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copper

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and
aluminum
recycling

Brass

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc;

the proportions of zinc and copper
can be varied to create a range of
brasses with varying properties.

Brass is a substitutional alloy. It is

used for decoration for its bright
gold-like appearance; for
applications where low friction is
required.
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three types of brass

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This is the most commonly used brass.

yellow brass Used in popular items such as faucets and
keys. Yellow brass usually contains around
60% to 70% copper, 30% to 40% zinc and
trace amounts of lead and tin.

Red brass is commonly made up of

red brass 85% Copper, 15% Zinc and very small
traces of Lead and Tin. Common uses
are sprinklers and shut off valves.

This has modernly

replaced red brass. The
semi-red brass common element alloys
are 80% copper, 10% zinc,
5% tin, 2-3% lead and
other trace elements.

To enhance the machinability of brass, lead is often added in

concentrations of around 2%. This lead is present on the
surface of the material, and thus presents a health concern Endanger-
similar to that of pure lead. ing human
health

Lead
Dis-
solved

How to solve
this?
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Pre
Brass Scraps Melting Melting Brass Billets
Method

Non -
Lead
Dissolved

Before being melted, Brass scraps must be lead-free. There’s a method we can
use to remove a lead along brass surface:

ELECTROLYTIC-PLATING

The lead-containing copper-based

alloy is immersed into a weak acidic
N or neutral etching solution having a
BRASS

buffer effect which is formed by

H adding an organic acid into a
complexing agent having a high
E ability to form a complexing ion with
lead, and lead particles present on
Ammonium the surface of the lead-containing
copper-based alloy are then
Salt removed.
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Bronze
to

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Bronze is a metal alloy consisting

primarily of copper, usually with tin
as the main additive, but sometimes
with other elements such as
phosphorus, manganese, aluminium,
or silicon.

HEATING

REMELTING

RECASTING

Bronze Recycling
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Bronze Chip Recycling

gathering of chips

separation
of cutting liquid

chips remelting

Problems of Chips Remelting

the chips have relatively small volume but

large surface area

chips are oxidized during remelting

most of the metal is burned and does not melt

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Solution
Compaction
Oxidation only at the free surface
Relatively free oxidation at the center

Aluminum

Aluminum is very useful to human

civilization. The versatility of aluminum
makes it the most widely used metal
after steel

Why Aluminum?
Light Weight
Corrosion Resistance
Electrical and Thermal Conductivity
Ductility
Impermeability and Odorless
Recyclability
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Aluminum can be recycled over and over without breaking
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down. In theory, if we recycled all our aluminum, we’d never

have to make more.

In fact, it takes 95% less energy to make aluminum from

bauxite ore than to recycle old aluminum into new.

It takes about 400 years for aluminum to break down

naturally

Why We Need to
Recycle Aluminium

What can you do?

Rinse out containers with clean water

Remove and throw away any plastic nozzles or lids

Remove any paper labels

Organize aluminum into its own separate section

Take your aluminum to your local recycler

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What
does the
recycler
do?