Eriez Copper Reduction Circuit Helps Steelmakers Recover More Value from Scrap

Eriez has developed the Copper Reduction Circuit for steel mills, an integrated system that helps scrap processors produce premium low-copper shred.

Built around the Eriez Shred1® Ballistic Separator and a Magnetic Scrap Drum operating as a polishing stage, the Copper Reduction Circuit upgrades conventional shredded scrap into a premium ferrous product containing less than 0.20% copper. The system also recovers additional clean ferrous material from streams directed to picking stations, increasing the amount of recycled low-copper steel available for use in the melt mix.

Copper contamination remains a significant challenge for steelmakers using recycled scrap. Conventional shredded scrap can contain more than 0.33% copper. Because copper cannot readily be removed once it enters the melt, mills often must limit the proportion of shredded scrap in the furnace charge and rely more heavily on higher-cost metallics, including pig iron, direct reduced iron (DRI), and prime scrap.

"Steelmakers are under increasing pressure to maximise recycled-steel utilisation without compromising product quality or furnace performance," said Mike Shattuck, Business Development Manager-Recycling, Eriez. "The Copper Reduction Circuit addresses both sides of that equation. It enables processors to produce a cleaner, more consistent shred product. The result is greater flexibility in the furnace charge and more value recovered from every tonne of scrap."

At the core of the system is the Shred1 Ballistic Separator, which uses magnetic attraction and ballistic forces to separate processed shred into two material streams. The premium No. 1 fraction, typically representing approximately 75% of incoming material, consists of cleaner, more liberated ferrous shred containing less than 0.20% copper. The remaining No. 2 fraction is comprised of a higher concentration of copper-bearing and composite material.

The No. 2 fraction passes under a magnetic scrap drum operating as a polishing stage. The polishing drum removes 1 to 3% of nonferrous material and debris, which increases the yield for each melt. Ferrous material recovered at the polishing drum reports to the picking station, where copper-bearing materials are picked from the shred. This shred is then diverted to the low-copper fraction as a low-copper shred (No. 1).

According to Eriez process data, only approximately 15% of the original infeed ultimately reached the picking station in one documented configuration. The circuit has demonstrated low-copper shred performance in the 0.16% to 0.20% copper range and, when Shred1 is paired with Magnetic Scrap Drum technology, has significantly helped to increase melt yield.

Growing interest in both Shred1 technology and the Copper Reduction Circuit reflects the steel industry's focus on increasing recycled-steel utilisation while maintaining scrap quality and furnace performance.
For more information about Eriez’ metals recycling technologies, visit eriez.com/Products/Metals-Recycling.