In the non-ferrous metal industry, copper scrap recycling is a key link
to realize resource recycling. As the demand for copper resources
continues to grow with industrial development, the traditional manual
sorting and chemical treatment methods can no longer meet the dual
requirements of efficiency and environmental protection. The introduction
of automation technology not only improves the precision and speed of
copper scrap separation, but also promotes the transformation of the industry
in the direction of intelligence and greening. This article will systematically analyze
the core technology and application scenarios of automated copper scrap
separation to provide practitioners with a reference path for technological upgrading.
Pre-treatment: the cornerstone of automatic separation
The complexity of copper scrap material determines the importance of the pretreatment
stage. Automated system through multi-stage screening equipment for the preliminary
classification of mixed copper scrap raw materials. For example, vibrating screeners can
separate large metal pieces from debris according to the difference in material size;
magnetic separation devices can effectively remove ferromagnetic impurities. The key
to this link is to build a dynamic parameter adjustment mechanism, the system needs
to be based on the raw material composition of real-time adjustment of the screen
aperture and magnetic field strength, to ensure that the sorting efficiency is stable
at more than 90%.
Core sorting technology breakthrough
X-ray identification system
Based on the X-ray transmission technology of material density difference, it can
accurately identify materials with copper content over 60%. The equipment constructs
material composition mapping through three-dimensional modeling, and combined with
deep learning algorithm, the recognition accuracy of copper alloy and non-ferrous
metals such as zinc and aluminum is increased to 98%. The newly developed
dual-energy X-ray system can penetrate the surface coating and directly detect
the composition of the metal substrate.
Near infrared spectral sorting
For complex scenarios such as cables and electronic scrap, the NIR spectral analyzer
can complete the analysis of material composition within 0.5 seconds. The system
realizes automatic stripping of copper wires, copper tubes and plastic cladding layers
by building a database of more than 100,000 sets of metal spectra. Data from a
demonstration project shows that the technology has increased the copper recovery
rate from 72% to 89%, and reduced the plastic impurity residue to less than 3%.
Eddy current sorting innovation
The application of high-frequency eddy current generator breaks through the bottleneck
of traditional sorting. When non-ferrous metal passes through the alternating magnetic
field, the equipment can realize real-time separation of copper and aluminum at a
conveyor speed of 2m/s by detecting the difference in eddy current strength. The new
multi-stage eddy current sorting system adopts phase compensation technology,
which improves the recovery efficiency of fine copper particles (<5mm) by 40%.
Synergistic Optimization with Intelligent Control System
The core competitiveness of automated separation is reflected in the system integration capability.
The central control platform connects each sorting unit through the Internet of Things technology,
and collects more than 20 parameters in real time, such as equipment status, material flow, and
composition data. Intelligent algorithms dynamically adjust the combination of equipment
parameters according to production demand, for example, automatically optimizing the sorting
threshold and robotic arm gripping frequency when the copper content of raw materials
fluctuates. The application of a 10,000-ton processing line shows that the system reduces
energy consumption by 15% and improves the overall equipment efficiency (OEE) to 82%.
Environmental Protection and Economic Benefits
Benefit changes brought about by automation transformation are reflected in
multiple dimensions:
Resource utilization breakthrough: copper recovery purity up to 99.2%, 12 percentage
points higher than the traditional process
Processing cost optimization: labor demand reduced by 70%, energy consumption per
ton of processing decreased by 25kWh
Significant environmental benefits: 80% reduction in wastewater discharge, dust pollution
control to meet PM2.5 emission standards
Enhanced process flexibility: the daily processing capacity of a single line can be intelligently
adjusted between 50-300 tons to meet the needs of diversified raw materials.
Technology Development Trend Outlook
In the next three years, the automated separation of copper scrap will show breakthroughs
in three major directions:
Multi-modal sensing fusion technology, integrated X-ray, laser-induced breakdown
spectroscopy (LIBS) and other detection methods
In-depth application of digital twin system to realize virtual simulation and predictive
maintenance of the sorting process.
Modular equipment design to support rapid on-site reorganization of the production line to
meet the needs of small batch customization
Driven by carbon neutrality targets, the non-ferrous metals industry is undergoing profound
changes. Automated copper scrap separation technology not only solves the pain points of
low efficiency and heavy pollution of traditional processes, but also builds a new paradigm
of resource recycling through data-driven intelligent decision-making. For enterprises, to grasp
the window period of technological upgrading, the combination of equipment transformation
and process innovation, in order to occupy the competitive high ground in the wave of green
economy.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)