[ Recycling Titanium ]
[ Recycling Titanium ]
Closed-loop recycling advances for titanium in chlor-alkali production
A collaboration between Nippon Steel Trading, Asahi Kasei, and Nippon Steel has established a closed-loop system to recycle pure titanium scrap from chlor-alkali electrolysis cell production back into high-grade melting feedstock. The initiative overcomes long-standing challenges around contamination, traceability, and processing.
By Joanne McIntyre, Stainless Steel World
A new collaboration among Nippon Steel Trading Corporation, Asahi Kasei Corporation, and Nippon Steel Corporation is enabling the closedloop recycling of pure titanium scrap generated during the production of chlor-alkali electrolysis cells. The initiative allows the material to be returned to the value chain as feedstock for pure titanium melting, marking a shift away from conventional downcycling routes. Recycling pure titanium scrap into highgrade melting material has historically presented significant challenges. Variations in scrap geometry, the presence of residues, and the need to prevent contamination have made preprocessing complex and resource intensive. In addition, stringent purity requirements and the difficulty of maintaining full traceability have limited the use of such scrap, which has typically been diverted into lower-value applications such as steel additives.
Cross industry partnership Under the new scheme, titanium scrap generated at Asahi Kasei’ s electrolysis cell manufacturing facility in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, is sorted by specification using a digitally enabled management system that ensures full traceability. Nippon Steel Trading collects and processes the material to meet the requirements for remelting. A portion of the processed scrap is then supplied to Nippon Steel, where it is reused as feedstock in the production of industrial pure titanium. The approach is supported by Nippon Steel’ s electron beam furnace technology, enabling the remelting of high-purity titanium while maintaining strict quality standards. The partners state that the initiative not only improves material efficiency but also supports broader decarbonisation and circular economy objectives within the chlor-alkali sector. By establishing a stable, traceable recycling route for titanium, the collaboration demonstrates how cross-industry partnerships can unlock higher-value reuse of critical materials. Nippon Steel Trading indicated that it will continue to strengthen cooperation with its partners, with the aim of increasing recycling rates and further enhancing the sustainability of titanium use in industrial applications.
Manufacturing of pure titanium products
Sales of pure titanium products
Manufacturing of chlor-alkali electrolysis cell
Nippon Steel
* 1 * 2
Asahi Kasei
Reuse as raw material Collection of scrap
Nippon Steel Trading
Arrangement of scrap processing
* 1. Provided by Nippon Steel * 2. Provided by Asahi Kasei
12 Stainless Steel World May 2026 www. stainless-steel-world. net