2019 Recycling Industry Yearbook

ISRI.ORG 31 Using scrap instead of virgin materials in stainless steel manufacturing uses about one-third less energy . NICKEL AND STAINLESS STEEL Nickel exhibits characteristics of both ferrous and nonferrous metals. In manufacturing, it’s an essential alloying element for steel to produce stainless steel, which is valued for its resistance to corrosion. Consumer products and industrial applications that need steel-like strength, but where corrosion-causing moisture may be a problem, often use stainless steel. Manufacturers produce a wide range of stainless steel alloys based on the properties they desire, such as strength, hardness, formability, and corrosion resistance. One alloy, 18-8 stainless steel (named for its 18% chromium and 8% nickel content), is the destination for a large proportion of nickel and is a major source of nickel scrap. Nickel also is used in nonferrous alloys, superalloys—those developed for high-temperature or high-mechanical-stress applications—and electroplating. And nickel is an important base metal for electric vehicle batteries, with it comprising as much as 75% of a battery cell’s chemistry. About 68% of nickel available from consumer products is recycled worldwide. Source: Nickel Institute