Pmc process demonstrated!
The last year Purified Metal Company has entered into a partnership with the Technical University of Aachen. The RWTH Aachen is a leading institute in the field of metallurgy and has a laboratory with furnaces capable of melting up to 500 kg of steel. The purpose of the co-operation was to perform a validation study.
Purified Metal Company has asked the university to examine whether the PMC process is suitable for treating asbestos contaminated steel to assure that asbestos fibers are destroyed and a clean steel product will be produced. Professor Schenk has supervised the project and is known worldwide for his knowledge and holds the chair of Metallurgy of Iron and Steel. He is regarded as one of the most eminent professors in his field.
The results of the study were recently issued by the university. The report is comprehensive, however the content of the report can be summarized as follows:
- The University RWTH Aachen confirms that the temperatures and conditions in the PMC process ensure decomposition of asbestos fibers;
- The result of the decomposition, the sand and glass-like product, will for the most part be contained in the slag. This slag arises as a byproduct during the melting process of the contaminated steel scrap and can be certified as a useful building material after separation from the melt;
- The liquid steel in the melt is free of impurities and can be used as a useful raw material;
- During the loading of the furnace asbestos fibers that are being released are captured by an exhaust gas cleaning system. The fibers can be destroyed by means of post-combustion or caught by filtration.
The favorable results of the research are used for the engineering of a plant on an industrial scale. The results of this engineering process are expected soon.