Regenerated Non-ferrous Metal
Typically, non-ferrous metals, such as copper, aluminum, brass, and tin, are found in some form of ore, usually in the form of sulfides or oxides. To refine these, the ore must be further processed in order to reduce or eliminate the various impurities associated with such ore. Common processes used in the refinement of these metals are pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy.
Pyrometallurgy is the process of heating the ore in order for those impurities to be separated. This entails the use of a furnace at high temperatures with specified amounts of fluxing agents to separate the pure metal from the ore. Hydrometallurgy is the process of reducing the impurities with the use of aqueous solutions. Specific elements are added to the solutions in order to precipitate the impurities and leave the pure metal.
Apart from the original ore extraction, regenerated non-ferrous metals come from recycled materials. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, “almost 11.2 million metric tons of nonferrous scrap was generated in the United States during 2015.” This includes scraps of raw materials gleaned from industrial by-products or discarded consumer products, such as wire and cable, aluminum cans and containers, bottles, and other items.
Oftentimes, these scrap metals can be cleaned, sorted, and calibrated for further shearing, or cutting and stamping by specialized mechanical processeses. In this process, the recovered scrap is manipulated and then smelted in order to obtain the various nonferrous alloys from which different items such as metals, wires, and pipes are fabricated.
In terms of environmental implications, regenerated non-ferrous metals are “sharply preferred” to that of the extraction of ore for both economic and environmental considerations; not only is recycling cheaper than extraction in terms of both raw materials and energy requirements, it also means that less new material is taken from the environment. In addition, since the main source of waste from the production of non-ferrous metals is slag (a residue of the smelting process) and since metals are mainly recyclable with very little initial processing these wastes can be reused or recycled.
The global demand for regenerated non-ferrous provides numerous economic opportunities. This can be seen with the production of copper, which has accounted for more than 80% of the global copper production for the last 10 years; the range of products being made from recycled copper and other non-ferrous metals is increasing. Nearly a third of blocks for industrial usage come from recycled non-ferrous metals and various unit components.
Regenerated non-ferrous metal is a resource that is pushed forward by economic, environmental and industrial trends, that not only supports the production and development of the global economy, but also keeps the environment clean and healthy for us and for future generations.
