Against the backdrop of increasingly scarce metal resources, the copper recycling industry has become
an important support for global green development. As an industrial metal with electrical conductivity
second only to silver, copper's irreplaceability in the fields of electricity, construction, new energy, etc.
makes its recycling a key link in realizing sustainable resource recycling.
Analysis of the strategic value of the copper recycling industry
Ease the pressure of primary resources
The global proven copper reserves are about 870 million tons, while the annual industrial consumption
exceeds 28 million tons. Through professional recycling system, the utilization rate of existing copper
resources can be increased by more than 40%. The energy consumption of recycled copper production
is only 15%-20% of that of primary ore smelting, which significantly reduces industrial carbon emissions.
Building a closed-loop industrial chain
From electronic components, cable waste to industrial equipment residues, professional recycling enterprises
can transform copper-containing waste into Grade A electrolytic copper that can be put back into production
through systematic sorting and purification processes, thus realizing the efficient development of “urban mines”.
Economic and Environmental Benefits
The production cost of recycled copper is more than 35% lower than that of virgin copper, while at the same
time reducing 90% of wastewater discharge and 85% of solid waste generation. This dual advantage of “cost
reduction and efficiency increase + environmental compliance” promotes the transformation of manufacturing
industry to green production.
Modernized Copper Recycling Technology System
Front-end pretreatment system
Adopting X-ray sorting machine (XRF) and eddy-current sorting device, it realizes accurate separation of
metal and non-metal, and the recognition accuracy of copper elements reaches 99.2%. Intelligent crushing
system can deconstruct complex components into uniform fragments with particle size <5mm.
Core purification process
Pyro-refining adopts oxygen-enriched top-blowing melting technology with electrolytic refining equipment
to enhance copper purity to 99.99% international standard. Wet metallurgy realizes efficient recovery of
low-grade copper-containing materials through solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW).
Environmental Protection Treatment Module
Equipped with acid gas scrubbing tower and heavy metal wastewater membrane treatment system, the
waste gas emission meets EU Class II standard, and the water recycling rate is over 85%. After harmless
treatment, the by-product slag can be made into environmentally friendly building materials.
Four major development trends of industry upgrading
Intelligent sorting system application
Machine vision recognition combined with AI algorithm improves mixed metal sorting efficiency by 300%
and reduces labor cost by 60%. Digital twin technology realizes the whole process visualization and control.
High-value product development
Shift from pure copper ingot production to specialty copper alloy manufacturing to meet the special
performance requirements for copper in new energy vehicles, photovoltaic modules and other
emerging fields.
Regionalized Recycling Network Construction
Establish a linkage system between community recycling sites and professional processing centers within a
50-km radius to reduce logistics costs by 15%-20% and enhance the stability of raw material supply.
ESG Standard System Construction
Through Cleaner Production Certification (CP) and Product Carbon Footprint Certification, we help
downstream enterprises complete the construction of green supply chain and gain competitive
advantages in the international market.
Key indicators for enterprises to choose partners
Compliance qualification: Hazardous waste operation license and ISO14001 environmental management
system certification.
Technical capability: possessing smelting and purification equipment and testing laboratories with
independent intellectual property rights.
Service dimension: provide full-process services such as door-to-door assessment, logistics scheduling
and settlement system.
Price mechanism: Establish a transparent quotation system linked to the LME copper price in real time.
Conclusion
Driven by the goal of “double carbon”, the copper recycling industry is upgrading from an auxiliary industry
to a core node of the industrial system. Through technological innovation and model optimization,
professional recycling enterprises not only create economic value, but also become a strategic pivot for
urban mineral development. Choosing partners with complete technical systems and sustainable
development capabilities will be a key decision for the manufacturing industry to build its
competitiveness in the circular economy.