Guangzhou Chengyi Recyclable Resources Recycling Co., Ltd. is a recycling company with years of experience in the recyclable resource recycling industry. The company boasts a strong team, ample funding, and a fleet of trucks for transportation. Our business scope is extensive, mainly involving the recycling of scrap iron, scrap aluminum, scrap copper,废旧cables, stainless steel, scrap equipment, and other non-ferrous metals, as well as whole factory dismantling and electronic circuit board recycling.
1. Copper: Refers to pure copper, mainly including oxygen-free copper, red copper, phosphorus deoxidized copper, and silver copper.
Copper brass: Refers to an alloy based on copper and zinc, which can be further divided into simple brass and complex brass. Among complex brass, nickel brass, silicon brass, and so on are named after the third component.
3. Bronze: Refers to copper-based alloys other than copper-nickel and copper-zinc alloys, mainly including tin bronze, aluminum bronze, and special bronze (also known as high-copper alloys).
4. Beryllium copper: Refers to copper-nickel alloy.
1. Power Transmission: Large quantities of highly conductive copper are required for power transmission, primarily used in power cables, busbars, transformers, switches, connectors, and terminal blocks, etc.
2. Electric Machinery Manufacturing: In electric machinery manufacturing, copper alloys with high conductivity and strength are widely used. The main components made of copper include stators, rotors, and shaft ends.
3. Communication Cables: Since the 1980s, due to the advantages of fiber optic cables such as high current carrying capacity, they have continuously replaced copper cables in communication trunk lines and have been rapidly promoted and applied. However, converting electrical energy into light energy and the lines feeding the users still require a large amount of copper. With the development of the communication industry, people's dependence on communication is increasing, and the demand for both fiber optic cables and copper wires will continue to rise.
4. Residential electrical wiring
5. Electronic Vacuum Devices: These devices primarily include high-frequency and ultra-high-frequency tubes, waveguides, magnetrons, etc., which require high-purity oxygen-free copper and diffused-strengthened oxygen-free copper.
6. Printed Circuit Boards: Copper printed circuit boards are made by attaching copper foil to a plastic substrate. The circuit pattern is then photochemically transferred onto the copper surface. Excess material is removed through etching, leaving the interconnected circuit paths. Holes are punched at the external connection points on the printed circuit board, and terminals of discrete components or other parts are inserted and soldered into these holes, completing the assembly of the entire circuit.
7. Integrated Circuit
8. Lead Frame: Copper alloy is cost-effective with high strength, conductivity, and thermal conductivity, excellent processing properties, solderability, and corrosion resistance. Through alloying, its properties can be controlled over a wide range, making it well-suited to meet the performance requirements of lead frames. It has become an important material for lead frames and is one of the most widely used copper materials in microelectronic devices.
9. Energy Industry: Utilizing solar energy also requires a significant amount of copper piping. For instance, a hotel pool near London, UK, equipped with a solar heater, can maintain water temperatures between 18~24°C during summer. This solar heater contains 784 pounds (3,56 kg) of copper piping.
10. Petrochemical Industry: Copper and many copper alloys exhibit excellent corrosion resistance in water solutions, non-oxidizing acids (such as acetic acid, citric acid, fatty acids, lactic acid, oxalic acid, etc.), various alkalies except for ammonia, and non-oxidizing organic compounds (such as oils, phenols, alcohols, etc.). Therefore, they are extensively used in the petrochemical industry for manufacturing a wide range of equipment such as containers, piping systems, filters, pumps, and valves that come into contact with corrosive media. They are also utilized for their thermal conductivity to produce evaporators, heat exchangers, and condensers. Due to copper's good malleability, it is particularly suitable for manufacturing complex heat exchangers in modern chemical industries with intricate copper tube interweaving. Moreover, bronze is used to produce tools in oil refining factories; it is non-sparking upon impact, thus preventing the occurrence of fires.
