USBM materials research addresses these intrinsically linked issues. Work on low-cost titanium promises an alternative automotive material that would increase fuel economy and reduce air pollution. Lead-free copper alloys for water system components can help eliminate a source of human exposure to this harmful metal. Scientists study wear and corrosion and build computer models to predict how well materials will hold up. Such advances reduce the amount of new raw materials we need and the amount of energy we consume and waste we generate in extracting them.
Recycling also conserves resources and reduces waste.
The USBM is finding ways to recycle more of the minerals in products that range from cars and jets to refrigerators and faucets. Work on recovering platinum from automobile catalytic converters, recycling copper alloys without the lead, removing impurities from steel scrap, and separating the metals in high-tech alloys used in aircraft bodies will keep more valuable materials in use and out of landfills. Researchers are identifying manufacturing practices that prevent recycling and suggesting production methods that make it easier to recover and reuse materials in consumer goods. Capacitor discharge welding joins dissimilar metals. This process forms strong, reliable joints, avoids the brittleness that occurs with other welding techniques, and works without fluoride fluxes that create waste disposal problems.