Non-Ferrous Metal Extraction Equipment

— Turnkey Non-Ferrous Metal Extraction Equipment

YuSai non-ferrous metal extraction equipment is a turnkey line that recovers copper, aluminium, brass, zinc, nickel, tin and precious metals from mixed scrap, waste streams and low-grade concentrates and upgrades them into saleable metal — cathode copper at Cu ≥ 99.99%, aluminium at Al ≥ 98%, zinc, nickel and cobalt cathodes, tin ingots, and refined gold and silver. The line separates the metal values in dry form first. Material that cannot be separated physically goes through leaching, solvent extraction, and then electrowinning or electrorefining. Gold, silver and platinum-group metals are recovered from anode slime instead of being lost in the residue. Overall recovery is ≥ 95%, and copper electrorefining reaches 99.6 – 99.8%. Process water is recirculated at ≥ 90%, and NOx abatement removes ≥ 99.5% of emissions to stay inside CE, ISO and local limits. Every stage is built on one mass balance, and the plant is modular, so capacity can be added later without rebuilding the flowsheet.

Product Overview

Non-ferrous metal extraction equipment is the processing line that recovers copper, aluminium, brass, zinc, nickel, tin and precious metals from mixed scrap, waste streams and low-grade concentrates, and upgrades them into saleable metal products such as cathode copper, aluminium ingots and anode slime concentrates. A complete line combines physical separation — magnetic separation, eddy current separation, sensor-based sorting and screening — with pyrometallurgical concentration and hydrometallurgical extraction, in a sequence chosen from the composition of the feed.

The starting point of every project is the feed material, not the machine. Non-ferrous scrap arrives as a mixed, contaminated and variable stream: automobile shredder residue (ASR), Zorba and Zurik fractions, cable granulate, printed circuit boards, incineration bottom ash, foundry dross, spent catalyst, zinc calcine and battery black mass. Each of these behaves differently in a magnetic field, in a leach solution and in an electrolytic cell. The flowsheet therefore has to be built around the material, and the equipment selection follows from it.

Physical separation is always the first stage. A suspended overband or head-pulley magnet removes the ferrous fraction. An eddy current separator (ECS) then induces eddy currents in the conductive non-ferrous particles; the repelling force produced by the alternating magnetic field throws aluminium, copper, brass and zinc away from the non-conductive remainder, producing a clean, marketable non-ferrous concentrate. Where the feed contains fine copper wire or fine aluminium — material traditionally lost to the tailings — a high-frequency rotor recovers particles down to 2 – 3 mm. Sensor-based sorting (XRT, XRF or optical) is added where the product has to be split by alloy rather than by conductivity. This dry, reagent-free stage is where most of the recoverable value and most of the operating margin are secured, because every kilogram removed here is a kilogram that never has to be dissolved, filtered or discharged.

For oxidised, complex or fine-grained material, a hydrometallurgical route follows. Copper oxide ores, copper tailings, zinc calcine, EAF dust, nickel–cobalt matte, mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) and battery black mass cannot be upgraded by magnetic or eddy current separation alone. They are leached — with acid, ammonia or a tailored lixiviant — and the resulting pregnant leach solution is purified and concentrated by solvent extraction (SX) in multi-stage mixer-settler banks. Where the feed carries higher-grade metallic values, a pyrometallurgical front end — anode furnace, top blown rotary converter (TBRC) or electric arc furnace (EAF) — concentrates the metal into anode plates or crude metal before the chemical step.

Electrowinning and electrorefining convert the purified solution into metal. In electrorefining, copper anode plates at Cu ≥ 98% are dissolved and re-deposited as cathode copper at Cu ≥ 99.99%; any gold, silver and platinum-group metals present report to the anode slime and are recovered separately. In electrowinning, metal is won directly from the purified leach liquor as cathode zinc, nickel, cobalt or copper. Permanent 316L stainless steel cathode plates replace traditional starter sheets, removing the starter-sheet cell, shortening the cathode cycle and reducing the operators needed for short-circuit detection.

Everything is closed and controlled. Process liquors are recirculated, acid mist is captured at the cell and the reaction vessels, and NOx from any chlorination or aqua-regia step passes through a multi-stage absorption tower before release. The plant is monitored by a PLC and SCADA layer that tracks dosing, level, temperature, cell current and rectifier load — the data a plant manager needs in order to hold recovery and purity steady shift after shift.

The result is a plant that a secondary smelter, a recycling operator, a refinery or a mining project can operate as a single asset: one feed, one mass balance, one recovery figure, one service contract.

Application Scenarios

Ten industrial settings where a non-ferrous metal extraction line pays for itself — each with its own feed mix, capacity band and product specification.

End-of-Life Vehicle and ASR Processing. Downstream of an auto shredder, the line recovers Zorba-grade non-ferrous concentrate from shredder residue and fines, then refines it into clean copper, aluminium and brass fractions. Eddy current and fines-recovery modules are configured in a rougher–cleaner–scavenger arrangement so that no pass is lost to the tailings.

WEEE and PCB Recycling. Printed circuit boards and electronic scrap are shredded, liberated and separated into copper-rich concentrate, precious-metal-bearing fractions and non-metallic residue. The copper fraction feeds pyro- or hydrometallurgical extraction; the precious metals in the anode slime or the concentrated residue are refined separately.

Cable and Wire Recovery. Cable granulate is separated into copper and aluminium granulate at high purity while the plastics are recovered as a clean by-product. The same line can be extended downstream with electrorefining to convert copper granulate into cathode copper.

Incineration Bottom Ash (IBA) Upgrading. Bottom ash from waste-to-energy plants contains a large amount of non-ferrous metal, mainly copper and aluminium, locked into multiple size fractions. The line screens the ash into fractions and treats each with the appropriate separation stage, recovering metal that would otherwise be landfilled and reducing the ash’s residual metal content before reuse as aggregate.

Copper Smelter and Refinery Expansion. Tank house equipment — electrolytic cells, anode plates, permanent cathodes, rectifier transformers, cathode stripping machines and busbar systems — is supplied as a complete electrorefining department, including anode slime handling.

