The use of copper is growing rapidly and especially in China says new study that also looks at potential impact of copper recycling.
Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI have developed a model to track the global flow of copper over time or, as they say, “from cradle, to grave, to reincarnation.”
The dynamic model, built in close co-operation with the International Copper Association, starts in 1910 and tracks copper tonnage with respect to global mining, international trade, end-uses and recycling from that time to the present.
According to a report in the magazine mining.com the study “showed that roughly 440 million tonnes (Mt) of copper were in use-buildings, machinery, computers, etc-worldwide in 2015. Well over 26 Mt went into service that year, while approximately 12 Mt of copper contained in discarded products became available for recycling.
It also shows that collection and recycling of discarded products, together with recycling of manufacturing scrap yielded well over 8 Mt of recycled metal.
The research also points at China, the world’s largest copper consumer, as the market where the rate of copper use has increased rapidly. According to the data, China had over 80 million tonnes of copper stocks in-use during 2015. By comparison, the study shows copper stocks in-use for 1990 accounted for less than 10 million tonnes.”
Full article: http://www.mining.com/new-model-tracks-copper-use-cradle-grave-reincarnation/