All scrap copper can be recycled. The recycling process is simple. First, the collected scrap copper is sorted. Uncontaminated scrap copper or copper alloys with identical compositions can be melted down and reused directly; severely contaminated scrap copper requires further refining to remove impurities; for mixed copper alloy waste, melting and composition adjustment are necessary. Through this recycling process, the physical and chemical properties of copper are not damaged, ensuring its complete renewal.

Recycled scrap copper should be processed in two steps: first, drying and burning off organic materials such as oil and grease; second, smelting the metal to remove impurities in the slag. Since scrap copper is recyclable, it holds significant value. For instance, clean scrap copper can reach over 90% of the price of newly refined copper; the price of new brass scrap can also reach over 80% of the price of new brass.

According to the quality requirements of recycled products, they can be divided into fire smelting and electrolytic smelting. The production of粗铜and copper alloys generally employs fire smelting, while electrolytic smelting is necessary for the production of electrolytic copper.

The commonly used fire-assisted copper waste treatment equipment is a rotary kiln, also known as a turning drum furnace or a rotating cylinder furnace.

The furnace consists of a horizontal cylindrical shell with conical ends. One end is fitted with a combustion nozzle fueled by gas, oil, or coal powder, while the other end is for loading the furnace charge. The exhaust opening is located at the center of the side wall, similar to a converter. The furnace body rotates on a horizontal axis, continuously rotating during operation to ensure complete contact between the heated lining and the charge. The capacity of the rotating furnace ranges from 50 to 6000 kg. It features fast melting speed, low melting losses, and produces copper with minimal gas content, ensuring uniform composition and temperature. The entire smelting process consumes low energy and allows for complete control of temperature and atmosphere. The drawback is that the shallow melt pool is not suitable for inert gas washing, makes it difficult to quickly add new charge, and can cause severe air pollution. Currently, this furnace is primarily used for the preliminary melting of scrap copper, to be fed into refining furnaces. The scrap copper processing technology and equipment have evolved into a state-of-the-art process, combining the tilting furnace fire refining method with the ISA electrolytic process.