Definition and Importance of Recycled Copper

Recycled copper is a product containing copper that is obtained by recycling copper from copper-containing waste and miscellaneous materials. In the production, processing and consumption of copper and its alloys in the process of waste products, scraps, waste equipment parts and household goods, etc., are the raw materials for the production of recycled copper. With the continuous development of global industry, the demand for raw materials is also gradually increasing, the contradiction between supply and demand is becoming more and more prominent, the supply of ore raw materials is getting tighter and tighter, more and more enterprises will shift their attention to recycled copper.

The development of recycled copper in western countries

In western countries, recycled copper (including direct use of miscellaneous copper) in the total output of refined copper accounted for a high proportion, of which, France, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, etc. are more than 40%, and Italy is almost 100% of the refined copper is recycled copper.

Industrial development of recycled copper in China

China is a large consumer of copper, but the reserves are limited, in order to solve the problem of shortage of domestic copper resources, the recycling of scrap copper has made an important contribution to meet the demand for copper consumption in China. After decades of development, China's recycled copper industry has formed a complete industrial chain of recycling - dismantling - processing and utilisation, and has formed three recycled copper industry agglomerations in the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta and Bohai Rim regions represented by Hainan, Qingyuan, Guangdong, Taizhou, Ningbo, Yongkang, and Jinghai, Tianjin.

Utilisation ratio and target of recycled copper

Continuous improvement of the utilisation ratio of recycled copper

Recycled copper industry is an important part of China's copper industry development, and recycled copper can be used as an important supplement to copper raw materials. The development of recycled copper industry is of great significance in solving the problems of low self-sufficiency rate of copper resources and high degree of external dependence in China. At the same time, recycled copper can realise the recycling of copper resources, which is an important means of energy saving and emission reduction.

Development Goals of Recycled Copper Industry

The Action Programme for Peak Carbon Achievement by 2030 specifies that the development of the recycled non-ferrous metal industry should be accelerated, the waste non-ferrous metal resource recovery, sorting and processing network should be improved, and the output of recycled non-ferrous metals should be increased. The Implementation Plan for Peak Carbon Achievement in the Industrial Sector and the Implementation Plan for Peak Carbon Achievement in the Non-Ferrous Metals Industry have proposed that the output of recycled copper will reach 4 million tonnes by 2025, with the supply of recycled metals accounting for more than 24% of the total.

Environmental and economic benefits of recycled copper

Environmental significance

Recycling copper scrap can effectively reduce the consumption of mineral resources and ease the pressure of resource shortage. Copper scrap, after recycling, can be directly used to produce new copper, greatly reducing the cost of raw materials required for copper production, thus saving energy consumption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The reuse of copper scrap reduces the need for primary copper mining, effectively protecting the ecological environment and reducing the damage to land, water resources and biodiversity caused by the mining industry.

Economic Benefits

As a new industry, copper scrap recycling creates a large number of jobs and drives economic development. The cost of extracting and smelting copper from copper scrap is much lower than mining primary ore and smelting primary copper, which can significantly reduce the production cost of copper materials and improve the competitiveness of enterprises. The government encourages copper scrap recycling through policy support and incentives, providing tax breaks and subsidies to enterprises, which further improves the economic benefits of copper scrap recycling.

Technological innovation and promotion strategy for recycled copper

Technological innovation

New and efficient copper scrap sorting technologies, such as spectral sorting and eddy current sorting, can improve the removal rate of impurities in copper scrap and enhance the recovery rate and quality. Optimisation of smelting and refining and electrolytic purification technologies are also key to improving the purity and quality of recycled copper.

Promotion Strategy

 Construction industry: Recycled copper can be used as building materials, such as copper roofing and copper piping, which are both aesthetically pleasing and durable.

 Electronic and electrical appliance industry: Recycled copper can be used to manufacture circuit boards, cables and other electronic components, realising resource recycling.

 Integration of recycling enterprises with the waste classification system: copper scrap recycling will be integrated into the waste classification system to improve recycling efficiency.

Future Outlook of Recycled Copper Industry

The development of the recycled copper industry is still facing difficulties and challenges, such as the layout of production capacity to be reasonably planned, the quality and efficiency of enterprises to be upgraded, the application fields of the leading products to be broadened, the degree of fine sorting of raw materials to be improved, and the competition for raw materials from overseas to be intensified. In the future, through technological innovation and policy support, the recycled copper industry is expected to achieve higher quality development.

In short, the regeneration and use of copper not only has an important environmental significance, but also can bring significant economic benefits. With the continuous progress of technology and policy support, the recycled copper industry will usher in a broader development prospects.