most residual materials and by-products towards further uses. At LSW an internal network of containers for residual materials has been set up in order to select and prepare them prior to re-use, whenever possible. The same also applies to production-specific by-products. These are assessed and divided accordingly as part of our closed loop recycling management by the Max Aicher Umwelt GmbH (MAU).
Recycling instead of disposal
Through the consistent implementation of sustainable raw materials management, we contribute significantly to the conservation of natural resources. Filter dust and ladle slag are two good examples of how by-products of steel production, as secondary raw materials, can reduce the industrial demand for primary raw materials. Thanks to the processing of filter dust which is high in zinc (in the form of oxides) the recycled metal dust can be employed as a raw material in zinc plants.
In the secondary metallurgical treatment a further by-product of raw steel production is created. This is the so-called 'ladle slag'. If properly processed, it can be used as agricultural lime.