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Apollo sat alone on the marble bench, twiddling his thumbs..

Mr. Wright and Athena were busy working on an important case, so the task of babysitting Trucy was left, of course, to him. 

“But Mr. Wright!” he had complained. “She’s seventeen. Surely she can go to the museum with some friends without supervision? I-I can help you and Athena at the trial!”

But Mr. Wright was adamant that Trucy have someone there with her, since the museum was somewhat far from the office, and Mr. Wright wouldn’t be accessible by phone while in court. Apollo couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated. Be those things as they may, Trucy was almost an adult! Did he really need to spend his whole day doing absolutely nothing at the museum just in case she needed him?

Either way, Mr. Wright was the boss, and despite his frustration, Apollo knew his boss had a point. Mr. Wright was protective of his daughter, and the ordeal with Aura Blackquill had likely made Mr. Wright even more cautious than normal. Besides, Apollo couldn’t deny that he was a little protective of Trucy, too.

And so Apollo had given up his struggle, letting out a defeated sigh and agreeing to be Trucy’s supervisor for the day. Not wanting to intrude upon Trucy’s time with her friends, he had parked himself on a bench in an empty wing of the museum.

I just wish there was something here to do in the meantime, he thought wistfully, not exactly wanting to walk around the museum alone, looking at exhibits with no-one to talk to.

Apollo Justice was fine.

It had been a couple of easy months since the end of the whole Phantom ordeal, and Apollo had been taking it rather easy since then.

Of course, for Apollo Justice, taking it easy involved getting up early, spending most of the day working at the Agency, retiring home at around six in the evening, ordering takeout, spending a quiet evening with his cat, and tucking himself into bed at a decent hour of the night.

But that was his life! As much and Athena, Trucy, or anyone else (Apollo didn’t count Mr. Wright’s teasing) pushed him to get out there and “get a life,” he was perfectly content with the one he had. After months of grueling trials, confused feelings, and all-around emotional turmoil, Apollo Justice was finally getting a break.

A much deserved one, he mused to himself quietly as he mindlessly flipped through some documents on his desk, signing a few places marked “Sign Here.”

Of course, things weren’t perfect - when were they ever? - but for now, Apollo was content to push any complications out of his mind, and work, work, work.

After a few more moments of silence, Apollo felt a twinge of boredom. Paperwork just wasn’t cutting it for him today... so much for “work, work, work.” Reaching up to straighten an awry hair spike, he looked up at the clock. 

3 o’clock, huh? 

Maybe it was time that he got out there and did something fun for once. He stole a quick glance around the office, and then down at his phone in his pocket.

.....

VMZINC will now have a regular guest contributor to its column: Cécile Roland, Environmental Applications Manager with VMZINC. An opportunity for architects, project owners and all building professionals to (re)discover the “sustainable” qualities of zinc.

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Recycling rolled zinc: the best rate in the sector!

Today, numerous buildings aim for high environmental performance, i.e.  energy and carbon efficiency, increased recycling of site waste, preservation of natural resources, etc. In this context, it is interesting to recall the extent to which rolled zinc contributes to reaching this ambitious objective, thanks in particular to the effectiveness of its recycling at end of life.

Major arguments that are convincing!

All metals have high recycling rates. But rolled zinc has an exceptionally high rate. Although, in principle, rolled zinc is 100 % recyclable, in reality, it has an effective recycling rate of 96 %1in Europe and 98 %2 in France.

In concrete terms, over 100,000 tons of rolled zinc are recovered and recycled annually in Europe, i.e. the equivalent of a surface area of 20 km2 or a quarter of the roofs in Paris! Thanks to this record high recycling rate, every year, 1 to 2 million tons of zinc ore are not extracted worldwide and therefore left in nature. (3)

These arguments prove decisive when convincing public and private design teams to install rolled  zinc on facade and roofing. Specifying zinc for a project means creating a sort of urban stock of zinc that can be easily mobilised by future generations when buildings are rehabilitated or destroyed. It also means choosing a material that uses natural resources sparingly and efficiently.

A highly structured and profitable recycling sector

Used rolled zinc that is recovered during rehabilitation or demolition work retains all its initial intrinsic properties. It therefore remains a highly pure zinc that has an attractive market value for roofers who collect it and sell it to recyclers, who in turn resell it to transformers for a price that is always lower than that of primary zinc.

For this reason, and for several decades now, recycled zinc recovered from used rolled zinc has become a material that is popular in industries using zinc such as galvanisation of steel, and production of brass or zinc oxide. The used rolled zinc recovery and recycling sector is therefore organised in a highly structured manner, contributing to a rate of recycling that is one of the highest in the building sector.

  What happens to the recycled zinc?

The recycled zinc that comes from used rolled zinc is not re-used to produce new rolled zinc. Often more than one hundred years old, used rolled zinc that is recovered today has a chemical composition that does not correspond to current standards and requirements applying to the manufacture of new rolled zinc.

As mentioned above, recycled zinc from roofing applications and rainwater systems is however used in the galvanisation of steel, to manufacture the brass-zinc oxide alloy used in metal structures, security barriers, tap fittings, engine parts (*), tyres (**) and even in the composition of sun creams (***)! So our entire daily lives benefit indirectly from the recycling of used rolled zinc!

