European Copper Refiner Aims to Double Recycling of Computers

According to a report by Bloomberg, Aurubis AG, the largest copper refiner in Europe, plans to double its recycling of computers to recover more precious metals.

The company plans to recycle about 40,000 metric tons of printed circuit boards annually by 2012 at its Luenen, Germany plant, said Stefan Fuchs, head of electronic scrap procurement. In Hamburg, where it’s based, Aurubis expects recycling of the boards to remain at about 5,000 tons a year, he said. 

 “We want to at least double the treatment of e-waste,” Fuchs said. “For us it is mainly the circuit boards and copper cables that are of interest, and that is a growing market.”

He predicted annual growth of about 3 percent in the market for scrap electronics, citing “faster replacement of IT equipment and more efficient collection systems in developed countries.”

Aurubis also treats 30,000 tons per year of miscellaneous scrap electronics such as copiers and fax machines, according to Fuchs. Altogether it processes 500,000 tons of recycled materials annually, including scrap electronics. That amounts to a third of the company’s yearly production of copper cathode, or refined metal, which totals about 1 million tons, Fuchs said.