Environmental and Economic Advantages of Recycling Copper
You don’t need to be an archaeologist to recognize that copper, #29 on the periodic table, has been #1 in our hearts. Humans have been harnessing this metal for over 10,000 years, with the same element in primitive pendants appearing in modern-day broadband infrastructure. From the Bronze Age to the Internet Age, the properties of copper have made daily life possible. What would happen if obtaining this metal were no longer possible? The thought is almost too much to bear.
Fortunately, copper is perhaps the most eminently recyclable metal in existence, as well as one that we can melt down and reform almost infinitely. The same copper that ran through the plumbing pipes of ancient Egypt may very well be within the copper fixtures of your own home. This is more than a fun fact—it’s a necessity. We need to make the most of copper’s recyclability for financial and ecological reasons alike. Today, we’ll examine both the environmental and economic advantages of recycling copper.
How a Copper Wire Granulator Works
Copper counts. The scrap metal industry takes a number of metals, but amid all the iron and steel, copper is what brings revenue to the scrap yard. Copper’s high ductility, or ability to be formed into wire, makes it valuable in a way that many metals are not. Even in the popular imagination, laypeople recognize the value of copper above so many other metals: we’re all too familiar with real estate investors who buy up distressed urban properties simply to strip the valuable copper piping and wiring within. You could joke that copper, the material in our one-cent piece, is indeed worth a pretty penny.
Tips for Choosing the Right Copper Wire Granulator
There are several pieces of equipment a scrap yard needs to be successful, but there’s no question that a copper wire granulator is one of them. Copper wire is not only easy to work with, but it’s also a valuable piece of metal to scrap. But how do you know which granulator to get? Continue reading for some tips for choosing the right copper wire granulator.
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The Electric Vehicle Market and Copper Demand
The Electric Vehicle Market and Copper Demand
Copper demand will be substantially impacted by the growing market for electric vehicles (EVs) over the next decade, according to new research commissioned by the International Copper Association (ICA). The study, titled Copper Intensity in the Electrification of Transport and the Integration of Energy Storage, was conducted by IDTechEx. It provides new details on the important role copper plays in EV technology.
Each type of EV uses considerably more copper than traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines. Copper usage for each vehicle type is listed below:
- Internal combustion engine: 23 kg of copper.
- Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV): 40 kg of copper.
- Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV): 60 kg of copper.
- Battery electric vehicle (BEV): 83 kg of copper.
- Hybrid electric bus (Ebus HEV): 89 kg of copper.
- Battery-powered electric bus (Ebus BEV): 224–369 kg of copper (depending on the size of the battery).
Read entire article: http://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/copper-demand-electric-vehicles-study/
A fact sheet summarizing the study can be found on the ICA website here.
ISRI Convention 2015: Copper Spotlight
ISRI Convention 2015: Copper Spotlight
The challenges seen with copper and copper scrap markets in the short term and where the metal may be headed over the next several years was the focal point of the Spotlight on Copper session, held during the recent Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. National Convention in Vancouver, British Columbia. Panelists at the session, including Patricia Mohr, an analyst with Scotia Bank; Herb Black, president of American Iron & Metal; and Adam Minter, a writer who covers the scrap recycling industry from an Asian perspective, highlighted a host of factors that have been driving copper and copper scrap markets. (more…)
Air Conditioning Theft
Air Conditioning Theft | The demand for copper is creating an increase in copper-theft crimes. Theft of air conditioning units has become increasingly popular and is on the rise because of the copper and aluminum contained within them. There’s number one and number two copper, a lot of copper on our air conditioners is number one copper and the ac units will be taken to a local scrapping company. (more…)