Saturday, June 2, 2018

Metal Recycling And Surviving The Next Century

By Sandra Perry


At no point in its evolution has human ever been the strongest of fastest extant terrestrial animal alive. Every animal of comparable mass has always had an advantage in either speed or strength. But it is not bears or gorillas with their superior speed and strength that rule the planet. No, the dominant species on the planet is man. For all of its physical limitation, the human being is able to win the game of life by being smarter and more ruthless that the other creatures on the planet. Humanity used tools, fashioned spears and knives out of rocks and sticks. The rocks and sticks gave way to bronze, then to iron, and then to steel. Metal, when combined with an indomitable spirit and an unbreakable will, was the resource that changed the course of warfare and thus, the course of history. But metal is also a finite resource, not to mention that process of extracting it can be time consuming. Which is why metal recycling St Louis is so important.

The ancient world was carved in warfare. Steel clashed against steel as the men that wielded weapons fell to one another in droves. Disputes in the ancient world were resolved with violence, such violence is how empires were created. But society is no longer ancient, the weapons are somewhat more advanced. Nowadays, metals are used not just for warfare, but for living in general. Every single computer in the world contain one metal or another, usually lithium and some gold.

To recycle something is to give it new life. Most people throw something away when it is used up. But most things can be recycled and used anew.

Because of how finite resources are, recycling is important in order to free up what little there is. Also, it is good for the environment. It can also be profitable.

The really great thing about metal is that as durable as it can be, it also vulnerable to heat. Melting it down allows it to be reshaped and reformed. Doing so allows metals to be used over and over again for different purposes.

Steel beams can be melted down into plates for body armor. Iron can be melted down and forged into new tools. Gold can be melted down and put in computer chips.

Now, repurposing steel and other alloys can be profitable. In fact, there exists a whole industry of people illegally breaking into old homes to extract the copper wiring to sell, because copper is a profitable ware. To add to that, around half of all commercially available copper is from recycled sources.

As mentioned before, mining has some significant environmental drawbacks. Now, a lot of places where metal can be mined exist in places where governments may or may not be overthrown at the drop of a hat. Refurbishing just means that there is less dependence on a supply that may or may not steady.

The ability to make use of resources is how mankind rose to the top of the food chain. But the deposits of those resources will eventually be depleted. It thus important to use everything to its fullest extent.




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