Sustainable recovery and recycling of scrap copper and alloy resources: A review

Abstract

Copper, as a bulk metal, has been widely used around the world in the past decades. Historical consumption determines the supply of materials for recycling, as the scrap copper now available for recycling comes from previously manufactured products. The recycling of scrap copper has both resource and environmental properties, On the one hand, recycling scrap copper can make up for the shortage of primary copper supply, on the other hand, recycling scrap copper can reduce greenhouse gas and solid waste emissions, is one of the effective ways to achieve green and low-carbon manufacturing. However, the recycling of scrap copper is not only a technical problem, such as the increasingly complex raw material composition. As an important link in the global copper supply chain, it is also affected by trade and policy. In addition, new environmental problems may arise in the recycling process of scrap copper. The current distribution, supply, and demand of global scrap copper resources were introduced in this paper. The opportunities and challenges faced by the global scrap copper trade were analyzed. The resource attribute and potential environmental impact of scrap copper in the recycling process were expounded. The recovery process and technical route of typical scrap copper secondary resources were emphatically present. This review provides some reference for the sustainable recycling process of scrap copper.