Can solar furnaces recycle watch industry steel waste?

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Solar Furnaces Offer a Green Solution for Watch Industry Steel Waste

Solar furnaces have been successfully inaugurated in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, to recycle steel offcuts from the watchmaking industry using green energy. This innovative approach utilizes concentrated solar rays to melt and transform high-quality steel waste into ingots, which are then reintegrated into a localized supply chain. The initiative, spearheaded by Panatere, aims to address the growing need for sustainable manufacturing practices within the precision engineering sectors.
Solar Melting Technology Utilised

The technology employed by Panatere involves two solar furnaces designed to harness the sun's power. These furnaces utilize a heliostat, a structure of 140 square meters covered with movable mirrors, and a 10-meter diameter dish to intensely focus solar rays onto a crucible. This concentrated energy reaches temperatures close to 2,000 degrees Celsius, sufficient to melt steel waste originating from watchmaking and medical instrument manufacturers.
Short Supply Chain and Localised Recycling

A core objective of Panatere's operation is to establish a short supply chain for recycled steel. By melting and processing waste from companies in the Swiss-French border region, the ingots are intended to be recirculated among manufacturers within this immediate geographical area. This localized approach minimizes transportation emissions and supports regional industrial collaboration, a concept gaining renewed prominence as metal prices and scarcity increase.
Economic Viability and Future Plans

The economic model for solar steel recycling has become increasingly viable due to soaring metal prices and general scarcity. Raphael Broye, CEO of Panatere, has been developing this concept for a decade, and the current market conditions, even with high Swiss labor costs, make the profitable recycling of steel waste achievable. Panatere plans to conduct further tests with local companies before the planned opening of a larger factory in 2028, with the ambitious goal of producing 1,000 tonnes of recycled steel annually using solar energy.

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Can solar furnaces recycle watch industry steel waste?

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