Three Common Categories of Metal Sensing Processes

There are three common categories of metal sensing processes, all of which effectively improve metal recovery rates. Continue reading to learn more about metal sensing processes, including where to get the highest profit for your scrap metal findings.

Indianapolis Scrap Metal Buyers 1-888-586-5322
Indianapolis Scrap Metal Buyers 1-888-586-5322

Metal sensing is used to identify and sort ferrous and non-ferrous metal among recycled scrap. Various process are used to perform this job, from crane-operated magnets and Eddy Current Separation, to highly-advanced sensors, infrared scans, and more. But when it comes to more challenging metals to sense and collect, such as gold, copper, palladium, platinum, and other valuable metals like lead and silver, more advanced and sophisticated technological methods are needed.

In large-scale metal recycling and reprocessing operations, the three primary process types for metal sensing precious and highly-valuable metals include hydrometallurgy, biotechnology, and pyrometallurgy. Here is a brief description of each metal sensing process:

? HYDROMETALLURGY

Hydrometallurgy is mostly applied in the field of extractive metallurgy, which involves using aqueous (a solution in which the solvent is water) chemistry in order to recover metals from their ores, as well as, concentrates and residual materials. This process of metal sensing is further broken down into three categories, which include Leaching, Solution Concentration and Purification, and Metal or Metal Compound Recovery. In fact, a metal chemical processing technique that compliments hydrometallurgy is pyrometallurgy, which you will learn more about below.

? PYROMETALLURGY

Also in the field of extractive metallurgy, pyrometallurgy is a metal sensing process that uses high heat to extract and purify metals. Applying extreme temperatures to metallurgical ores and concentrates promotes physical and chemical changes, which allows us to recover the valuable metals. This process of metal sensing can be grouped in one or more of the following categories: calcining, roasting, smelting, and refining.

? BIOTECHNOLOGY

Often referred to as bio-mining”, this process of metal sensing uses prokaryotes or fungi to extract valuable metals from ores. Why does this organic approach work? Because prokaryotes and fungi secrete organic compounds that bond ions and molecules to metal ions. Also because microorganisms use metals in the cell.

These processes allow such companies to retrieve and reuse higher quantities of metal in the scrap recycling industry, thus supporting the preservation of our planet’s natural resources, and reducing the need to mine for new ores.

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Call Garden City Iron & Metal at 1-888-586-5322 to recycle scrap metal and junk metal commodities in Central and Southern Indiana. We pay cash on the spot for all junk appliances and electronics, including your old HVAC equipment! With our innovative, state-certified electronic scales, and our extensive, hands-on knowledge of the current metals market, we are able to deliver the best price for your scrap metal and metal waste!

Garden City Iron and Metal 1-888-586-5322
Garden City Iron and Metal 1-888-586-5322

Facts About Modern Metal Recycling Technologies

The metal recycling industry has come a long way over the past several decades. The current innovative technologies available for metal identification, mathematics, assessment, and production are fairly new, but proven to be highly effective thus far.

Continue reading to learn some interesting facts about the modern metal recycling technologies most commonly used by scrappers and other industry contemporaries.

Scrap Metal Recycling 1-888-586-5322

Scrap Metal Recycling 1-888-586-5322


One of the primary purposes of the current metal recycling technologies today is to accurately identify and locate metals within objects. These new advancements allow all us to identify and separate many types of metal, including precious metals, ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, and more. In fact, the separation of ferrous and non-ferrous metals is a chief objective for most metal recycling plants, therefore making it one of the most significant phases in the scrapping process.

Eddy Current Separation

Since ferrous metals contain iron, they are magnetic; which up to this point has been a primary method of metal separation in the recycling industry. When it comes to separating mixed waste streams of recyclable materials, a technology known as the Eddy Current Separation is implemented to pull the iron-clad metals from the rest of the mixed waste pile. Here’s how it works:

First, paper is usually removed. After that, only plastic and metal materials remain. Then, electric currents are transferred across the waste pile, affecting only metal. This electrical current picks up all metal items, even aluminum, and castoffs all plastic and paper materials.

Precious Metal

Precious metals like palladium, platinum, gold, silver, and other valuable metals such as copper and lead, are commonly found in electronics. However, they are not always worth extracting using advanced technology and sophisticated recycling equipment unless there is enough material to remove. The time and cost of extracting such valuable metals does not always fall below the value of what can actually be recovered. If there is not enough material there, it is usually not economically viable to use such innovative methods of metal separation.

Infrared Sensors

Large recycling centers often use infrared sensors and x-ray scanning technologies to sort through metal waste. Metal sensing can take place using various methods, but the three most popular include hydrometallurgy, biotechnology, and pyro-metallurgy. These three metal sensing technologies have been effective for improving metal recovery rates.

Recycle Your Scrap Metal for Cash!

Garden City Iron and Metal 1-888-586-5322

Garden City Iron and Metal 1-888-586-5322

Call Garden City Iron & Metal at 1-888-586-5322 to recycle scrap metal and junk metal commodities in Central and Southern Indiana. We pay cash on the spot for both ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as, junk cars, automotive parts, appliances, construction equipment, motorized farming equipment, and much more! Get rid of your junk and make some fast cash at the same time.