As an important secondary resource, the efficient recycling of copper scrap is of strategic significance
to alleviate mineral shortage, reduce energy consumption and environmental pollution. Driven by the
goal of “double carbon”, the non-ferrous industry, through automation technology innovation, is
promoting the regeneration of copper scrap from the traditional crude mode to the intelligent,
refined direction of upgrading, and build up a new ecology of the industry of efficient recycling of resources.
Breakthrough application of intelligent sorting technology
Intelligent transformation of copper scrap pre-processing is the core to improve the regeneration efficiency.
Traditional manual sorting has low efficiency, poor purity and other pain points, while the intelligent sorting
system realizes a qualitative leap through the integration of multiple technologies.
Spectral identification sorting: Based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
(LIBS) technology, the sorting equipment can accurately identify the copper content and alloy composition
within 0.3 seconds, and increase the sorting accuracy of waste with copper content >99% to 98%. After
adopting the machine vision sorting line in a recycling project, the impurity removal efficiency has been
increased by 4 times, and the copper recovery rate has exceeded 96%.
Intelligent crushing system: The crusher equipped with material hardness sensors automatically adjusts
the rotational speed through pressure feedback, resulting in a copper-plastic separation degree of more
than 95% and a metal loss rate down to 1.2%.
Digital warehouse management: applying RFID tags and 3D scanning technology to realize intelligent
scheduling of 100,000-ton copper scrap warehouse, and increase inventory turnover efficiency by 40%.
Intelligent upgrading path of melting process
The automation control technology of recycled copper melting process significantly improves the production
efficiency and environmental protection level.
Intelligent melting furnace control: deploying thermocouple arrays and gas analyzers in vertical furnaces and
tilting refineries, real-time monitoring of melting pool temperature (±5℃) and oxygen content, and dynamically
adjusting fuel ratios through fuzzy PID algorithms, reducing energy consumption by 18% per ton of copper.
Unmanned slag picking operation: six-axis robotic arm equipped with infrared thermal imaging system accurately
locates the floating slag on the surface of the melt, the operational efficiency is three times higher than manual
work, and the loss rate of copper liquid is reduced from 2.5% to 0.7%.
Flue gas control linkage system: DCS system integrates waste heat boiler and desulfurization device, realizing
closed-loop control of flue gas temperature and SO₂ concentration, with emission indexes 30%
better than national standards.
Precision quality control system for refining process
The refining and purification process of recycled copper relies on digital technology to realize a leap in quality.
Intelligent control of electrolysis: the automatic production line of anode plate controls the deviation of pole distance
within ±1mm through laser positioning and constant current power supply technology, and the current efficiency is
increased to 94%. The online monitoring system adjusts the electrolyte copper ion concentration in real time (±2g/L),
and the copper cathode purity is stabilized at over 99.99%.
Continuous casting and rolling automation: the linkage between the crystallizer level laser monitoring system and
the mill pressure sensor reduces the surface defect rate of copper rods to 0.03%, and improves the conductivity by
1.5% IACS.
Full-process quality traceability: blockchain technology runs through the sorting, smelting, and processing links,
establishing a quality data chain to meet the stringent requirements of high-end cables for material traceability.
Deep synergy between environmental protection governance and
resource recycling
Automation technology promotes the formation of a “zero-waste” closed loop in the recycled copper industry.
Wastewater recycling system: the combination of membrane separation technology and PLC automatic dosing
device makes the reuse rate of wastewater reach 92%, and the removal rate of heavy metal ions > 99.8%.
Dust Resource Utilization: The bag filter is equipped with differential pressure sensing system to realize automatic
dust collection and enrichment, in which the recovery rate of copper powder is increased to 97%.
Thermal energy gradient utilization: intelligent linkage of waste heat generator set and production system, annual
energy saving is equivalent to 12,000 tons of standard coal, and carbon emission reduction reaches 30,000 tons.
Intelligent evolution direction of future factories
Industrial Internet and AI technology are reshaping the shape of recycled copper industry:
Digital twin optimization: the virtual factory can simulate the melting effect of different raw material ratios, and the
process optimization cycle is shortened from 15 days to 24 hours.
AI dynamic scheduling: machine learning algorithms analyze market price and inventory data to automatically generate
the optimal production plan, reducing operating costs by 8%.
5G IoT Collaboration: 500+ equipments in the plant realize millisecond response through 5G private network, and the
overall equipment efficiency (OEE) is improved by 12 percentage points.
Conclusion
The intelligent transformation of copper scrap recycling marks that the non-ferrous industry has entered the sustainable
cycle mode of “resource-product-renewable resource”. Through the deep penetration of automation technology, the
enterprise not only realizes the leapfrog improvement of production efficiency and product quality, but also sets up a
new benchmark for the industry in terms of energy consumption control and pollution management. With the continuous
integration of digital twins, artificial intelligence and other technologies, the copper scrap recycling industry will accelerate
to unmanned, zero-carbon direction, injecting new momentum for the global green economy.