11. Ocean Industry: As the ocean covers over 70% of the Earth's surface area, the rational development and utilization of ocean resources have garnered increasing attention. Sea water contains chloride ions that are easily corrosive, and many engineering metals like steel, aluminum, and even stainless steel are susceptible to corrosion by seawater. Moreover, surface biofouling can occur on these materials, as well as on non-metals like wood and glass. Copper stands out, not only being resistant to seawater corrosion but also having bactericidal properties of the copper ions dissolved in water, which can prevent biofouling. Therefore, copper and its alloys are crucial materials in the ocean industry and are widely used in desalination plants, offshore oil and gas platforms, and other coastal and underwater facilities. This includes piping systems, pumps, and valves used in the desalination process, as well as equipment on oil and gas platforms, such as bolts for splash zones and underwater use, drilling bits, anti-biofouling covers, pumps, valves, and piping systems, etc. The application of copper and copper alloys in ships will be discussed in the following section.
12. Vessels: Due to their excellent resistance to seawater corrosion, many copper alloys, such as aluminum bronze, manganese bronze, aluminum brass, gunmetal (tin-zinc bronze), white brass, and nickel copper alloys (Monel alloys), have become standard materials for shipbuilding. Generally, copper and copper alloys account for 2% to 3% of the gross weight of merchant ships. Most large merchant ship propellers are made of aluminum bronze or brass. Each propeller for a large ship can weigh between 20 to 25 tons. The propellers for the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary are each as heavy as 35 tons.
13. Automotive: Copper usage for cars ranges from 10 to 21 kg per vehicle, varying with the type and size of the car, accounting for approximately 6 to 9% of the car's self-weight for compact cars. Copper and copper alloys are primarily used in radiators, brake system piping, hydraulic equipment, gears, bearings, brake friction pads, distribution and electrical systems, washers, as well as various fittings, accessories, and trimmings. The radiator is the component with the highest copper content. Modern tube-type radiators are made by welding brass strips into radiator tubes and bending thin copper strips into fins.
14. Railways: The electrification of railways requires a significant amount of copper and copper alloys. Over 2 tons of special-shaped copper wire are needed per kilometer of overhead conductor. To enhance its strength, a small amount of copper (about 1%) or silver (about 0.5%) is often added. Additionally, the motors, rectifiers, and control, braking, electrical, and signaling systems on trains all rely on copper and copper alloys to function.
Aircraft: The flight of an aircraft cannot do without copper. For example, wiring, hydraulic, cooling, and pneumatic systems in an aircraft require copper materials; aluminum bronze tubes are used for bearing retainers and landing gear bearings; navigation instruments employ anti-magnetic copper alloys; many instruments utilize copper elastic elements, etc.
16. Mechanical Engineering: Copper components can be found in almost all types of machinery. Apart from the extensive use of copper in motors, circuits, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, and control systems, there is a wide variety of copper alloys, such as brass and bronze, used in transmission and fastening parts, like gears, worm gears, worm shafts, connectors, fasteners, bolts, and nuts, which are ubiquitous.
17. Metallurgical Equipment: The metallurgical industry is a major consumer of electrical power, often referred to as the "power" industry. In the construction of metallurgical plants, it is typically necessary to have a large-scale transmission and distribution system as well as power operation equipment that relies on copper. In fire metallurgy, continuous casting technology has taken a leading position, with the key component, the crystallizer, mostly made of high-strength and high thermal conductivity copper alloys such as chromium copper and silver copper. In electro-metallurgy, vacuum arc furnaces and electroslag furnace water-cooled crucibles are manufactured using copper tubing. Various induction heating coils are wound from copper tubes or non-standard copper tubes, with water cooling inside.
18. Alloy Additives: Copper is an important additive element in alloys such as steel and aluminum. The addition of a small amount of copper (0.2~0.5%) to low-alloy structural steel can enhance its strength and resistance to atmospheric and marine corrosion. Copper in corrosion-resistant cast iron and stainless steel further improves their corrosion resistance. High-nickel alloys containing about 30% copper are known as high-strength, corrosion-resistant "Monel alloys," widely used in the nuclear industry.
