Life Cycle Assessment of Recycling Copper Process from Copper-Slag

The predigestion life cycle assessment (LCA) method has been applied to investigate the environmental impact of the recycle copper process from copper-slag. Related environmental load data of each process stage have been obtained. Copper-slag recycle copper process includes crushing, milling, flotation, dehydration. Environmental impact single data of each process stage is 0.0168, 0.0200, 0.0615, 0.0279, total environmental impact single data of copper-slag is 0.1262. Copper-ore recycle process includes mining, crushing, milling, flotation, dehydration. Environmental impact single data of each process stage is 0.1120, 0.0138, 0.0152, 0.0617, 0.0287, total environmental impact single data of copper-slag is 0.2314. Copper-slag recycle process has not mining process. The total impact single score of copper-slag process is 0.55 times than copper-ore. Recycle copper from slag will improve the utilization of resource, reduce environmental load and development of circulation economics.