Secondary Aluminium and Zinc Recovery. Aluminium profiles, castings, UBC, ACSR and salt slag are cleaned and upgraded into charge-grade or ingot-grade aluminium. Zinc calcine, EAF dust and zinc oxide fume are processed by acid or ammonium leaching followed by electrowinning.

Spent Catalyst and Anode Slime Refining. Platinum-group metals and gold/silver are concentrated and refined from spent auto catalysts, PCB residues, anode slime and metallurgical intermediates, with hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical routes available depending on the grade of the feed.

Electrowinning Projects in Mining Regions. Low-grade oxide ore, tailings and mixed hydroxide precipitate are processed in-country through leach → SX → electrowinning so that a saleable cathode product is produced at or near the mine site instead of shipping concentrate.

Foundry, Dross and Residue Processing. Foundry residues, aluminium salt slag, smelting slag and other process residues are treated to recover the residual metal content and to make the residue suitable for reuse or compliant disposal.

Municipal Solid Waste and MRF Operations. Mixed waste and single-stream streams are upgraded by magnetic separation, eddy current separation and screening to lift the revenue per tonne of material processed and to cut the volume sent to landfill.

Applicable Raw Materials

Twelve feed families are covered by the standard module set. The route each material takes — dry separation only, or dry separation plus leaching and electrowinning — is decided by the material test.

Mixed non-ferrous scrap streams. Zorba and Zurik fractions, automobile shredder residue (ASR), shredder fines, cable granulate, shear scrap, demolition waste and municipal solid waste — the standard feed for the dry separation front end.

Copper-bearing materials. Copper scrap from Cu 50% to Cu 99% (bare bright, No. 1 and No. 2 copper, motors, radiators, copper tube, busbar), copper concentrate, copper oxide ore, copper tailings, copper anode and anode scrap, and copper-bearing plating sludges. Output: copper cathode and anode slime.

Aluminium-bearing materials. Used beverage cans (UBC), aluminium profiles, castings and turnings, ACSR conductor, radiator fin stock, aluminium salt slag, dross and aluminium packaging waste. Output: aluminium granulate, briquette or ingot.

Brass and bronze scrap. Machining swarf, valves, fittings and mixed yellow brass. Separated by sensor-based sorting where a clean split between copper, brass and zinc is required.

Cable and wire. Copper/PVC and aluminium/PVC cable granulate, household wire and mixed low-grade cable. Output: clean metal granulate plus a recoverable plastic stream.

Printed circuit boards and electronic scrap. Computer, mobile phone, television and telecom boards, copper-clad laminate trim, WEEE fractions and shredded electronic assemblies containing copper, gold, silver, palladium and tin.

Incineration bottom ash. Unscreened and pre-screened bottom ash across the fine (0 – 2 mm), mid (2 – 8 mm) and coarse (8 – 40 mm and above) fractions, including wet and aged ash.

Anode slime and refinery intermediates. Copper, lead and nickel anode slime, spent electrolyte residues, precious-metal-bearing slimes and refinery slags containing Au, Ag and platinum-group metals.

Zinc and nickel–cobalt materials. Zinc calcine, EAF dust, zinc oxide fume dust, nickel and cobalt ore, matte, mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), and nickel–cobalt residues from battery recycling.

Spent catalysts. Spent automotive catalytic converters and industrial catalysts carrying Pt, Pd and Rh, pre-concentrated by plasma or electric arc furnace smelting or processed directly by hydrometallurgy.

Battery black mass. NCM and LFP black mass from lithium-ion battery recycling, for the recovery of nickel, cobalt, manganese, lithium and copper by leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning or precipitation.

Foundry and process residues. Foundry sand and residues, smelting slag, fuming slag, galvanising residues and metal-bearing filter dust.

Output Products

Every output below is a defined, saleable product with a stated purity, not an intermediate that still has to be tolled out to a third party.

Copper cathode — Cu ≥ 99.99%. The primary saleable product of the electrorefining route, produced from anode copper at Cu ≥ 98% and traded against LME Grade A specification. Precious metals in the feed report to the anode slime rather than to the cathode.

Aluminium product — Al ≥ 98%. Aluminium granulate, rickard or briquette from dry separation, and aluminium ingot where a melting step is included. Cleaned of attached copper, zinc and non-metallics, so it is accepted as charge material rather than as mixed scrap.

Zinc cathode and zinc products — Zn ≥ 99.5%. Cathode zinc from the leach → SX (or purification) → electrowinning route, produced from zinc calcine, EAF dust or zinc oxide fume. Zinc sulfate solution is an alternative output where a downstream crystalliser is preferred.

Nickel and cobalt cathode — Ni ≥ 99.8% / Co ≥ 99.8%. Electrowon from purified nickel–cobalt liquor, with nickel and cobalt sulfate crystals as an alternative output for the battery-materials market.

Tin ingot — Sn ≥ 99.95%. Produced from tin-bearing residues, soldering tin and Harris dross by vacuum distillation combined with refining kettles and a spiral crystalliser for the removal of Cu, As, Sb, Pb and Bi.

Anode copper — Cu ≥ 98%. Intermediate anode plates produced by anode furnace or converter operation, ready to be charged to the electrorefining tank house.

Anode slime concentrate. A precious-metal-rich slime carrying Au, Ag and platinum-group metals, recovered from the cell bottom and transferred to the precious-metal refining line rather than sold as a residue.

Refined gold and silver — Au ≥ 99.99% / Ag ≥ 99.99%. Produced from anode slime, PCB concentrates and refining intermediates by electrolytic or hydrometallurgical refining, with platinum-group metal products at ≥ 99.95% purity.

Ferrous fraction. Clean steel and iron scrap separated by the overband or drum magnet at the head of the line, sold or returned to the steel supply chain.

Non-metallic residue. Plastic, PVC, rubber, glass, fibre and resin fractions separated from the metal values; usable as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) or as a construction aggregate, and substantially reduced in volume before disposal.

By-product slag and fume. Furnace slag and zinc-bearing fume, either returned to the process, sold as a by-product, or prepared for compliant reuse as construction material.

Process Flow

The line is built as eight stages. Stages 1 to 4 are dry and reagent-free. Stages 5 to 7 are chemical and electrolytic, and are included only when the material requires them — a clean Zorba or cable-granulate feed may be finished after Stage 3, while an oxide ore, a black mass or an anode slime feed enters at Stage 5.

