The method is cheaper, requires no pre-sorting of scrap, and may even produce a stronger material.
All steel producers recycle a significant proportion of steel scrap.
Tin from tin plate scrap and copper from domestic incinerator scrap accumulates in the steel, posing a major problem for the steel industry unless controlled properly. Such impurities in anything other than small amounts have harmful effects on ductility, causing defects in the worked material. Unless controlled by careful scrap selection or removed, these impurities will rise to unacceptable levels over the next few years due to increased recycling targets enforced by the EU and other global authorities. The new alloy may even be improved by this patented process. Initial studies show that the presence of aluminium causes an increase in the hardness of the steel, implying an increase in mechanical strength.