Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 13
Resource Recycling of Non-Ferrous Metals
Takashi Nakamura
Abstract
This chapter focuses on non-ferrous metals, their resources, extraction and
recycling. Mining of these metals (copper, zinc etc.) causes major environmental dam-
age through open mining techniques, and thus improving recycling rates has major
environmental benefits as well as potentially economic ones. This chapter thus looks
at the recycling technology for these metals and ways in which they can be increased
from sources such as dusts from steel scrap processing and electronic wastes. A num-
ber of recycling approaches applied to a range of industries are introduced, together
with a system approach to increasing Japan's recycling of valuable metals.
Keywords
Non-ferrous metals
·
Metal recycling
·
E-scrap
·
EAF dust
13.1
Introduction
While many use the term 'zero-emission', this perfect goal is both theoretically
impossible in view of the laws of thermodynamics and also limited by the prac-
ticalities of engineering. The only way to achieve true sustainability on the planet
therefore, is to regulate industrial activity so that it can operate within the equi-
librium magnitude of energy supplied to the Earth by the solar system. Given the
present rate of energy consumption, this would require a combination of an appre-
ciable shrinkage in economic activity, a reduction in population and/or a substantial
reduction in the standard of living in industrialized countries—none of which is
particularly appealing.
Use of the term 'sustainable development' without any clarification of its scien-
tific basis can thus give people a false sense of security. Implementing sustainable
development requires engineers and scientists to first analyze the total mass-flow
of energy and materials, estimate the local impacts on the environment as well as
