Study of Cyclic Oxidation for Copper Removal from Solid Ferrous Scrap in End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV)

Abstract

Iron and steel scrap have been reused to produce new steel and cast iron in the steelmaking and foundry industry for more than 150 years, but the accumulation of tramp elements contained in steel scrap such as copper, tin, antimony, and arsenic is a major concern. This is primarily because these tramp elements are difficult to remove in conventional steelmaking processes. In particular, the presence of copper during the recycling of steel scrap can cause severe surface cracking during hot rolling (hot shortness), inhibit recrystallization during hot forming, and reduce ductility in deep drawing. For these reasons, considerable efforts have been made in recent decades to develop a technology that can remove copper from ferrous scraps[1-3].

High-temperature oxidation kinetics of Cu bearing carbon steel

“…Using chlorination followed by oxidation processes to separate copper from steel is proposed in different studies. Although the authors stated that the process is technically feasible, large production amounts in the steel industry restrain using chlorine gas due to environmental and safety issues [7,8]. The alloying effect on Cu bearing steels is studied to minimize the hazardous impact of Cu.…”