New developments in the processing of the non ferrous metal fraction of car scrap

The processing of scrap and scrap cars starts with size reduction by a hammermill, or shredder. After the liberation the magnetic fraction is removed. The remaining nonmagnetic fraction mixed with other materials is screened and each fraction is processed separately. The increased use of plastic has a negative effect on the recovery of metals and waste production. At Huron Valley, Belleville Michigan, USA, the non-ferrous fraction from 5 million obsolete cars per year, containing 200,000 tons of non-ferrous metal, is processed. Aluminium is recovered with a heavy medium separation process and concentrated with eddy current separators. The remaining heavy non-ferrous fraction is concentrated by a new combination of eddy current separation and image processing. After this separation process the zinc fraction is melted and refined and the copper, brass, stainless steel and other high-quality concentrates are sold to the secondary industries. The recycling of car scrap has become an important source of metals and materials for the secondary materials processing industry.