Monday 22 January 2018

Process of Recycling Copper

Copper has been in use by civilization since time immemorial and it is being recycled from ages. This non ferrous metal is the best conductor of electricity, second only to silver. Known for its high ductility and malleability and its conductive properties, copper is one of the most sought after metals.


The process for recycling copper involves following steps:

Step 1: Collection

Collecting copper scrap is the first step.  Copper has been the primary component in electrical wiring. It is a good conductor of electricity  and is present in cooking devices, air conditioners, electrical cables, heaters, appliances and furnaces. In a large automobile, as much as 100 pounds of copper can be found in its various components. It is also largely found in electronic devices. When you consider that a computer contains a one and a half kilogram of copper, it is easy to imagine the fortune of materials inside the devices that are thrown away.

Step 2: Sorting and Stripping/Granulation

The next step is to reclaim copper from  the copper scrap. The main machines used for recycling copper are copper peeling machines, stripping machine and granulators. For a single wire, copper stripping machine can be used. For wires with multiple strands and complicated knots, the copper granulator is used.

Step 3: Shredding and Melting

When the copper scrap  is  processed by copper granulator, peelers or strippers, the pure copper is separated  and transported for further processing. In case of using the wire stripping machine, it is not very convenient to transport the entire copper wire to the melting device and hence it is shredded further. At the smelter, the bales are fed into a furnace and heated until they become molten copper. The molten copper can then be poured into casters and moulds.

Step 4: Cooling and Fabrication

Once the molten copper has cooled and hardened, they are rolled out into sheets which form the basis of new materials.

Disclaimer: This article(s) has been prepared solely for information purposes, using publicly-accessible sources that are believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publishing. LUCKY GROUP accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage resulting from the use of information, images or opinions expressed in the report. LUCKY GROUP does not give warranty of any kind regarding the completeness, accuracy and reliability of the information included in the article(s).

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