Recycling background

Under the dual pressure of resource scarcity and environmental pollution, the recycling and utilization of copper and aluminum, as key industrial metals, have become increasingly important. On the one hand, the cost of mining copper and aluminum primary ores has risen, and resource reserves are in urgent need; On the other hand, a large amount of waste such as discarded air conditioners and car radiators accumulates, not only occupying land, but also causing soil and water pollution due to metal corrosion and refrigerant leakage. In this context, the PNMR series copper aluminum radiator recycling line of Wanrong Machinery takes “efficient separation and recycling” as its core, targeting the complex composition of waste radiators to achieve precise recycling of copper, aluminum, and iron, becoming a key technical solution for sustainable resource development.

Specific process for recycling copper aluminum radiators (based on PNMR series equipment)

The PNMR recycling line completes metal separation and purification through the full process collaboration of “shredding → crushing → magnetic separation → airflow separation → specific gravity separation → dust removal”:

1. Double shaft shredding: Disassemble large items and pre crush them

Artificially feeding the waste radiator into a dual axis shredder, the equipment crushes the radiator into 5-20 cm material (adapted to the feeding size of subsequent crushing equipment) through the squeezing force and tearing force of the dual axis rotation, initially damaging the radiator structure.

2. Hammer crushing: Refine particles and expose metals

The shredded strip enters the hammer crusher, where the high-speed rotating hammer continuously impacts the material, breaking it into sheet-like particles and increasing the surface area of the metal, creating conditions for subsequent sorting (such as easier identification of physical differences between copper, aluminum, and impurities).

3. Magnetic separator: Separate iron impurities and purify the base material

After crushing, the material enters the magnetic separator (a combination of suspended magnetic separation and roller magnetic separation): using the principle of magnetic adsorption, the iron metal in the material is separated (with a removal rate of 99.7%), achieving preliminary separation of the “iron copper aluminum mixture” and avoiding interference from iron impurities in subsequent sorting.

4. Airflow sorting machine: Coarse sorting of copper and aluminum, utilizing the difference in specific gravity

The copper aluminum mixture after magnetic separation enters the air flow separator: the equipment uses “negative pressure adsorption+air flow buoyancy” to suspend and disperse the material. Due to the much lower specific gravity of aluminum (2.7) compared to copper (8.9), aluminum particles are carried up by the airflow and discharged from one end of the equipment; Copper particles (and a small amount of aluminum) fall from the other end due to inertia, completing the coarse separation of copper and aluminum.

5. Specific gravity sorting machine: precise separation, vibrating screen+airflow coordination

The roughly separated material enters the specific gravity sorting machine: the vibrating screen plate inside the equipment vibrates at high frequency, combined with upward airflow, to evenly disperse the material on the screen surface. Due to the significant difference in specific gravity between copper and aluminum:

Aluminum (lightweight) is more prone to sinking when lifted by air flow and can be collected from the outlet below;

Copper (heavy) is more prone to upward movement under vibration force and separates from the upper outlet; The sorting efficiency reaches 97%, achieving efficient purification of copper and aluminum.

6. Pulse dust collector: dust collection and purification, green production

The entire recycling process is equipped with a pulse dust collector: through the method of “gas pulse spraying filter bag”, the dust generated during the shredding, crushing, and sorting processes is collected in real time to avoid dust pollution and ensure a clean production environment (dust removal efficiency of 99%).

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The significance of recycling

The recycling of copper aluminum radiators is of great significance, covering the triple values of resources, environmental protection, and industry. In terms of resources, recycling 1 ton of copper can replace 4.5 tons of primary copper mining, saving over 80% energy; The energy consumption of recycling 1 ton of aluminum is only 5% of electrolytic aluminum, reducing emissions by 95%. The PNMR series efficiently separates waste heat sinks and converts them into recycled raw materials with a purity of over 97%, which are directly returned to the furnace for re refining, alleviating the dependence on primary resources; In terms of environmental protection, we aim to solve the problems of heavy metal leakage (such as copper ion pollution in water bodies) and refrigerant leakage (such as ozone depletion caused by fluorocarbons) caused by open-air stacking, and cooperate with the full process closed operation and pulse dust removal to achieve near zero emissions of pollutants; In the industrial dimension, automated production lines replace manual sorting, increasing efficiency by more than 5 times and reducing labor costs. At the same time, high-purity recycled resources can enter high-end manufacturing supply chains such as electronics and aviation, enhancing added value.