Secondary Raw Material

materials and articles which, after complete initial use (wear), may be used repeatedly in production as starting material.

The most important forms of secondary raw material are scrap, such as usable waste of ferrous, nonferrous, and precious metals; spent lubricants; rejected material from components; discontinued articles made of polyethylene; and worn out tire treads, spent sulfuric acid, and waste paper. Secondary raw material also includes machines, equipment, and their components that have fallen out of service because of wear; metal parts obtained in the demolition of buildings and old ships; ferrous and nonferrous metals contained in everyday articles and articles of general consumption unfit for use; and end waste products of production that constitute an irrevocable loss for a given enterprise (for example, ashes in electrical power plants). Most important for the national economy, both in terms of the magnitude of the resource and its value, are the various secondary metals that are formed in the shape of depreciated scrap and industrial waste.

Depreciated scrap resources are determined by a number of factors, such as the quantity of metal resources of a country, the age of these resources, and the material composition. In conjunction with the increased supply of automobiles, the reclamation of old vulcanized rubber has ever-increasing importance in saving raw rubber. Such measures as the reclamation of lubricating materials (particularly in machine building), recovery of volatile solvents, reconstitution and repeated use of spent sulfuric acid, and reconstitution of catalytic agents containing precious and rare metals also play important roles. The importance of secondary raw materials in the food industry and other branches is increasing.

The use of secondary raw materials in various branches of industry is important for the further development of the national economy of the USSR, both as a source of additional material resources and as a factor in reducing the prime cost of products and lowering the proportionate capital outlays; it is also important in increasing the rate of growth of production. In the USSR specialized organizations have been established to collect secondary raw materials (purchasing centers) and procure, sort, and dress them and give them initial processing. These organizations either carry out the subsequent processing and reprocessing themselves or else send the collected secondary raw materials to enterprises that will use the materials after processing and reprocessing them. The collection and use of secondary raw material is included in the planning process in the USSR.