Editing Copper (section)

===Recycling===
According to the [[International Resource Panel]]'s [[Metal Stocks in Society report]], the global per capita stock of copper in use in society is 35–55&nbsp;kg. Much of this is in more-developed countries (140–300&nbsp;kg per capita) rather than less-developed countries (30–40&nbsp;kg per capita). In 2001, a typical automobile contained 20–30&nbsp;kg of copper.<ref name=Ullmann/> By 2014, the copper and copper alloy content of [[internal combustion engine]] vehicles decreased to 16.8 kg, but increased again to 24.5 kg by 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2024 |title=Chemistry and Automobiles Driving the Future |url=https://www.americanchemistry.com/content/download/16352/file/Chemistry-and-Automobiles-2024.pdf |website=American Chemistry Counsil}}</ref> At the same time, a battery [[electric vehicle]] already contains around 91 kg of copper and copper alloys.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-15 |title=Copper can't be mined fast enough to electrify the US |url=https://news.umich.edu/copper-cant-be-mined-fast-enough-to-electrify-the-us/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=University of Michigan News |language=en-US}}</ref>

Like [[aluminium]], copper is recyclable without any loss of quality, both from raw state and from manufactured products.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5_QLBwAAQBAJ&q=copper+recyclable+without+any+loss+of+quality&pg=PA249|title=The Role of Ecological Chemistry in Pollution Research and Sustainable Development|last1=Bahadir|first1=Ali Mufit|last2=Duca|first2=Gheorghe|date=2009|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-90-481-2903-4|language=en}}</ref> An estimated 80% of all copper ever mined is still in use today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.copperinfo.com/environment/recycling.html|title=International Copper Association|access-date=22 July 2009|archive-date=5 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305203937/http://www.copperinfo.com/environment/recycling.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In volume, copper is the third most recycled metal after iron and aluminium.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BnN3DAAAQBAJ&q=%C2%A0copper+third+most+recycled+metal+after+iron+and+aluminium&pg=PT281|title=The Periodic Table in Minutes|last=Green|first=Dan|date=2016|publisher=Quercus|isbn=978-1-68144-329-4|language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, recycled copper supplies about one-third<!--35%--> of global demand.<ref>{{Citation|title=The World Copper Factbook 2024|author=((International Copper Study Group))|author-link=International Copper Study Group|url=https://icsg.org/download/2024-09-23-the-world-copper-factbook-2024/?wpdmdl=8185&refresh=67470bf6457501732709366&ind=66f165bba8103&filename=Factbook2024.pdf|access-date=19 December 2024|page=53|archive-date=19 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219053900/https://icsg.org/download/2024-09-23-the-world-copper-factbook-2024/?wpdmdl=8185&refresh=67470bf6457501732709366&ind=66f165bba8103&filename=Factbook2024.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The process of recycling copper is roughly the same as is used to extract copper but requires fewer steps. High-purity scrap copper is melted in a [[Metallurgical furnace|furnace]] and then [[redox|reduced]] and cast into [[Billet (semi-finished product)|billets]] and [[ingot]]s.<ref>[http://www.copper.org/publications/newsletters/innovations/1998/06/recycle_overview.html "Overview of Recycled Copper" ''Copper.org'']. (25 August 2010). Retrieved on 8 November 2011.</ref> Lower-purity scrap is melted to form ''black copper'' (70–90% pure, containing impurities such as iron, zinc, tin, and nickel), followed by oxidation of impurities in a [[Converting_(metallurgy)|converter]] to form blister copper (96–98% pure), which is then [[Copper extraction#Refining|refined]] as before.<ref name=Ullmann7ed-Figure28>{{cite book |doi=10.1002/14356007.a07_471 |chapter=Copper |title=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |date=2012 |last1=Lossin |first1=Adalbert |isbn=9783527303854 |edition=7th |volume=10 |page=202}}</ref>{{rp|p=202}}