Steps 1 — Material Preparation. Feed is received, weighed and inspected, then liberated so that the metal values are physically free from the material attached to them. Shredding and granulation reduce the particle size, a trommel or multi-deck vibrating screen splits the stream into defined fractions (typically 0 – 2 mm, 2 – 8 mm, 8 – 40 mm and above 40 mm), and each fraction is routed to the separation stage that suits its size. Dust and fines extracted at this point are captured by the de-dusting system and returned to the feed or collected for separate treatment. Output: sized, liberated fractions of non-ferrous scrap with a stable and predictable composition.

Steps 2 — Magnetic Separation. A suspended overband magnet removes tramp iron from the main stream, and a head-pulley or drum magnet installed ahead of the eddy current separator removes the remaining ferrous and strongly magnetic particles. Removing ferrous metal at this point protects the downstream rotor and belt, and prevents ferrous particles from masking the eddy current response of the conductive non-ferrous particles. Output: a clean ferrous fraction for the steel supply chain and a ferrous-free mixed non-ferrous stream.

Steps 3 — Eddy Current and Sensor Sorting. The ferrous-free stream passes over the eddy current separator. A high-speed alternating-polarity rotor inside the discharge head pulley generates a high-frequency alternating magnetic field; eddy currents induced in the conductive particles create an opposing field, and the resulting force impulse ejects aluminium, copper, brass and zinc across a splitter while the non-conductive remainder follows a normal trajectory. Rotor selection is matched to the particle size — a coarse-pole rotor for material above 40 mm, a medium-pole rotor for the 5 – 40 mm range, and a high-frequency fine rotor, down to a 32-pole ultra-high-frequency arrangement, for fines and bare copper wire as small as 2 – 3 mm. Where the product must be split by alloy rather than by conductivity, XRT, XRF or optical sensor sorting is applied in series. Output: a clean, marketable non-ferrous metal concentrate, plus a ferrous fraction, a non-metallic residue and a fines product.

Steps 4 — Pyrometallurgical Concentration. Where the feed carries metallic values that are too coarse, too oxidised or too diluted for direct leaching, a furnace stage concentrates them. An anode furnace refines crude copper into anode plates at Cu ≥ 98% by controlled oxidation and reduction; a top blown rotary converter (TBRC) smelts, converts and refines high-value residues such as PCB concentrates and spent catalysts in a single vessel; an electric arc furnace pre-concentrates platinum-group metals before the converter stage. This stage also produces the anode plates that the tank house in Stage 6 consumes. Output: anode copper plates, crude metal or a concentrated matte, plus a slag and a zinc-bearing fume.

Steps 5 — Leaching and Solvent Extraction. Material that cannot be upgraded physically is dissolved. Acid, ammonia or a tailored lixiviant is contacted with the prepared feed in agitated reactors at controlled temperature and residence time, and the resulting pregnant leach solution is clarified by thickening and filtration. The clarified solution is then purified and concentrated in multi-stage mixer-settler solvent extraction banks, where an organic phase loaded with the target metal is separated from the aqueous phase, scrubbed and stripped so that the extractant can be returned to the circuit. The raffinate is recirculated to the leach rather than discharged. Output: a purified, concentrated electrolyte ready for electrowinning or electrorefining, and a recirculated raffinate.

Steps 6 — Electrowinning and Electrorefining. The purified solution is converted into metal in the tank house. In electrorefining, anode plates are dissolved in the electrolytic cell and re-deposited as cathode copper at Cu ≥ 99.99% on permanent 316L stainless steel cathode plates. In electrowinning, metal is won directly from the purified liquor as cathode copper, zinc, nickel or cobalt. Direct current is supplied through an IEC-compliant rectifier transformer and a copper or aluminium busbar system, with current density, cell voltage, temperature and electrolyte flow held within set limits by the control system. Cathodes are washed and stripped, and the stripped plates are returned to the cell without any starter-sheet preparation. Output: cathode metal at ≥ 99.5 – 99.99% purity depending on the metal, and a spent electrolyte that is bled, regenerated and returned to Stage 5.

Steps 7 — Precious Metal and By-Product Recovery. Anode slime settled at the bottom of the refining cells is collected, washed and treated separately — by pressure or acid leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange or precipitation depending on its composition — to recover gold, silver and platinum-group metals. Gold and silver are refined to ≥ 99.99% purity and platinum-group metal products to ≥ 99.95%. Where the main feed is PCB concentrate or spent catalyst, the same stage is fed directly from the concentration step instead of from the tank house. Output: refined precious metal products and a residual stream returned to the main circuit.

Steps 8 — Off-gas, Effluent and Compliance Control. Vapour, mist and gas generated in the chemical and electrolytic stages are captured at the source. Acid mist is extracted from the electrolytic cells and reaction vessels through an enclosed, negative-pressure system and scrubbed before release; nitrogen oxides produced by chlorination or aqua regia refining pass through a multi-stage absorption tower with a removal efficiency of ≥ 99.5%, sized to bring an inlet concentration above 30,000 mg/m³ within the applicable discharge limit. Process water is treated by chemical precipitation, ion exchange and heavy-metal capture, and the clarified water is returned to the circuit, with an overall circulation rate of ≥ 90% and only a controlled bleed leaving the plant. Output: compliant stack emission, compliant treated water, and a dewatered solid residue for compliant disposal or reuse.

Product Structure (Main Equipment)

The line is delivered as eleven modules. Each one has a defined interface to the next — particle size, liquor composition and capacity — so that the plant can be commissioned stage by stage and expanded later without re-engineering what is already running.

Liberation and Material Preparation Module. Receiving hopper and weighbridge interface, two-shaft or four-shaft shredder, granulator or cutting mill, trommel and multi-deck vibrating screens for fraction splitting, belt and screw conveyors, and a de-dusting unit with a bag filter. This module sets the particle-size distribution that every downstream separation stage depends on.

