Huanggang copper mud acquisition site review: into the warehouse first look what to see, this judgement logic

At a glance, when entering a warehouse or a yard, the first concern is not the quantity, but the condition. The condition of a shipment of metal is the most direct carrier of information. What it conveys to you is far more reliable than any words told by the waste producer. After many years of running the plant, only then will this logic of judgement really understand.

Stacking status is the mirror of material management level

To Huanggang to collect a batch of copper sludge from electroplating wastewater treatment process, into the site at first glance, the bottom of the woven bag with traces of seepage appeared, the colour of the shades of uneven conditions, several stacks of materials were placed in a yard, but there is no batch identification exists.

These three details, taken together, already conveyed key information, namely, high water content, mixing of different batches, and lack of systematic management of the properties of this batch by the waste producer. It was later learnt that the batch of copper sludge was an accumulation of three to four months, during which the formulation of the wastewater treatment chemicals had been changed once. The change in the formulation of the chemicals had a direct effect on the composition and moisture content of the copper sludge, which were actually two types of materials with different properties under the same appearance.

The chaotic state of the pile often indicates that the information about the material itself is equally chaotic, not in terms of hygiene but in terms of the difficulty of judgement and the cost of disposal.

Moisture content is the most insidious variable in the state of a copper clay pile.

The core point of the copper sludge for pricing is the dry basis of copper content, but in the field to see the presentation of the wet material, according to the copper smelting and recycled copper industry in the relevant technical specifications, the copper sludge water content of the difference between the dry basis of the copper content of the conversion of the impact of the difference is very significant, when the water content of the water content of 30 per cent to 60 per cent of the time, in the case of the same weight of the actual copper content can be nearly double the actual copper content at the same weight.

For the Huanggang batch, I derived the water content interval based on the filter press process parameters and wastewater treatment records, and after taking samples and sending them for inspection, I waited for the results of the drying test to come out, and then proceeded with the accounting and pricing. The final test data showed that the copper content on a dry basis was nearly eight percentage points lower than the waste producer's estimate, and the water content was higher than the other party's judgement. The test results were basically in line with my projections at the site, and also confirmed that the prognostic signals given by the state of the pile were accurate.

Mixed stacking is the most common source of information interference in recycling judgements

It is very common for different batches of materials to be mixed together at a metal scrap buying site. The producer of the waste, for the convenience of its own storage, usually does not separate the materials according to the process batch or the time of generation. However, for the buyer, the mixing of batches means that there is uncertainty in the composition of the material, which means that a single test sample is not representative of the true state of the entire batch.

During my sampling operations in Huanggang, I took separate samples of significantly darker areas and marked them to distinguish them from the main batch for testing. This action, to many, is superfluous, but it provides direct data on the differences in composition between batches, and is an important reference for subsequent pricing and disposal programmes.

What isn't necessarily a problem is mixed batch stockpiling, however it has to be recognised, otherwise if a uniform standard is used to dispose of material that is not of the same nature, both disposal efficiency and recycling value will be compromised at the same time.

A few practical dimensions for stacking status judgement

According to years of experience in running factories, I think that the determination of the state of the metal material pile, at least must cover the following aspects, the integrity of the storage container and the absence of leakage, the uniformity of the appearance of the material, the batch marking is clear or not, and the possible impact of the storage environment on the properties of the material.

After an eye as well as basic industry experience, an initial judgement can be made without the aid of any testing equipment for these four dimensions. Together, they form a screening layer of information after entering the site. This screening layer enables the quickest possible operation and helps you to have a reliable prejudgement of the complexity of the batch before the inspection data is available.

The state of the pile can be seen accurately, so that the starting point of judgement will be at a high level, and then each subsequent step can be built on the basis of real information.

As a friend engaged in the disposal of metal scrap, engaged in the disposal of hazardous solid waste, welcome to leave a message to exchange practical problems encountered during the acquisition of judgement.