Non-ferrous Metal Recycling and Waste Treatment by Smelting or Refining Companies

Abstract

Resources recycling is necessary for the sustainable society in the 21 century. Smelting or refining companies in Japan have treated non-ferrous metal scraps for many years and commenced wastes treatments about three decades ago. Their technologies and facilities are available for treatments of wastes bearing a few of non-ferrous metals because they have many experiences of extracting dilute non-ferrous metals in mineral resources.
Virgin non-ferrous metals and their scraps are used for wires, batteries, platings or secondary raw materials of virgin non-ferrous metals etc.. Recycled non-ferrous metals, i.e. virgin metals refined from scraps account for 10% to 45% of total each new non-ferrous metal refined in Japan. It is estimated that a content of a non-ferrous metal in secondary raw materials treated in smelters depends on a price of the virgin non-ferrous metal.
And, the amount of wastes treatments and non-ferrous metal recoveries from wastes in 2000 increased compared with 1999.