Magnetic Separation Module. Suspended overband self-cleaning magnet for tramp iron removal, and a drum or head-pulley magnet with rare-earth permanent or electromagnetic circuit positioned immediately ahead of the eddy current separator. Belt widths and magnet strengths are selected against the belt load and the burden depth of the specific stream.

Eddy Current Separation Module. Cantilevered or self-supporting C-frame construction for rapid belt replacement, a discharge head pulley carrying an alternating-polarity rare-earth rotor in either a concentric or an eccentrically mounted pole arrangement, a composite-fibre non-conductive drum shell, a thin conveyor belt, an adjustable rack-and-pinion splitter, and a direct-drive rotor and conveyor. Rotor assemblies are supplied in coarse, medium and high-frequency specifications so that the machine can be re-configured when the feed changes.

Fines Recovery Module. A dedicated fine-particle separator for the fraction traditionally lost in the tailings, combining a high-frequency rotor with a controlled feed distribution to recover fine aluminium, fine copper and bare copper wire down to 2 – 3 mm.

Sensor-Based Sorting Module. XRT, XRF or optical sorting units positioned after the eddy current stage where the product needs to be split by alloy — copper from brass, wrought aluminium from cast aluminium, or a specific alloy out of a mixed concentrate.

Pyrometallurgical Module. Anode furnace, top blown rotary converter (TBRC), electric arc furnace (EAF), vacuum distillation furnace and refining kettles, with burners, refractory lining, off-gas hood and charging equipment supplied as a matched set. Furnace selection follows the feed grade and the target intermediate.

Leaching Module. Agitated leach reactors in PP, PPH, rubber-lined carbon steel or 316L stainless steel, with mechanical or air agitation, heating and temperature control, reagent dosing, thickeners, filter presses and clarified-solution storage.

Solvent Extraction Module. Multi-stage mixer-settler banks with mixer boxes, settlers, weirs, interstage pumps, organic-phase recovery and coalescing elements. Extractant systems are selected to suit the metal — LIX and oxime systems for copper, D2EHPA and Cyanex systems for nickel, cobalt and zinc, and amine or TBP systems for precious metals and rare earths.

Electrowinning and Electrorefining Module. Electrolytic cells in polymer concrete, vinyl-ester resin or PPH; 316L stainless steel permanent cathode plates; lead alloy, titanium or stainless anode plates; anode preparation and anode scrap washing units; cathode washing and stripping stations including robotic or semi-automatic stripping; conductivity busbar; rectifier transformer; electrolyte circulation and cooling; and cell-mounted acid-mist extraction hoods.

Anode Slime and Precious Metal Module. Slime collection, washing, thickening and filtration equipment, pressure or atmospheric leaching reactors, ion-exchange and solvent-extraction circuits, precipitation and reduction vessels, melting furnaces and ingot casting equipment, with NOx abatement on the refining vessel.

Off-gas and Effluent Control Module. Enclosed negative-pressure acid-mist extraction system, spray scrubber, multi-stage NOx absorption tower with dosing and recirculation, chemical dosing and pH control station, ion-exchange or heavy-metal capture units, clarifier, filter press and treated-water return pump set.

Plant Control and Automation Module. PLC and SCADA layer with touch-screen operator stations, instruments for level, temperature, pH, density and flow, cell-current and rectifier monitoring, dosing control with closed-loop feedback, batch and recipe management, alarm handling, and optional remote diagnostics for after-sales support.

Product Features

Built around the feed, not around a catalogue. Flow sheet, equipment selection and capacity are defined after a material test, so the line is sized against the actual composition and particle-size distribution of the customer’s material.
Dry separation ahead of every chemical step. Magnetic, eddy current and sensor sorting remove the ferrous fraction, the non-metallics and the saleable metal concentrate before any leaching or smelting takes place, which lowers reagent consumption, leach volume and effluent load.
Rotor-to-particle-size matching. Coarse, medium and high-frequency rotor assemblies are selected against the feed fraction, and can be changed later if the material mix changes — including recovery of fine copper wire and fine aluminium down to 2 – 3 mm.
Eccentric pole system with an adjustable application point. The pole system is arranged eccentrically inside the discharge head pulley so that the magnetic field reaches its maximum exactly at the moment of separation, and the application point can be adjusted to the current feed material to tune the discharge parabola.
Permanent cathodes instead of starter sheets. 316L stainless steel cathode plates eliminate the starter-sheet electrolysis cell and the cathode assembly work, and their flatness and dimensional consistency allow a shorter electrode spacing, a higher current density and fewer operators on short-circuit detection.
Modular capacity ladder. Standardised modules allow a plant to start at a pilot scale — from 1 t/day on the tank-house side and from a single 1 t/h separation module on the front end — and to expand by adding modules rather than replacing the flowsheet.
Closed-loop process liquor and water. Raffinate returns to the leach circuit, spent electrolyte is bled and regenerated, and process water is circulated at ≥ 90%, so the plant’s fresh-water demand and discharge volume stay low.
Precious metals recovered, not sold as residue. Anode slime handling and a dedicated precious-metal circuit are part of the scope, so that gold, silver and platinum-group metals report to a refined product instead of leaving the plant inside a slime or a slag.
Enclosed acid mist and multi-stage NOx abatement. Cell hoods, negative-pressure extraction and a multi-stage absorption tower sized for inlet concentrations above 30,000 mg/m³ keep the working environment and the stack within regulation.
Instrumentation and closed-loop control. Dosing, temperature, level and cell current are held by a PLC and SCADA layer with recipe management, so recovery and purity stay stable across shifts and operators.
Tank-house equipment compliant with international standards. Rectifier transformers are built to IEC requirements, with overload capability and a service life designed for continuous operation, and the tank house is supplied as one integrated department.
One supplier for a single mass balance. Mechanical separation, furnace, hydrometallurgical and tank-house scope come from one engineering team, so recovery figures, capacity figures and interfaces are guaranteed against one balance rather than split across three vendors.

