Flow Studies For Recycling Metal Commodities In The United States

Author : Thomas G. Goonan
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 30 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (644 download)

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Download or read book Copper Recycling in the United States in 2004 written by Thomas G. Goonan and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As one of a series of reports that describe the recycling of metal commodities in the United States, this report discusses the flow of copper from production through distribution and use, with particular emphasis on the recycling of industrial scrap (new scrap1) and used products (old scrap) in the year 2004. This materials flow study includes a description of copper supply and demand for the United States to illustrate the extent of copper recycling and to identify recycling trends. Understanding how materials flow from a source through disposition can aid in improving the management of natural resource delivery systems. In 2004, the U.S. refined copper supply was 2.53 million metric tons (Mt) of refined unalloyed copper. With adjustment for refined copper exports of 127,000 metric tons (t) of copper, the net U.S. refined copper supply was 2.14 Mt of copper. With this net supply and a consumer inventory decrease of 9,000 t of refined copper, 2.42 Mt of refined copper was consumed by U.S. semifabricators (brass mills, wire rod mills, ingot makers, and foundries and others) in 2004. In addition to the 2.42 Mt of refined copper consumed in 2004, U.S. copper semifabricators consumed 853,000 t of copper contained in recycled scrap. Furthermore, 61,000 t of copper contained in scrap was consumed by noncopper alloy makers, for example, steelmakers and aluminum alloy makers. In 2004, 3.20 Mt of copper was delivered to U.S. manufacturers. Of this amount, about 22 percent (699,000 t) was recycled as manufacturing or new scrap, and 78 percent (2.50 Mt) entered the U.S. copper products reservoir. From the same reservoir, 1.92 Mt of copper as old scrap theoretically became available (by reaching theoretical end of life), a net gain to the reservoir of 578,000 t of copper contained in products having a useful life. Of the 1.92 Mt of copper contained in old scrap generated, about 40 percent (772,000 t) was recovered, and 60 percent (1.15 Mt) was unrecovered. In 2004, the 772,000 t of copper contained in old scrap recovered was supplemented by 80,000 t of copper contained in imports of old scrap and 3,000 t of copper contained in an old scrap stock decrease to produce an old scrap supply containing 855,000 t of copper. This supply of contained copper was distributed as 633,000 t to old scrap exports (74 percent of supply), 167,000 t to U.S. copper processor receipts (20 percent of supply), and 54,000 t for U.S. noncopper processor receipts (6 percent of supply). In 2004, collection and receipts of new scrap amounted to 735,000 t of contained copper, which was consumed in U.S. production of copper-containing products. A total of 965,000 t of copper contained in copper scrap was consumed by U.S. production activities, of which 88 percent (845,000 t) was consumed by semifabrication copper producers, 7 percent was consumed by noncopper producers, and 5 percent (51,000 t) was consumed by primary copper production. In 2004, the old scrap recycling efficiency for copper was estimated to be 43 percent of theoretical old scrap supply, the recycling rate for copper was 30 percent of apparent supply, and the new-scrap-to-old-scrap ratio for U.S. copper product production was 3.2 (76:24).