Let’s recycle!

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Recycling of carbide tools
Let’s recycle!

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. has been adopting two methods; “Zinc process" and “Chemical process" to recycle tungsten. We are using either of these methods to make the best use of its respective advantages depending on what to produce.

Zinc Process (adopted by Sumitomo Group since 1980s)

Retains constituents and recycles them into powder.
It has advantages such as “its minimized energy consumption", “its reduced CO₂“, “its eliminated use of chemicals", and “its potential processing at small-sized facilities", etc.

[Zn: Zinc　Co: Cobalt　WC: Tungsten carbide]

Image:[Zn: Zinc　Co: Cobalt　WC: Tungsten carbide]

Chemical Process (started in April, 2011 and mass-produced in October, 2011)

Recycles scrap to an intermediate tungsten material, tungsten trioxide (WO₃).It has advantages such as “its quality equivalent to ore refining" and “its wider availability (granularity)".

Image:Wet chemical method

Scrap From the Production Phase of Cemented Carbide Tools

It also includes scrap from a production phase of anything other than the cemented carbide tools.
(For further information on recyclable items, contact our representatives as shown below.)

Image:Wet chemical method

Contacts

Sumitomo Group provides dedicated representatives in three areas; Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka to support the recycling of scrap.
Thank you for your cooperation in our recycling efforts as we would like to keep on enhancing this activity.

Image:Wet chemical method

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