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Recycling Powder Coated Metal

Hello!

I am a Cargo Claim Specialist for a Trucking Brokerage Firm. We currently have a claim under investigation that involves powder coated warehouse racking that is bent, and thus unusable. The claimant states that the product cannot in any way be stripped of its powder coating for any type of recycling of the metal. Is this true?

Kelly Adams
shipper of powder coated products - Seaford, DE, USA
February 5, 2008

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First of two simultaneous responses -- February 8, 2008

Hi Kelly,

No, this is not true. Powder coating can be stripped chemically, physically or even burnt off. The question would be whether it is feasible to do it and whether it is cost effective.

Hope this helps

Drew Devlin
- North Lincolnshire

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Powdercoated (or painted) steel can be recycled in electric arc steelmaking.
While the paint is undesirable to the steelmaker, if he refused all painted steel, there'd be a massive shortage of scrap steel. The paint burns off and is captured by the fume collection and treatment system in that mode of steelmaking.

Just now world prices for scrap steel are high. You should have few difficulties selling it if its of any significant quantity.

Geoff Crowley
Crithwood Ltd.
Westfield, Scotland, UK

February 8, 2008