Tribology and Materials | Volume 4 | Issue 2 | 2025 | 78-89
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https://doi.org/10.46793/tribomat.2025.008
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Achieving industrial-grade purity in recycled copper scrap: Pretreatment and fire refining approach
Omar Choukri
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Mohsine Ez-zine,
Souadi Taibi
Mohammadia School of Engineers, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
Abstract: As global demand for copper continues to grow,
recycling has become a critical component of sustainable resource
management. In 2022, recycled copper constituted 32 % of the total
global consumption of this metal, significantly reducing the pressure on
natural resources. Recycling between 40 and 65 % of copper scrap could
significantly reduce the demand for primary metals, especially in
regions with high industrial growth. Many studies have focused on
purifying secondary copper and its scrap under specific conditions with
expensive equipment, limiting their application in industrial
environments. This study proposes an economical process, accessible to
small foundries, based on pretreatment and fire refining around the
copper's melting temperature of 1080 °C. Tested on three types of copper
scrap samples, this process yielded satisfactory results, with copper
purity approaching 4N (99.99 %) and a 23 % reduction in impurities.
Additionally, the final product demonstrated excellent performance,
exhibiting electrical conductivity exceeding 86 % IACS (International
Annealed Copper Standard) and nearing 90 % IACS. This quality makes it
suitable for various industrial applications according to certain
standards. Therefore, this process will contribute to promoting the
circular economy by optimising the valorisation of copper scrap and
reducing the environmental footprint of its processing.
Keywords: recycled copper, pretreatment, fire refining, purity, impurities.
Received: 20-03-2025, Revised: 25-04-2025, Accepted: 30-04-2025
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which allows users to distribute, remix, adapt,
and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
Abstract: As global demand for copper continues to grow, recycling has become a critical component of sustainable resource management. In 2022, recycled copper constituted 32 % of the total global consumption of this metal, significantly reducing the pressure on natural resources. Recycling between 40 and 65 % of copper scrap could significantly reduce the demand for primary metals, especially in regions with high industrial growth. Many studies have focused on purifying secondary copper and its scrap under specific conditions with expensive equipment, limiting their application in industrial environments. This study proposes an economical process, accessible to small foundries, based on pretreatment and fire refining around the copper's melting temperature of 1080 °C. Tested on three types of copper scrap samples, this process yielded satisfactory results, with copper purity approaching 4N (99.99 %) and a 23 % reduction in impurities. Additionally, the final product demonstrated excellent performance, exhibiting electrical conductivity exceeding 86 % IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard) and nearing 90 % IACS. This quality makes it suitable for various industrial applications according to certain standards. Therefore, this process will contribute to promoting the circular economy by optimising the valorisation of copper scrap and reducing the environmental footprint of its processing.
Keywords: recycled copper, pretreatment, fire refining, purity, impurities.
Received: 20-03-2025, Revised: 25-04-2025, Accepted: 30-04-2025
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which allows users to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.