Technical Parameters and Specifications

1. Separation And Sorting Modules

Module	Parameter	Standard Range / Specification	Notes
Eddy Current Separator (ECS)	Working width	500 – 2,500 mm	Single unit; ganged for higher throughput
	Rotor type	Rare-earth alternating-polarity permanent rotor	Coarse / medium / high-frequency / UHF
	Rotor pole configuration	8-pole (coarse, +25 mm) · 22-pole (medium, 6 – 25 mm) · 32-pole UHF (fine, 2 – 10 mm)	Matched to feed fraction
	Pole arrangement	Eccentric (adjustable application point) or concentric	Eccentric standard for new lines
	Rotor speed	3,000 – 4,000 rpm	Frequency-converter controlled
	Belt speed	0.8 – 2.5 m/s	Variable
	Drive power	0.75 – 22 kW	Width- and duty-dependent
	Minimum recoverable particle	2 – 3 mm	Bare copper wire, UHF rotor
	Belt replacement time	≈ 10 minutes	Cantilevered / C-frame construction
	Splitter adjustment	Rack-and-pinion, precision	Manual or motorised
Magnetic Separator	Overband working width	600 – 2,000 mm	Self-cleaning belt
	Drum / head-pulley diameter	600 – 1,800 mm	Rare-earth permanent or electromagnetic
	Suspension height	150 – 400 mm †	Set against burden depth
Sensor Sorter	Sensor technology	XRT · XRF · VIS-NIR · induction	Optional, in series after ECS
	Throughput	3 – 20 t/h per unit †	Particle-size dependent
Shredder / Granulator	Rotor width	800 – 2,000 mm	Two-shaft or four-shaft
	Discharge particle size	10 – 150 mm, screen-defined	Interchangeable screens
	Drive power	37 – 200 kW †	Feed- and target-size dependent
Screening	Deck configuration	1 – 3 decks	Typical split 0–2 / 2–8 / 8–40 / >40 mm
	Screen area	4 – 30 m² †	Duty-dependent
Conveying	Belt width	500 – 2,000 mm	Flame-retardant rubber
	Belt speed	0.3 – 2.0 m/s	Variable

2. Hydrometallurgical and Tank-House Modules

Module	Parameter	Standard Range / Specification	Notes
Leaching Reactor	Working volume	5 – 200 m³ per train †	Scaled to throughput
	Body material	PP · PPH · rubber-lined carbon steel · 316L stainless steel	Lixiviant-dependent
	Operating temperature	Ambient to 95 °C (atmospheric)	Pressure leach available
	Agitation	Mechanical or air-agitated	—
	Lixiviant	Sulfuric acid · ammonia · hydrochloric · tailored system	Selected by material test
Solvent Extraction	Stage configuration	3 – 12 stages per bank	Multi-stage mixer-settler
	Mixer volume	0.5 – 30 m³ per stage †	—
	Phase ratio (O/A)	1:1 – 5:1 †	Process-dependent
	Extractant system	LIX / oxime (Cu) · D2EHPA / Cyanex (Ni, Co, Zn) · amine / TBP (precious metals, rare earths)	Diluent and modifier matched to duty
	Organic recovery	Coalescer + interstage pumping	Reduces organic loss
Electrolytic Cell	Cell body material	Polymer concrete · vinyl-ester resin · PPH	Corrosion-resistant, high mechanical strength
	Design service life	Over 20 years (polymer concrete cell body)	—
	Cathode plate	316L stainless steel permanent cathode	Reusable; no starter sheets
	Cathode plate design life	≈ 10 years	—
	Anode plate	Lead alloy (Cu EW 4 – 5 years) · titanium · stainless	Metal-dependent
	Current density	280 – 750 A/m² †	Metal- and process-dependent
	Electrolyte circulation	Forced circulation with temperature control	—
	Rectifier transformer	IEC compliant; 200% overload for 2 min, 150% for 10 min	Oil-immersed or dry type
	Busbar	Copper or aluminium; water-cooled option	—
	Acid-mist control	Enclosed cell hood with negative-pressure extraction	Meets local workplace limits
Cathode Stripping	Stripping capacity	1 – 20 t/day per unit †	Semi-automatic or robotic
	Method	Permanent-cathode stripping; no starter-sheet circuit	—
Anode Slime Treatment	Route	Slime collection → washing → leach → SX / ion exchange → refining	Fed from tank house or directly
Off-gas Abatement	NOx inlet concentration	> 30,000 mg/m³	Multi-stage absorption
	NOx removal efficiency	≥ 99.5%	Sized to local discharge limit
	Acid mist removal	Enclosed extraction + spray scrubbing	—
Effluent Treatment	Copper removal (example)	From 450 mg/L to < 0.5 mg/L	Chemical + ion exchange + capture agent
	Water circulation rate	≥ 90% (closed loop)	Controlled bleed only
Automation	Control platform	PLC + SCADA, touch-screen HMI	Recipe and batch management
	Monitored parameters	Level · temperature · pH · density · flow · cell current · rectifier load	Closed-loop dosing
	Remote support	Optional remote diagnostics	—

3. Technical and Economic Indicators

Indicator	Typical Value	Basis
Overall non-ferrous metal recovery	≥ 95%	Whole-line mass balance
Copper recovery, electrorefining	99.6 – 99.8%	Tank-house balance
Copper cathode purity	Cu ≥ 99.99%	Electrorefining
Anode copper grade	Cu ≥ 98%	Anode furnace / converter
Aluminium product purity	Al ≥ 98%	Dry separation
Zinc cathode purity	Zn ≥ 99.5%	Electrowinning
Nickel / cobalt cathode purity	Ni ≥ 99.8% / Co ≥ 99.8%	Electrowinning
Tin ingot purity	Sn ≥ 99.95%	Vacuum distillation + refining
Precious metal recovery	Au, Ag ≥ 99.9%; PGM ≥ 99.95%	Refining circuit
Direct-current energy consumption, copper EW / ER	230 – 280 kW·h per tonne of copper	Industry benchmark
Process water circulation	≥ 90%	Plant design
NOx removal efficiency	≥ 99.5%	Abatement system

