AI-generated conceptual illustration of a heap of rusty scrap metal beside a ladle of molten iron, with a faint data grid overlaid
Circular economy

Recyclers have spent centuries diluting dirty scrap. An algorithm says use the dirt

A Chinese and German team used machine learning to design ductile irons made entirely from contaminated scrap. In laboratory tests the best recipes were stronger or more ductile than earlier recycled iron and about 8 per cent cheaper to make, but they have not yet been run in a commercial foundry.