Copper extraction

[worker0]

Hi, friends

I was wondering which method is best for copper recovery. I have lot of copper and I would like to extract them.

I have ethernet cables, cables, electric motors, etc...

I noticed if I burn copper cables on even low fire, it get burned and copper dissapear. Melting point of copper is about 1085 degrees Celsius. Why they get burned even on low fire 200-350 C? Is there any method to strip cables as much as I can and then recover copper by chemical or electrochemical extraction. ETC electric motors, instead of employng people to cut rotors and stators and extract copper is there any universal and simplified process?

PS dont say sell it to scrapyard. My scrapyard and near my town only buy clean copper without insulation. Because I must burn them or "mechanically" extract rotors and stators.

Thx

 

[Martijn]

The best method would be stripping them mechanically or by hand. Dont burn the insulation. Thats bad m'kay..
This is a gold refining forum, your scrapping for copper.
Motor windings have a coating that your scrapyard wont like to find in your clean copper bunch.

 

[snoman701]

You put it in a drum with some sand and rotate the drum.

That’s the old scrap yard trick anyway. Tumble everything.

The sand was saved and sold to the copper smelter as well...and the ash from the plastic that burnt off.


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[snoman701]

Hope you are using a proper incinerator. By keeping the wire in the reducing fire (yellow flame) and then using an afterburner, you’ll have less loss of copper to oxide formation.

And it reduces the toxicity of the smoke....not eliminate, but reduces.


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[worker0]

You put it in a drum with some sand and rotate the drum.

That’s the old scrap yard trick anyway. Tumble everything.

The sand was saved and sold to the copper smelter as well...and the ash from the plastic that burnt off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To put in drum with some rock/sand. OK, but burned, semi burned or not burned at all?
Is it possible to with electroplating/reverse electroplating. I saw somewhere procces where copper get collected on cathode/anode and then just collected?

 

[g_axelsson]

The word you are looking for is electrowinning. For any electrochemical process to work the copper has to be dissolved in a liquid as a salt, i.e. dissolved in an acid.

Göran

 

[worker0]

It seems that it is not worth of money...