4. Electrolytic And Process Parameters

Parameter	Specification
Cell body material	PPH, PP, FRP, PVDF or PVC-lined steel *
Cathode	Rotating cathode in recovery cells; titanium cathode plate or sheet in refining cells *
Anode material	MMO-coated titanium anode; Pb-Ca-Sn anode for base metal duty; graphite where required *
Conductive bar and bus bar	Titanium-clad copper
Anode containment	Anode bag or diaphragm in acid-resistant fabric or PTFE, with counter-current wash circuit
Rectifier and power supply	High-frequency pulse intelligent rectifier; IGBT rectifier with automatic pole reversing
Cathode current density	Up to 1000–1200 A/m² for gold electrolysis; 300–800 A/m² for silver electrolysis *
Electrolyte temperature	Gold electrolyte 60–70 °C; silver electrolyte controlled at ≤ 50 °C via cooling circuit *
Temperature control accuracy	± 1 °C in electrolytic refining cells
Electrolyte circulation	Closed-loop with continuous filtration
Leaching chemistry	Aqua regia and chlorination for gold and PGM; nitric acid and nitric parting for silver; chloride, alkaline and cyanide media for specific feeds *
Separation chemistry	Solvent extraction with P204 / P507 / C272, ion exchange resin, activated carbon adsorption, selective precipitation, cementation
Reagent consumption	None on the electrolytic recovery route (electricity only); reagents used and metered per batch in leaching and separation

5. Materials Of Construction

Stream or equipment	Material options
Reaction and dissolution vessels	Enamel-lined steel, PPH, PP, PVDF, PTFE-lined
Acid and chloride tanks	PPH, PVC, PVDF, FRP
Wetted parts, pumps and fittings	PTFE, PVDF, titanium, 316L stainless steel
Electrolytic cell bodies	PPH, PP, PVC-lined steel, PTFE or PVDF-lined; concrete or FRP shells for large cells
Cathode and anode substrates	Titanium, stainless steel, graphite, precious-metal-coated
Off-gas ducting and scrubbers	PPH, FRP, PVC

6. Control, Utilities And Environmental Parameters

Parameter	Specification
Control system	PLC + SCADA with automatic intelligent control, recipe management per feed type and remote monitoring
Instrumentation	Temperature, pH, ORP, conductivity, flow, current density, level
Data logging	Batch-based recording of process parameters and metal balance
Off-gas treatment	Enclosed hoods + flue gas condensation + multi-stage absorption tower; NOx removal efficiency ≥ 99%, outlet concentration set to the local permit limit *
Wastewater treatment	Neutralisation, precipitation, flocculation, sludge dewatering, ion exchange polishing; recirculation with zero-liquid-discharge option
Power supply	380 V / 415 V / 440 V, 50 Hz or 60 Hz, three-phase; configured to the local grid and standard *
Utilities	Process water, cooling water, compressed air, exhaust ventilation; steam only for stages requiring elevated temperature
Capacity basis	Defined per project as batch mass × cycles per day from your feed grade and target output; scaled by module count rather than by a single fixed model size *
Installation form	Modular skid-mounted or site-assembled, with CAD / 3D plant layout provided

7. Assay, Verification And Product Release

Stage	Method	Reference standard
Feed sampling and assay	Representative sampling, XRF screening, fire assay or wet chemical analysis	ISO 11426, ASTM E1335
In-process control	Titration, ORP and specific-ion measurement	Per project
High-purity gold, platinum, palladium	Difference method by ICP-OES	ISO 15093
High-purity silver	Difference method by ICP-OES	ISO 15096
Final product release	Fire assay to 999.5‰, or ICP-OES difference above that fineness	ISO 11426, ISO 15093, ISO 15096
Good Delivery compliance	Fineness against LBMA Good Delivery minimum (995.0 gold, 999.0 silver)	LBMA Good Delivery Rules

Basis of the figures above. Recovery and purity figures are whole-line values for a well-operated plant and are stated against a defined feed grade, which is the only meaningful reference. Actual values for a specific project are established by a material test and a guaranteed mass balance issued with the commercial proposal. Values marked † are project-specific and are confirmed by a material test and a design review before the final quotation. Ranges without † are the standard configuration envelope for the corresponding module.

Technical Advantages

Not a list of adjectives — each advantage below states the mechanism that produces it and the consequence for the operating result.

Dry separation before hydrometallurgy — the economics are decided in Stage 3, not in Stage 5. Every kilogram of non-ferrous metal that the eddy current and sensor sorting stages remove in dry form never has to be dissolved, filtered, pumped or discharged. A line that recovers 90% of its saleable metal in dry form carries only one tenth of the material into the chemical circuit compared with a line that leaches its feed directly, which reduces reactor volume, reagent consumption, filtration load, effluent volume and operating cost in proportion. This is why the physical separation stage is engineered first and sized to recover the maximum metal available, rather than treated as a preparation step for the chemical plant.

Eccentric pole system with an adjustable application point — the field acts at the moment of separation. The force that ejects a conductive particle from the material stream is greatest where the particle is closest to the rotor. In a concentric pole arrangement the magnetic influence begins too early: the particle leaves the effective field before the maximum force has been applied, so the discharge parabola is short and separation is incomplete. In an eccentric arrangement, the pole system is positioned inside the discharge head pulley so that the field peaks exactly at the point of maximum force impact, and the application point can be adjusted to suit the current feed. The same geometry keeps residual ferrous particles from adhering to the head pulley, which reduces belt and drum-shell wear.

Permanent cathodes remove an entire process step from the tank house. With conventional starter sheets, a plant needs a separate electrolysis cell to grow the sheets and a manual assembly station to build cathodes from sheets, conductive rods and hangers. Permanent 316L stainless steel cathode plates eliminate both. Because the plates are dimensionally consistent and flat, electrode spacing can be shortened — which lowers cell voltage for the same current density — and the regular, flat cathodes reduce the incidence of short circuits, so fewer operators are needed on short-circuit detection and handling. The cathode cycle can therefore be shortened, reducing the amount of copper tied up in work-in-process and improving capital turnover.

Extractant and lixiviant systems matched to the metal, not to a generic recipe. Copper oxide ore, zinc calcine, nickel–cobalt matte and battery black mass each require a different chemistry. The solvent extraction circuit is configured with the extractant, diluent and modifier combination that suits the target metal and the impurity profile of the actual liquor — oxime systems for copper, organophosphorus systems for nickel, cobalt and zinc, amine or TBP systems for precious metals and rare earths — and the number of mixer-settler stages is set from the required separation factor rather than from a fixed template.

