At Omega Sinto, we pride ourselves on delivering
sand reclamation plant equipment that aims to recover 95% of your used sand for reuse – working as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for sand foundry operations.
In our previous article -
‘Sand reclamation: the essentials and its benefits’ – we discussed processes of
recycling foundry sand and the essential equipment needed to repurpose
waste foundry sand by removing its contaminants and making it suitable for reuse. In this article, Omega Sinto want to explore how conditioning previously used sand by reducing or eliminating the retained binder and the removal of tramp substances like ceramics or metal is a more ethical, eco-conscious practice that also benefits the bottom line and should be implemented in all foundries.
The process of foundry sand recycling
It is impossible to understand the sustainable advantages of foundry sand recycling without first having a fundamental understanding of what sand reclamation actually entails.
The process of
foundry sand recycling, or sand reclamation, relies on a mechanical and/or thermal system to break down previously used sand to grain size and clean it for a repurposed use. At Omega Sinto, we provide a comprehensive range of options including
thermal reclamation plants that can be adapted for the requirements of your foundry. For instance, our patented ‘dead bed’ technology and heat recovery systems make this the most maintenance friendly and efficient system on the market today.
Sustainable advantages of foundry sand recycling
Foundry sand recycling is arguably one of the most important contributors to sustainability within the casting industry and we are passionate about the importance of reclamation. Although there are countless advantages to consider – reduced cost and less reliance on new sand production – we have narrowed our focus to the 3 main sustainable advantages of sand recycling:
1.Combatting Sand Shortages
Every year,
50 billion tonnes of aggregate is used in several industry sectors and the demand for high-quality sand is causing a global shortage – that’s why successful
foundry sand recycling is becoming all the more important. The widespread use of recycled foundry sand drastically reduces the demand for new resin sand production, which in turn, reduces the environmental impact of the foundry sector as a whole and elongates the life-span of such a limited resource.
2.Reducing Landfill Waste
Both chemically bonded and greensand foundries generate waste sand commonly get disposed of via landfill sites. Implementing sand reclamation processes into the common operations of a foundry works to reduce the amount of resin sand waste by repurposing used sand – reducing purchasing costs of new sand and minimising the environmental impact.
Technical benefits of foundry sand recycling
The sand once in contact with heat from the casting process (or thermal reclamation) can take it through the alpha beta phase change which in turn makes it more thermally stable and thereby reduces expansion type defects such as veining, scabbing etc.
Also, if the base sand is angular the reclamation process will have a ‘rounding effect’ on the sand grains thereby reducing their surface area and as such requiring less binder to give the same strength characteristics.