Against the backdrop of rising beverage consumption, the world produces more
than 300 billion discarded aluminum cans every year, of which only 35% are effectively
recycled. The traditional manual sorting and compression processing mode has low
efficiency, high metal loss, high transportation costs and other pain points. The
large-scale application of aluminum can recycling machine is reshaping the operation
mode of recycled aluminum industry chain through intelligent sorting, crushing and
smelting technology, and promoting the development of circular economy in the
direction of high value.
Core process and equipment composition
Aluminum can recycling machine realizes efficient recovery of aluminum through multi-stage
processing system, and the typical equipment contains four major functional modules:
Intelligent sorting unit
Eddy current sorter: using an alternating magnetic field to generate induced currents to separate
aluminum cans from mixed waste, with a sorting efficiency of 98%.
Optical identification system: through the RGB camera and near infrared sensors to identify
painted cans, shaped cans, and eliminate tin cans, plastic bottles and other impurities.
Pneumatic sorting device: according to the difference in material density, 3.5 bar compressed
air is used to accurately sort aluminum and magnesium alloy cans (3003/5052).
Shredding and paint removal system
Twin-shaft shredder: equipped with Cr-Mo alloy knives, crushing aluminum cans at 120rpm,
with a capacity of 8 tons/hour.
Pyrolysis Furnace: decompose the surface paint at 450℃ in an oxygen-free environment,
the organic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are treated by catalytic combustion, the
emission compliance rate is 100%.
Eddy current cleaner: 60℃ lye circulation rinsing, remove residual grease and coating
debris, cleanliness up to 99.2%.
Melting and regeneration module
Double-chamber reflector furnace: low greenhouse (600℃) preheating crushed material,
high greenhouse (760℃) melting into aluminum liquid, energy consumption reduced by 30%.
Electromagnetic stirring system: homogenization of alloy composition, recycled aluminum
ingot composition fluctuation control within ± 0.5%.
Ingot casting robot: automatically completes the process of slag picking, pouring and
cooling, with a daily output of 25 tons of ingots in a single line.
Environmental protection treatment unit
Bag filter: Capture crushing dust, emission concentration <10mg/m³.
Waste heat recovery device: convert the heat of smelting flue gas into steam to meet 30%
of the heat demand of the production line.
Wastewater recycling system: Realize zero liquid discharge through pH adjustment +
membrane filtration.
Technological innovation and application advantages
AI dynamic sorting algorithm
The equipment has a built-in deep learning model that can identify more than 200 aluminum can
brand logos and automatically match the best sorting parameters. According to the application
data of an international beverage giant, the system reduces the mixing rate of foreign material
cans from 5.7% to 0.3%, and the purity of metal reaches 99.8%.
Breakthrough in low-temperature crushing technology
Adopting liquid nitrogen pre-cooling process (-50℃), the brittleness of aluminum cans increases,
and the energy consumption of crushing is reduced by 45%. Meanwhile, metal oxidation is reduced,
and the electrical conductivity of recycled aluminum is increased to 58.5MS/m (IACS standard).
Alloy Composition Reduction Technology
Through LIBS laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy online detection, real-time addition of silicon and
magnesium elements to compensate for melting losses, the mechanical properties of recycled aluminum
reach the standard of 6061 alloy (tensile strength of 290MPa, elongation of 12%).
Multi-scenario solutions
Closed-loop recycling for beverage manufacturers
Deploying compact recycling machines in the filling workshop to realize immediate treatment of edges and
corners. It can process 1.2 tons of waste cans per hour, reduce the pressure of raw material inventory in the
plant by 60%, and shorten the aluminum reuse cycle to 48 hours.
Municipal waste transfer station upgrade
Modular equipment is adapted to the existing sorting line, processing 80 tons of mixed waste in a single
day and increasing the aluminum can recycling rate to 92%. A pilot project in a coastal city shows that
the annual recycling of aluminum exceeds 15,000 tons, reducing landfill transportation costs by 2.8
million yuan.
Scrap car dismantling supporting
Special equipment handles aluminum alloy parts such as automobile wheel hubs and radiators, and the
crushing granularity is controlled at 20-50mm, which meets the demand for direct feeding of
regeneration smelting furnace, and the metal recovery rate is increased to 97%.
Economic and Environmental Benefit Analysis
Operation Cost Optimization
Energy consumption of ton processing is reduced from 420kW-h to 180kW-h.
Labor cost is reduced by 75%, equipment failure rate <1.5%.
Transportation volume compressed by 80%, logistics costs saved by 65
Resource Value Enhancement
The purity of recycled aluminum reaches 99.6%, with a value added of RMB 800/ton compared
with the traditional process.
The calorific value of paint residue is recovered for energy supply, reducing fuel cost by 15%.
The by-product aluminum ash is made into refractory material, creating an additional income of
200 yuan/ton.
Significant environmental benefits
Emission reduction of CO₂ 9.2 tons per ton of recycled aluminum, equivalent to planting 42 fir trees.
Dioxin emission from melting flue gas <0.05ng TEQ/Nm³, which is better than EU standard.
Annual processing of 100,000 tons of waste cans can save 450,000 tons of bauxite, reduce red mud
pollution 1.2 million cubic meters.
Technology Development Trend
Block chain traceability system
Record the life cycle data of aluminum cans through RFID tags to build a carbon footprint tracking
system and meet ESG investment requirements.
Hydrogen Smelting Technology
Develop a combustion system that replaces natural gas with hydrogen to zero out carbon emissions
in the melting process and reduce energy consumption to 1,300kW-h per ton of aluminum.
Miniaturized Community Recycling Station
Launched an intelligent recycling kiosk with a daily processing capacity of 2 tons, integrating AI weighing
and automatic billing functions, and allowing residents to instantly redeem digital credits for aluminum
cans dropped off.
Driven by the carbon neutral strategy, the aluminum can recycling machine is evolving from a single processing
equipment to a core node of urban mineral development. Its technological evolution has not only cracked
the purity and performance bottleneck of recycled aluminum, but also reconstructed the recycling network
through intelligent and distributed layout. For recycled metal enterprises, grasping the dual opportunities of
equipment upgrading and process innovation will be the key to take the lead in the trillion-dollar recycling
economy market.