Closed-loop liquor and water circuits. Raffinate from the solvent extraction stage returns to the leach, spent electrolyte is bled and regenerated back to the circuit, and process water is circulated at ≥ 90%. The practical benefits are lower fresh-water intake and a controlled, small bleed volume that the effluent plant can treat to specification — rather than an open circuit whose discharge volume scales with production.

A modular capacity ladder that does not require a redesign. Standardised separation, leaching, solvent extraction and tank-house modules allow a project to start at pilot scale — from a single 1 t/h separation module and a 1 t/day stripping unit — and expand later by adding identical or scaled modules. Sizing margins are designed into the mass balance so that a second eddy current unit, an additional mixer-settler bank or an extra cell section can be inserted without re-engineering the whole line.

Precious metals are captured inside the plant. Gold, silver and platinum-group metals in the feed are not lost with the residue. They report to the anode slime or to the concentrated residue, both of which are treated in a dedicated circuit with its own leaching, solvent extraction, ion-exchange and refining equipment. For feeds such as PCB concentrate, anode slime or spent catalyst, the precious-metal stream can carry a substantial share of the recovered value, and capturing it internally changes the project’s payback profile.

Regulatory and safety engineering designed in from the start. Acid mist is captured at the cell by an enclosed, negative-pressure hood system before it reaches the working environment. Nitrogen oxides from chlorination and aqua regia refining pass through a multi-stage absorption tower with ≥ 99.5% removal efficiency, sized to bring an inlet concentration above 30,000 mg/m³ inside the applicable discharge limit. Treated water is returned to the circuit. The compliance package is designed with the process rather than added afterwards, which avoids the common situation where a plant is technically capable of producing metal but cannot operate within its permit.

One engineering team behind one mass balance. Because the separation modules, the furnace, the hydrometallurgical circuit and the tank house come from the same design team, the recovery figure quoted for the line is a single number supported by a single mass balance. Interfaces between stages are defined by the same engineer who sized the stages, so capacity, particle-size distribution and liquor composition match across the boundary — the most common source of under-performance when a line is assembled from equipment bought from several suppliers.

Material testing before commitment. Every proposal starts from a test on the customer’s own material. A flowsheet that works on a generic Zorba sample is not automatically the right flowsheet for a specific operator’s shredder residue, and a leach that suits one oxide ore may be uneconomic for another. Test results establish the achievable recovery and purity, and those figures are carried into the guaranteed mass balance issued with the commercial offer.

Service Process

From first enquiry to performance handover, in eight defined steps with named deliverables at each stage.

Step 1 — Inquiry and Requirement Review (within 24 hours). The customer submits the material type, feed grade, particle-size range, target products, target capacity and site conditions. An engineer reviews the requirement and returns a preliminary technical response within 24 hours, including an indication of which process route applies and what additional information is needed.

Step 2 — Material Testing and Flowsheet Design. A representative sample of the customer’s material is tested — screening analysis, magnetic and eddy current response, chemical assay, and leach or separation tests as required. Test results determine the process route, the equipment list and the achievable recovery and purity, and the flowsheet is drawn up on that basis.

Step 3 — Proposal, 3D Layout and Quotation. A complete commercial and technical proposal is issued: process description and flow diagram, equipment list with specifications, site layout and 3D plant layout, utility requirements (power, water, compressed air), manpower plan, delivery schedule, and a priced quotation. Optional items and later expansion phases are listed separately so that the investment can be phased.

Step 4 — Contract, Engineering and Manufacturing. After contract signing, detailed engineering begins — general arrangement drawings, foundation and load drawings, electrical and instrumentation drawings, and piping layouts for customer approval. Manufacturing proceeds against the approved drawings, with in-process inspection at each major assembly stage.

Step 5 — Factory Acceptance Test (FAT). Before shipment, the completed equipment is assembled and run at the factory where practical, and the customer is invited to witness the test. Inspection reports, material certificates, test records, electrical test reports and the operation and maintenance manuals are handed over at this stage.

Step 6 — Shipment, Site Installation and Supervision. Equipment is packed for sea freight, with a full packing list, and shipped. Our engineers supervise site installation, or install and commission the plant for turnkey projects, working to the installation schedule agreed at contract stage.

Step 7 — Commissioning and Operator Training. Commissioning follows a written sequence: utility checks, dry runs, water tests, material commissioning, first production and performance verification against the guaranteed figures. Plant operators and maintenance staff are trained on the running line — process control, routine maintenance, fault diagnosis and safety procedures — with a training manual and video material left on site.

Step 8 — Production Handover and Ongoing Support. After performance verification, the plant is handed over with the final documentation package: as-built drawings, commissioning records, performance test report, spare-parts list and warranty certificate. Ongoing support is handled through the after-sales service agreement described below.

Warranty And After-Sales

Warranty period. The complete plant carries a 12-month warranty from the date of production handover, or 18 months from the date of shipment, whichever falls earlier. Structural components — electrolytic cell bodies, tank structures and frame assemblies — carry an extended warranty against defects in material and workmanship. Warranty terms are confirmed in the contract for each project.

Wear parts excluded. Consumable and wear items — eddy current conveyor belts, splitter plates, screens, crusher blades, filter cloth, pump seals, gaskets and refractory materials — are excluded from the standard warranty and are supplied as recommended spare parts with their expected service life stated.

Spare parts guarantee. Spare parts for the supplied equipment remain available for a minimum of 10 years from handover. A recommended first-year spare-parts kit is supplied with the plant, and a critical-spares list is agreed with the customer so that no single consumable can stop production while a replacement is in transit.

Response times. Technical inquiries are answered within 15 minutes during working hours and within 2 hours outside them. A remote diagnosis is completed within 12 hours of a reported fault, and where an on-site visit is required, an engineer is dispatched within 24 hours of fault confirmation, subject to visa and travel arrangements.

Remote support. The control system supports remote diagnostics, allowing engineers to review alarm history, dosing records, cell current and rectifier data without travelling to site, and to identify the cause of a production deviation before an on-site visit is scheduled.

On-site service. Commissioning support and warranty service visits are included in the contract scope. Regular preventive maintenance visits are available under an annual service agreement, covering inspection of the separation modules, calibration of instrumentation, review of process data and a written performance report with recommendations.