19. Air Conditioners and Refrigeration Machines: The temperature control function of air conditioners and refrigeration machines is primarily achieved through the evaporation and condensation of copper tubes in the heat exchangers. The size and thermal conductivity of the heat exchange tubes greatly determine the overall efficiency and miniaturization of the air conditioner and refrigeration system. High thermal conductivity non-standard copper tubes are used in these machines. By utilizing the excellent processing properties of copper, heat exchange tubes with internal grooves and high fins are developed and produced. These are used in the heat exchangers of air conditioners, refrigeration machines, chemical processing, and waste heat recovery systems, increasing the overall thermal conductivity of the new heat exchangers up to 2-3 times that of standard tubes and 1.2-1.3 times that of standard low fin tubes. This technology is already in use domestically, saving up to 40% of copper and reducing the volume of the heat exchangers by over 1/3.
20. Watches: The watches, timers, and devices with watch mechanisms currently produced, the majority of which are manufactured using "watch brass." This alloy contains 1.5-2% lead and boasts good workability, suitable for mass production.
21. Papermaking: In today's rapidly changing information society, there is a high demand for paper consumption. While paper may appear simple on the surface, the papermaking process is actually quite complex, involving numerous steps and a variety of machines such as coolers, evaporators, pulpers, and paper machines. Many components, including various heat exchangers, rollers, hammer rods, semi-liquid pumps, and meshes, are mostly made of steel alloys.
22. Printing: Photographic plating is used in the printing process. After the polished copper plate is sensitized with light-sensitive lacquer, an image is formed on it through photography. The sensitized copper plate needs to be heated to harden the lacquer. To prevent softening upon heating, a small amount of silver or arsenic is often added to the copper to increase the softening temperature. Then, the plate is etched to create a printing surface with a pattern of raised and lowered dots. On automatic typesetting machines, the composition of the copper type blocks is used to manufacture the plate, which is another important use of copper in printing. The type blocks are typically made of leaded brass, and sometimes copper or bronze are also used.
23. Brewing: Copper plays a significant role in the world's beer brewing industry. It is commonly used for the interior of mashing and fermentation tanks. Some breweries have over a dozen large vats, each holding more than 20,000 gallons, made of copper. In fermentation tanks, water-cooled steel pipes are often used for cooling. Steel pipes are also used to heat the wort during brewing with steam, as well as to transport the liquid. For distilling whisky and other spirits, steel stills are typically used. Whisky malt requires two distillations, necessitating two large copper stills.
24. Industrial: Pure copper is used for various steam, boiling, and vacuum equipment. Copper alloys are also commonly used in eyeglass frames, etc.
25. Pipe Systems: Copper piping stands out for its aesthetic appeal, durability, ease of installation, safety, fire resistance, and hygiene, offering a significantly superior price-performance ratio compared to galvanized steel pipes and plastic pipes.
26. Roofing and Interior Decoration: The use of steel sheets for roofing and eaves is a traditional practice in Europe, even used for wall decoration in Nordic countries. Copper, with its excellent resistance to atmospheric corrosion, durability, and recyclability, possesses good workability for shaping into complex designs and has aesthetically pleasing colors, making it ideal for house renovations. Its application on the roofs of ancient buildings like churches has a long history, still shining brightly today; and its use in modern large-scale constructions, even apartments and residential buildings, is increasingly common. For instance, the "Commonwealth Club" building in London, a symbol of modern British architecture, features a complex roof structure made of steel, weighing approximately 25 tons; and the Crystal Palace sports center, opened in 1966, has a wave-shaped roof made of 60 tons of steel. Statistics show that the average annual consumption of copper sheets for roofing in Germany is 0.8 kg per person, while in the U.S., it's 0.2 kg. Moreover, the use of steel products for interior decoration, such as door handles, locks, blinds, railings, lighting fixtures, wall decorations, and kitchenware, not only ensures longevity and hygiene but also adds an elegant touch, making them popular among consumers.
27. Statues and Craftworks: No metal in the world is as widely used in the production of various craftworks as steel, which has been enduring and popular throughout history. In today's urban development, a wide range of memorials, bells, bronze tripods, sculptures, Buddha figures, replicas, and more, all extensively utilize cast copper alloys. Modern musical instruments, such as flutes made of white steel and saxophones made of brass, also require various copper alloys. Exquisite gold-plated and gold/silver replicas, as well as affordable jewelry, all necessitate the use of different copper alloys.
