Demonstrates a method to enhance copper purity in small-scale foundries, indicating a sustainable recycling solution.
In response to growing global copper demand, recycling has emerged as a key pillar for sustainable development. This study proposes a cost-effective and practical method for improving the purity of recycled copper, specifically tailored for small-scale industrial foundries. The process combines a pre-treatment stage with fire refining at an optimal temperature of 1120 °C. Three types of copper scrap were analysed, including bare wires (Berry) and heterogeneous scrap (Cliff). The pre-treatment eliminated 23% of impurities and enabled a final copper purity of up to 99.99% (4N), with electrical conductivity exceeding 86% IACS, reaching 88% in some cases. These results meet ASTM industrial standards and open potential applications in industrial boiler manufacturing. The method offers a sustainable recycling solution while reducing the environmental impact of copper recovery.
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Choukri et al. (2025) studied this question.
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