Training and documentation. Operator and maintenance training is delivered during commissioning, and refresher training is available on site or online. The documentation package includes the operation manual, maintenance manual, electrical and instrumentation drawings, spare-parts catalogue, process description and the material test report.

Performance guarantee. Where a project is supplied on a turnkey basis, the guaranteed recovery and purity figures established by the material test are written into the contract, and performance is verified during commissioning against the agreed test procedure.

To be confirmed by the sales team before publication: the exact warranty duration, response-time commitments and the scope of the annual service agreement must match the company’s current commercial policy and be consistent with the standard contract terms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is non-ferrous metal extraction equipment?
It is the processing line that recovers non-ferrous metals — copper, aluminium, brass, zinc, nickel, tin, lead and precious metals — from scrap, waste streams and low-grade concentrates, and upgrades them into saleable metal products. A complete line combines physical separation (magnetic separation, eddy current separation, sensor sorting and screening) with pyrometallurgical concentration and hydrometallurgical extraction, followed by electrowinning or electrorefining to produce cathode metal.

Which non-ferrous metals can your equipment recover?
Copper, aluminium, brass, bronze, zinc, nickel, cobalt, tin, lead, antimony and precious metals including gold, silver and the platinum-group metals. The metal that can be produced depends on the feed: mixed scrap and bottom ash are separated into metal concentrates and refined downstream, while oxide ores, zinc calcine, nickel–cobalt matte and battery black mass go through leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning.

What recovery rate can I expect?
A well-designed line achieves an overall non-ferrous metal recovery of ≥ 95%, and copper electrorefining typically reaches 99.6 – 99.8%. Recovery is always stated against a defined feed grade and particle-size distribution, because the same machine will produce different results on different feeds. We therefore confirm the figure for your specific material through a material test rather than quoting a single number for all applications.

Can the plant start small and be expanded later?
Yes. The line is built from standardised modules, so a project can begin with a single 1 t/h separation module and a 1 t/day cathode stripping unit, and expand by adding modules — an additional eddy current unit, further mixer-settler stages or an extra cell section — without redesigning the flowsheet. Sizing margins are designed into the mass balance at the outset to allow this.

What particle sizes can the eddy current separator handle?
The rotor assembly is matched to the feed fraction. A coarse-pole rotor handles material above 40 mm, a medium-pole rotor covers approximately 6 – 25 mm, and a high-frequency rotor treats fines. With an ultra-high-frequency rotor, bare copper wire and fine aluminium down to 2 – 3 mm can be recovered — material that is normally lost to the tailings on a conventional separator.

Eddy current separation or sensor-based sorting — which do I need?
Eddy current separation sorts by conductivity and is the right first stage for separating non-ferrous metal from non-metal. Sensor-based sorting sorts by material composition, so it is added when the metal concentrate has to be split by alloy — copper from brass, wrought aluminium from cast aluminium, or a specific alloy out of a mixed stream. Most lines use eddy current separation as standard and add sensor sorting as an upgrade where product specifications demand it.

What is the difference between electrowinning and electrorefining?
In electrorefining, an impure anode plate is dissolved and the metal is re-deposited on the cathode at high purity — the classic route from copper anode at Cu ≥ 98% to cathode copper at Cu ≥ 99.99%. In electrowinning, metal is won directly from a purified leach solution onto the cathode, with no anode dissolution step. Electrorefining needs an anode casting step upstream; electrowinning needs a leaching and solution purification circuit upstream.

How much does a non-ferrous metal extraction plant cost?
Cost is driven by four variables: the feed material, the target capacity, the product specification and the scope of works. A single eddy current separation module is a modest capital item, while a complete leach → solvent extraction → electrowinning plant with a tank house and precious-metal circuit is a full industrial project. Send us your material type, expected capacity and target product, and we will return a budget indication with the process route, equipment list and a phased investment plan so that the project can be built in stages.

Can you test my material before I commit to a plant?
Yes, and we prefer to. A representative sample is tested for screening analysis, magnetic and eddy current response and chemical assay, followed by leach or separation tests where the material requires a chemical route. The test report establishes the achievable recovery and purity for your actual material and forms the basis of the guaranteed mass balance in the commercial proposal.

What are the power and water requirements?
Both depend on the process route and capacity. As a reference, copper electrowinning and electrorefining consume approximately 230 – 280 kW·h of direct current per tonne of copper, plus rectifier losses and plant services; the physical separation stages draw only the drive power of the conveyors, rotors and screens. Process water is circulated at ≥ 90%, so make-up water demand is limited to losses and the controlled bleed. A utility schedule is issued with the proposal.

Do you provide installation, commissioning and training?
Yes. For turnkey projects we install and commission the plant and verify the guaranteed performance figures on site. For equipment supply projects, our engineers supervise installation and carry out commissioning. In both cases, plant operators and maintenance staff are trained on the running line, with a training manual and documentation package left on site.

What warranty and after-sales support do you offer?
The complete plant carries a 12-month warranty from handover (or 18 months from shipment, whichever is earlier), with an extended warranty on structural components. Spare parts remain available for at least 10 years, technical inquiries are answered within 15 minutes during working hours, remote diagnosis is completed within 12 hours and an engineer can be dispatched within 24 hours of a confirmed fault. An annual preventive maintenance agreement is available.

What certifications and standards apply to your plants?
Equipment is manufactured to CE and ISO requirements, and rectifier transformers are built to IEC standards. Emissions and effluent are designed to meet the applicable local discharge limits at the project site, including workplace acid-mist limits and the regional NOx limit. Any additional certification required by the destination market — electrical, pressure-vessel or environmental — is confirmed at enquiry stage and included in the technical scope.

Can the same line process more than one type of material?
Yes. Because the stages are modular and the rotor assemblies, screens and process recipes are interchangeable, a line can be configured to run several feed types in campaigns — for example mixed non-ferrous scrap during one period and incineration bottom ash or cable granulate in another. The limit is set by the chemistry: a dry separation front end can be re-configured by changing rotors and screens, while a hydrometallurgical circuit is designed around a defined liquor chemistry and normally serves one material family.