Coins: Since the ancestors of humanity began using coins, copper and copper alloys have been used to mint them, a tradition passed down through generations to the present day. With the development of modern activities like automated coin-operated telephones, public transportation, and shopping, the demand for coinage steel has only increased. In the application of copper coins, besides changing sizes, it is convenient to use different alloy compositions and alter alloy colors to manufacture and distinguish different denominations of currency. Common types include "silver coins" containing 25% nickel, brass coins with 20% zinc and 1% tin, and "copper" coins with a small amount of tin (3%) and zinc (1.5%). Worldwide, the production of copper coins annually consumes tens of thousands of tons of copper. Just the Royal Mint in London produces 700 million copper coins each year, requiring approximately 7,000 tons of metal.
29. Chinese Computer: Information technology is the pioneer of high-tech. It relies on the crystallization of modern human wisdom — the computer, a tool, to process and handle the ever-changing, immense amount of information. The heart of the computer consists of the microprocessor (including the arithmetic and control unit) and memory. These basic components (hardware) are large-scale integrated circuits, which are tiny chips with millions of interconnected transistors, resistors, capacitors, and other elements for rapid numerical and logical operations and extensive information storage. These integrated circuit chips must be assembled with lead frames and printed circuit boards to function. As seen in the previous chapter "Application in Electronics Industry," copper and copper alloys are not only important materials in lead frames, solders, and printed circuit boards but also play a crucial role in the interconnection of the tiny components of integrated circuits.
30. Superconductivity and Low Temperature: Generally, the resistance of materials (except for semiconductors) decreases with decreasing temperature. When the temperature drops significantly, the resistance of certain materials can completely vanish, a phenomenon known as superconductivity. The temperature at which superconductivity occurs is referred to as the superconducting critical temperature of the material. The discovery of superconductivity has opened up a new horizon for the utilization of electricity. Since resistance is zero, a very small voltage can produce an extremely large (theoretically infinite) current, generating massive magnetic fields and forces; or, when current flows through it, there is no voltage drop and no energy loss. Clearly, its practical applications will bring about significant changes in human production and living, and it has garnered considerable attention.
31. Applications in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry: Steel compounds are effective bactericidal pesticides for eliminating pests and diseases, controlling all diseases caused by molds or fungi. Besides directly using copper dips for seeds, copper salt mixtures are commonly used in orchards and farmlands. Notable ones include Bordeaux mixture (limed copper solution), named after the French vineyards, and Bougerie mixture (soda copper solution), as well as others like Zinol.
32. High Energy Physics: Unveiling the mysteries of the structure of matter is a significant fundamental research topic that scientists strive for. Each step of understanding this issue brings significant impacts to humanity. The current utilization of atomic energy is just one example. Modern physics research has already discovered that the small constituent units of matter are not molecules and atoms, but quarks and leptons, which are billions of times smaller. Now, research on these basic particles often needs to be conducted under reaction energies hundreds of times higher than those in nuclear reactions, known as high-energy physics. Such high energies are obtained either by accelerating charged particles over long distances in a strong magnetic field to "hit" a fixed target (high energy) or by colliding two streams of particles moving in opposite directions (collider). To achieve this, steel is used to construct long-distance channels of strong magnetic fields. Additionally, similar structures are needed in controlled thermonuclear reaction devices. To reduce the temperature rise due to the heating caused by large currents, these magnetic channels are wound with hollow, non-standard copper rods to allow for medium circulation and cooling.
The recycling resource industry, unlike other traditional industries, must not only achieve economic benefits but also consider environmental and social benefits. It is an integrated project system that combines economics, technology, and social management. We should learn from the advanced experience of developed countries, formulate policies and measures to encourage technological innovation and investment in construction, and match strict and scientific social management methods. This will make the recycling and utilization of resources a conscious action of enterprises, government agencies, groups, and the entire population, jointly creating a beautiful world of economic prosperity, a pleasant environment, and harmonious coexistence between humans and resources!
