Meet the coordinator

Our project coordinator Jonas Petersson holds a PhD in Chemistry from Uppsala University with specialization in femtosecond time-resolved laser spectroscopy. Since 2016 he is active in the group of analytical process monitoring at Swerim developing new methods for the iron and steel industry. He has there coordinated several national and international projects and the main focus of the work is on optical methods for chemical analysis. Jonas shares his perspective as he talks about the PURESCRAP’s pathway and his role as coordinator.

Can you tell us what PURESCRAP is about and its expected outcomes?
PURESCRAP is about making better use of the ferrous metal scrap produced in Europe today. Primarily we want to avoid downgrading of the scrap such that the high purity scrap can again be used in high purity steel grades. There is great potential in sensor based techniques, but one of the challenges is to make it economically viable for the steel market and also keep up with the high production flows that we have in the scrap processing plants.

More specifically we will make sensors combined of several different techniques such that we can get an accurate quantitative information of complete scrap batches. And we will handle the batches in small enough sizes such that each and every batch can be used in the optimal way. The sensors will provide increased knowledge also of the incoming scrap sources and in this way we aim to produce the best possible mix of post consumer scrap for each steel grade. Virgin material will still be needed for the very low alloyed steel, but in lower amounts. A key outcome is that we aim to enable use of also the scrap with higher impurity content for high quality steel products.

Where did the idea for this project came from?
The first idea for the PURESCRAP project was presented by Johannes Rieger at K1-MET on the ESTEP pitch event. Swerim then realised that our previous ambitions in scrap characterisation made a perfect match with the project objectives.
Swerim have been working on sensor-based techniques for characterisation of scrap for many years. It has long been seen that there is great potential in the LIBS-technique but that it suffers from being a just a point-wise detection. When the material flow is restricted and each scrap piece can be targeted individually the restriction is less of a problem. But for ferrous scrap processing the material streams are up to ca. 100 tonnes per hour and the strategy has to be different.

What are the differences to other research projects in the same field?
To be fair, many other actions have been directed towards characterising scrap with different techniques, but I think that PURESCRAP has two great strengths that makes it different. We have both the scrap producer (Stena Recycling) and the end user (SSAB and voestalpine) working together in the same project towards the common goal. In this way we can get a fast feedback on the results and get an understanding for the challenges on both sides and the need for compromises.
When it comes to the sensor design we strive for a modular design so that the results can be useful in a variety of situations and not be too specific for the exact conditions in the PURESCRAP demonstrations.

How do you ensure effective communication and cooperation between team members who have different working styles or preferences to achieve the desired outcomes?
Already from the preparation of the project the spirit in the consortium has been to have an open mind and willingness to listen to each other’s perspective and individual needs. In that way we trust each other to make the best choice for both our individual needs as well as for the project common goal. The project is set up in such a way that each partner have some freedom to choose their own direction without causing conflict with others. Also it helps quite a lot that Stena as the key player in bringing all parts together show great patience and understanding for the shifting directions the research takes.
For me personally the most important tool is to have regular project meetings in different constellations. Especially physical meetings tend to make people get along better. So far there has not been much of conflicting interests or working styles, and hopefully it stays that way.

How do you handle conflicting priorities when multiple projects or tasks require your attention simultaneously?
This truly is a challenge. In principle it could be simple to break down tasks in shorter actions and making a prioritised list. But at some points the time just isn’t enough for everything. For better or worse, PURESCRAP is one of the most stimulating projects I have worked with both because of the project objectives and particularly thanks to the ambitious team members. Therefore PURESCRAP tends to be prioritized even in times where other projects require attention. Learning to hand over tasks when the days are just not long enough is something I continuously have to remind myself of.