An Evaluation on Hazardous Characteristics of Foreign Materials Generated in the Collecting and Separating Processes of Steel Scrap - with an Emphasis on Contaminated Soil -
Various foreign materials such as contaminated soil, woody waste, drums containing waste oil, waste transformer, and waste pressure vessel are generated during the collecting and sorting processes of steel scrap. Recently, environmental problems have occurred because of the use of steel scrap that contained contaminants and was not separated properly. And this has also affected the quality of iron products made of steel scrap. Particularly, contaminated soil is highly likely to contain various hazardous substances including heavy metals, which is why proper management standards for contaminated soil are necessary. In this study, concentrations of heavy metals, BTEX, TPH, PAHs, and hazardous materials in contaminated soil were analyzed. It was found that the concentrations of lead and zinc were higher than other heavy metals and iron also showed high concentration. The very high TPH concentration in contaminated soil implies that contaminated soil was polluted by diesel, fuel oil or lubricant. So the comprehensive management regulatory plan and management standard for the hazardous materials are necessary for environmentally-friendly recycling of steel and iron scrap.