Create vesper with the STEINERT KSS | XT CLI EVO 6.0

The Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) has long maintained recycled material specifications. Its most recent addition is a shredded wrought aluminum grade known as vesper derived from further sorting zorba and twitch.

“When twitch is directly consumed, it is almost always going into a cast alloy,” says Kyle Rice, Solution Sales Manager–Metals, at STEINERT US Inc., Walton, Kentucky. “Once that wrought aluminum content moves into a casting, there is no way to get it back.”

The vesper specification and equipment such as STEINERT’S KSS XT CLI allow the recovery of wrought aluminum, which is lower in silicon and heavy metals, from twitch and zorba for sale to aluminum sheet producers.

“North America is seeing growth in flat-rolled aluminum production capacity, so the demand for vesper is known and expected to increase as these mills turn on,” Rice says.

STEINERT played a key role in shaping the specification by being clear about the possibilities of current technologies and helping to create a commercially viable framework. “Vesper consumers and ReMA members alike were focused on making a realistic specification for the market. In this case, vesper needed to be reasonable for the market to create while capturing appropriate intent and chemistry for consumers to buy,” Rice says. “STEINERT, as a recycling technology provider, was able to share experience on how to physically produce the specification and what is practical.”

He adds that vesper does not specify a full chemistry because that likely will vary among consumers. “As with many ReMA specifications and trades, that will be captured in the detailed agreement between buyer and seller.”

STEINERT technologies that can be used to create the grade include magnetic pre-separators, an eddy current separator and a STEINERT KSS XT CLI with X-ray technology. “

“The pre-separators and eddy current help reduce irony content and nonmetallics, both part of the specification,” Rice says. “The X-ray sorting system is going to take care of the rest: removing heavy metals and segregating the wrought aluminum from the cast aluminum.”

He notes the infeed material will dictate which steps are needed, adding that the X-ray sorter is versatile, meaning both grades can be processed.

“The STEINERT KSS XT CLI is one of our most flexible and capable pieces of equipment, including four sensor technologies,” Rice says. “The foundation is the X-ray transmission (XRT), sorting via density. The remaining sensors—3D camera and laser, color camera and induction technology—can be overlaid together, including the XRT signal, to make the best decision on each piece” of material.

“If you start with zorba, you kick out the heavy metals first and then sort cast from wrought,” he explains. “If you start with twitch, then you’ve already taken out those heavy metals, so it’s just more of a single-step process.”

Rice continues, “In relation to vesper, the most significant capability of the STEINERT KSS XT CLI is its ability to identify low-alloy castings. These are cast alloys (such as A356) with high silicon concentrations but very low levels of heavy metals. While the low heavy metal content makes these pieces a challenge for XRT alone, the integration of other sensors on the KSS platform allows us to accurately identify these nonconforming pieces and prevent them from entering the vesper product.”

Recyclers interested in creating vesper using the STEINERT KSS XT CLI should schedule a test at STEINERT’s Walton facility.

“Come to Walton, and then we can run your material and actually show you the mass balances that can be achieved and the qualities that can be achieved,” Rice says. “Once we understand the wrought content that’s available in your stream, we can have a much more educated conversation about what makes sense from an ROI [return on investment] perspective.

“We’d be happy to talk with anyone about their current operation and show them the magnetic pre-separator, eddy current and STEINERT KSS XT CLI in action with their own material,” Rice adds.