Austrian steelmakers and research bodies have launched a research project on the improvement of scrap selection by means of artificial intelligence and spectral analysis.
The project is titled InSpecScrap, and involves voestalpine, rebar maker Marienhütte, along with research institutes TU (Technical University) Graz, Joanneum Research, Know Center and competence centre K1-MET.
It was launched by the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials (ASMET) and the state government of Styria, home of voestalpine’s Donawitz site, as one of ten projects in a competition named “Green Tech X”. InSpecScrap is therefore profiting from and complementing the trend for “green” steel.
At the launch event of the project, participants explained that they aim to detect all characteristics of the composition and quality of scrap already at the scrap yard, news agency APA reports. Researchers have started testing a combination of spectral cameras and artificial intelligence to achieve better accuracy when analysing scrap ingredients and qualities, Kallanish notes.
Marienhütte managing director Markus Ritter is quoted as saying he prefers sourcing scrap from domestic sources, rather than long and border-crossing transportation. The mill needs some 470,000 tonnes/year of scrap for its rebar production, which is shipped nearly exclusively by train.
Christian Koehl Germany
