Beijing, December 27th, People's Daily Online (Reporter: Du Yanfei) - Currently, with the deepening of the country's "dual carbon" strategy, the importance of recycled metals in the non-ferrous metal industry is increasing. In particular, the number of new projects for the recycling of copper and aluminum has significantly increased, with a substantial increase in investment and scale, further boosting the demand for large-scale, standardized, and diversified sources of waste copper and aluminum raw materials.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently issued the "Industry Standards for Processing and Utilization of Waste Copper and Aluminum" (hereinafter referred to as the "Standards"), which specify the requirements for the standardized development of enterprises engaged in the processing, distribution, and direct utilization of recycled copper and aluminum. The document outlines specific requirements in areas such as enterprise layout and project site selection, scale and equipment, process, comprehensive resource utilization and energy consumption, environmental protection, product quality and vocational education, safety production, occupational health and social responsibility, and supervision and management. It aims to guide industry enterprises to improve the level of refined processing and direct utilization, and accelerate high-quality development.

"The recycling and utilization of waste copper and aluminum, as the main form of recycling in the non-ferrous metal industry, has played an important role in ensuring national metal resource security and promoting the green transformation of development methods," said Chai Liyuan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Vice President of Central South University.

According to data from the Nonferrous Metals Recycling Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, the domestic recycling volumes of waste copper and aluminum in 2022 were 2.35 million tons and 7.25 million tons, respectively. The output of recycled copper and aluminum, which are mainly produced from waste copper and aluminum, accounted for 33.9% and 21.5% of the copper and aluminum production in 2022, respectively, making waste copper and aluminum important sources of raw materials for the copper and aluminum industry.

According to the analysis, the "Standards" is a guiding document aimed at promoting the high-quality development of the industry, with no administrative approval requirements or mandatory provisions. Based on the current state of the industry, the document focuses on improving the level of intensive processing and utilization of waste copper and aluminum, considering industry trends, and detailing requirements for technology, equipment, comprehensive resource utilization and energy consumption, safety and environmental protection, and product quality. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will strengthen supervision and establish a dynamic management mechanism to encourage enterprises to compete in an orderly manner and stimulate their initiative.

"The release of the 'Standards' is a major event that strengthens the guarantee of non-ferrous metal resources, guides the innovation and upgrade of recycling technologies, and continuously promotes the development of China's green and low-carbon cause," said Chai Liyuan. The document aims to select and cultivate a group of backbone enterprises with large-scale sorting and processing, outstanding refined capabilities, high levels of direct utilization of recycled copper, efficient management, and standardized operation, in order to improve the industry's level of refined sorting, promote the upgrading of waste copper and aluminum utilization, reduce energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and pollutant production from the source, and comprehensively improve the industry's standard operation level, achieve more efficient and economical recycling of waste copper and aluminum resources, and enhance the overall competitiveness of the recycled metal industry.

Industry insiders believe that the "Standards" have improved the standardized management system for recycled copper and aluminum, promoted the construction of the waste copper and aluminum industry system, provided strong support for ensuring national resource security, and helped the copper and aluminum industry achieve peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, promoting the green and high-quality development of the recycled copper and aluminum industry and even the entire industry chain.