The most commonly used non-ferrous metals are aluminium, copper, lead, and zinc. Millions of tonnes of nonferrous scrap are recovered annually and used by smelters, refiners, ingot makers, foundries, and other manufacturers. Secondary materials are essential to the industry’s survival because even new metals often require the combined use of recycled materials.

1. Non-
Non - Ferrous Metals
Recycling
P r e p a r e d b y : P. R . C H A N D N A
20 December 2012 E-mail: prchandna@gmail.com 1

2. New non-ferrous metals made worldwide
using recycled material
Aluminium > 33% Copper > 40%
Lead > 35% Zinc > 30%
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3. Non-ferrous metal recycling involves some, or
all of the following steps:
Sorting
Baling
Shearing
Media separation
Melting
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4. Aluminium has (great recycling potential) and
is often re-used for the same application for
which it was originally manufactured. Its
strength, flexibility and light weight, make it
ideal for:
• Building & Construction.
• Transportation.
• Packaging.
• Electricity.
• Cooking and Tableware.
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5. After silver, copper has the best electrical conductivity. It is
also very good thermal conductor and is readily alloyed
with other metals such as lead, tin and zinc for foundry
applications to produce, among other goods, products for
the transmission of water such as valves. Other common
applications for recovered copper include:
Electrical applications: Wires, circuits, switches and
electromagnets.
Piping: Plumbing fittings and also in refrigeration, air
conditioning and water supply systems.
Roofing and insulation.
Household items: cookware, doorknobs, and cutlery.
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6. Most of recycled lead is used in batteries, but there are
many other applications for this metal:
Car batteries: Lead is still used extensively in the plates
that work as electrodes.
Colouring: Although less common today, it is used in
ceramic and glass glazing.
Radiation protection: Lead offers protection against X-
rays.
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7. Zinc is present in everyday life in the form of coins. However, it
also has other important uses:
Galvanisation: Zinc is commonly applied as a coating to protect
iron and steel from corrosion in a process known as galvanisation.
Batteries: As an anode component material in batteries.
Brass: Created by alloying zinc and copper.
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8. Of an estimated total of 700 million tonnes of aluminium
produced since commercial manufacturing began in the 1880s,
about 75% of this is still being used as secondary raw material
today.
One tonne of recycled aluminium saves up to 8 tonnes of bauxite,
14,000 kWh of energy, 40 barrels (6,300 litres) of oil, 238 million
Btu's of energy and 7.6 cubic metres of landfill.
The energy saved by recycling one tonne of aluminium is more
than enough to power a US household for a whole year (The
average US household uses about 10,000 kWh year).
Recycling aluminium uses 95% less energy than producing
aluminium using raw materials.
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9. Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to
power a 100-watt bulb for almost four hours.
A used aluminium can is recycled and back on the
grocery shelf in as little as 60 days.
For every single can manufactured using virgin ore, the
same amount of energy used will produce 20 recycled
cans.
The aluminium drink can is the world's most recycled
container - more than 63% of all cans are recycled
worldwide.
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10. Copper’s recycling value is so high that premium-
grade scrap holds at least 95% of the value of the
primary metal from newly mined ore.
Recycling copper saves up to 85% of the energy used in
primary production.
In order to extract copper from copper ore, the energy
required is approximately 95 million Btu/tonne.
Recycling copper uses much less energy, about 10
million Btu/tonne.
By using copper scrap, we reduce CO2 emissions by
65%.
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11. 50% of the lead produced and used each year
throughout the world has been used before in other
products.
Today, about 80% of lead is used in acid batteries, all of
which is recoverable and recyclable. Some countries
boast a 100% recycling rate and most are capable of the
same result.
Using secondary lead instead of ore reduces CO2
emissions by 99%.
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12. The average car contains up to 10 kg of zinc in its galvanized
body panels. When they are discarded, these panels can be
readily made into new parts of identical quality.
Total recovery of zinc amounts to 2.9 million tonnes, of
which 1.5 million are new scrap or process residues and 1.4
million are old scrap.
Secondary zinc production uses 76% less energy than
primary.
Nearly 70% of zinc from end-of-life products is recycled.
Old zinc scrap consists primarily of die cast parts, brass
objects, end-of-life vehicles, household appliances, old air
conditioning ducts, obsolete highway barriers, and street
lighting.
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