Watch this space next month. On the agenda for the next column: zinc, a sector working for the circular economy!

In the mean time, we welcome your comments and questions!

Cécile Roland

Environmental Applications Manager

VMZINC

Article - 2017/06/16

(1) Recycling of rolled zinc – Institut i+c Report – 2011

(2) Recycling Fact sheet – IZA (International Zinc Association)

(3) Source: Rezinal 2014

(*) zamak: Zamak is an alloy of zinc, aluminum and magnesium and copper

(**) zinc is a vulcanisation agent in the manufacture of tyres:

Une fois par mois, la Chronique de VMZINC ouvre sa chronique à Cécile Roland, Responsable Applications Environnementales chez VMZINC. L’occasion pour les architectes, les maîtres d’ouvrage et tous les professionnels du bâtiment de (re)découvrir les qualités « durables » du zinc.

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Recyclage du zinc laminé : le meilleur taux du secteur !

 Désormais, de nombreuses constructions visent la haute performance environnementale, autrement dit, elles visent la sobriété énergétique et carbonée, le recyclage accru des déchets de chantier, la préservation des ressources naturelles, etc. Dans ce contexte, il est intéressant de rappeler combien le zinc laminé contribue à l’atteinte de cet objectif ambitieux grâce, notamment, à l’efficacité de son recyclage en fin de vie.

 Des arguments majeurs pour convaincre !

Tous les métaux ont des taux de recyclage élevés. Mais le zinc laminé se distingue par son taux exceptionnel. Car, si dans le principe le zinc laminé est 100 % recyclable, dans les faits, il est effectivement recyclé à 96 %1en Europe et 98 %2en France.

Concrètement, en Europe, ce sont annuellement plus de 100 000 tonnes de zinc laminé qui sont récupérées et recyclées. Soit l’équivalent d’une surface de 20 km2 ou encore un quart des toits de Paris ! Grâce à ce taux de recyclage record, 1 à 2 millions de tonnes de minerai de zinc chaque année ne sont pas extraits à travers le monde et donc laissés à la nature. (3)

Ces arguments se révèlent déterminants quand il s’agit de convaincre un maître d’œuvre privé et public d’installer du zinc laminé en façade ou en toiture. Ainsi prescrire du zinc dans un projet, c’est véritablement constituer en quelque sorte un stock urbain de zinc facilement mobilisable par les générations futures quand les bâtiments seront réhabilités ou détruits. C’est faire le choix d’un matériau qui utilise les ressources naturelles d’une façon sobre et efficace.

 Une filière de recyclage très bien structurée et rentable

Le vieux zinc laminé récupéré à l’occasion de travaux de réhabilitation ou de démolition conserve toutes ses propriétés intrinsèques initiales. Il reste donc un zinc de très haute pureté qui présente une valeur marchande attractive pour le couvreur qui le collecte et le revend au recycleur puis celui-ci au transformateur à un prix toujours inférieur à celui du zinc primaire.

Pour cette raison, et depuis plusieurs décennies, le zinc recyclé issu du vieux zinc laminé s’est imposé comme un matériau prisé des industries utilisatrices de zinc telle que la galvanisation de l’acier, la production de laiton ou celle d’oxyde de zinc. La filière de récupération et de recyclage du vieux zinc laminé s’est donc organisée de manière structurée et efficace, contribuant à un taux de recyclage parmi les plus importants du secteur du bâtiment.

 Que devient le zinc recyclé ?

Le zinc recyclé issu du vieux zinc laminé n’est pas (encore) réutilisé dans la production du zinc laminé neuf. En effet, bien souvent âgé de plus d’une centaine d’années, le vieux zinc laminé récupéré aujourd’hui a une composition chimique qui ne correspond pas aux normes et exigences actuelles qui s’appliquent à la fabrication du zinc laminé neuf.

Comme évoqué ci-dessus, le zinc recyclé issu des applications en toiture et évacuation des eaux pluviales est en revanche employé dans la galvanisation de l’acier, dans la fabrication d’alliage laiton et d’oxydes de zinc utilisés dans les structures métalliques, les barrières de sécurité, la robinetterie, les pièces de moteurs (*), les pneux (**) et plus méconnu dans la composition des crèmes solaires (***) ! C’est donc tout notre quotidien qui bénéfice indirectement du recyclage du zinc laminé !

  Je vous donne rendez-vous le mois prochain. Au programme : le zinc, une filière au service de l’économie circulaire !

 D’ici là, vos commentaires et questions sont les bienvenus !

 Cécile Roland

Responsable Applications Environnementales

VMZINC

 Article du 16/06/2017

  (1) Recyclage du zinc laminé – Rapport de l’institut i+c – 2011

(2) Fact sheet Recyclage – IZA

(3) Source : Rezinal 2014

 (*) zamak  : Le Zamak est un alliage de zinc, d'aluminium et de magnésium et de cuivre 

(**) le zinc agent vulcanisateur dans la fabrication des pneumatiques: