Those outside of metal manufacturing industries may not know how important “pickling” is. Pickling means treating the surface of metals, such as stainless or carbon steel strips, to remove impurities including rust, scale and contaminants.
In an era when companies are striving for sustainability and zero waste, the metal manufacturing process can be improved without a particular increase in cost. That is why we invented and patented the AC pickling technology, which applies alternating current instead of conventional direct current.
AC pickling represents a real technological breakthrough in the framework of pickling technology line both for carbon and stainless steel. It allows two fundamental aspects to be combined: less environmental impact, in terms of less pollutants and waste products to dispose to landfill. At the same time, it increases economic value for the company adopting it, by improving both the quality of the material and productivity.
The new technology was first validated at the pilot plant level, starting with electrochemistry studies and experiments at RINA labs. AC pickling was then successfully transferred to an industrial-scale application at Marcegaglia steelworks in Italy.
Given the proven advantages of AC pickling, we expect other steel manufacturers to begin implementing the new process in the coming months and years.
