Four Factors to Consider Before Recycling Abrasives

Many companies will recycle abrasives and reuse them to reduce the cost of buying new abrasives. Some blasting materials contain chemicals that can hurt the environment. Recycling them in the blast cabinet could help to reduce the impact on the environment. This article will discuss four factors people should consider before recycling abrasives.

1.  The first factor before recycling an abrasive is to determine whether the abrasive can be recycled. Some abrasives are not hard enough to be recycled which means they can easily wear out under high pressure. These softer abrasives are designated as single-pass media. Abrasives that are hard enough to withstand repeated blasting cycles, usually have a label with “multiple-use media” on them. 

2.  The second factor to consider is the abrasive’s life span. The hardness and size of the multiple-use blasting abrasive can determine their life span of them. For durable materials like steel shot, the recycling rate is a lot higher than softer materials like slag or garnet. Therefore, if your goal is to recycle as much abrasive as possible, choosing the right abrasive is the key factor.

3.  There are also external variables that could affect abrasive’s life span, and the number of times the blasting media can be recycled. If the working condition requires using high blasting pressure, extensive recycling is less likely to be achieved. External variables are the third factor to consider before starting recycling abrasives.

4.  The fourth and last factor to consider is how well the blast cabinet’s feature works for recycling. Some blast cabinets are better for recycling than others. In addition, some cabinets are having a specific design for recycling. Therefore, if the purpose is to achieve extensive recycling, choosing the right blast cabinet is also important. 

The above four factors are related to the recycling rate and whether you might recycle the abrasives multiple times. Do not forget to choose the abrasives with “multiple-use media” on them, and choose the blasting media based on the goal of recycling. Harder and more durable blasting media under a lower pressure are more likely to achieve extensive recycling.