Investment bankers predict that by 2025, copper prices will be as high as $6.80 per pound.

A commodities analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York referred to copper as the "new oil" and expected its price to rise to $51,000 per metric ton or $6.80 per pound by 2025.

On April 14, an article on the Business Insider website mentioned an analysis entitled "Copper is the New Oil" written by Jeffrey R. Currie of Investment Bank. A premise of the analysis is that copper is essential for replacing petroleum with renewable energy. "Currently, the market is facing a supply contraction, which may push prices up by more than 60% within four years."

An analysis released in March by the UK-based Wood Mackenzie suggested that if the Chinese government insists on its plan to switch from fossil fuels to more renewable and more carbon-neutral energy sources by 2060, this kind of supply The continued possibility of austerity.

In the United States, the Biden administration’s efforts to make alternative energy a key part of its $2 trillion infrastructure plan are also related to potential copper demand. For copper producers, there are US$174 billion in plans to support the electric vehicle industry, including “establishing grants and incentive programs for state and local governments and the private sector, and establishing a program of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2030 National Network" funding.

Currie's analysis of Goldman Sachs focuses on the next five years. It is estimated that copper prices will rise to US$11,000 per ton (US$4.98 per pound) by mid-2022 and to US$15,000 per ton by 2025.

"The discussion of peak oil demand ignores the fact that if there is no surge in the use of copper and other key metals, there will be no replacement of oil with renewable energy," Business Insider quoted part of the report as saying.

As of mid-April, the trading price of copper exceeded US$9,000 per metric ton, and more than US$4 per pound has been considered the high end of its historical trading range.

Goldman Sachs analysis pointed out that whether it is in China, the United States or other countries, the establishment of new infrastructure systems is necessary for any energy transition away from fossil fuels.

Business Insider reports that these global transformations may lead to an annual increase in demand for red metals by 900%, reaching 8.7 million tons by 2030, "if green technologies are adopted on a large scale." The website stated that even during the slower transition period, copper demand "may still surge to 5.4 million tons, or almost 600%."

A separate stock research analysis released by Goldman Sachs in January this year focused on China's net zero carbon emissions plan by 2060, only linking this effort to a 15% increase in global copper demand.

The analysis written by Currie points to the role of copper in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and other “clean energy” alternatives being explored globally.

Currie said that the copper mining and production sector is not ready for the rapid growth in demand. Goldman Sachs stated that the pressure has already appeared. Copper prices have risen by about 80% in the past 12 months, but there has been no corresponding increase in production.

The equipment and component supplier directory includes a list of its recycling technology business units.

Industrial Service Solutions (ISS) has released its 2021 product and service catalog. The new catalog is subdivided by equipment categories that ISS supplies and services: control, energy storage, motors, pumps, valves, compressors, pneumatics, sawmills, recycling, railways and transportation, and water/wastewater.

The company's recycling technology business unit is located in Houston, and includes metal crushing and recycling equipment veteran Bill Tigner as vice president. ISS also has a corporate office in Fort Myers, Florida.

ISS stated that it "is known for its breadth and depth in a wide range of industry applications and expertise in multiple device types, and it provides a bundled solution approach." ISS operates in 45 locations in the United States, And said that it provides "national site, store and supply services."

ISS launched its recycling technology group in May 2020. The company stated that it provides “a complete stationary shredder, including its castings and wear parts, AmeriMex motors and controls, emission control, explosion-proof shredders, Taurus US series scrap shears and balers, and ZB Group’s Thor mobile shredders. Paper machine series.

Visit this page to view or download the updated catalog.

Shannon Crawford of the association said that there is not enough material to meet the requirements for recycled content.

In February of this year, California State Assemblyman Phil Ting introduced bill AB 478, which requires thermoformed plastic containers sold in the state from January 1, 2024 to contain post-consumer recycled plastics (PCR). Over time, the number of PCRs required will increase. Therefore, as of January 1, 2030, thermoformed plastic containers sold in the state will contain no less than 30% of this material.

The bill will authorize CalRecovery to audit and investigate the PCR content of containers, and take enforcement actions against manufacturers to ensure compliance. Producers who violate the legislation will be subject to annual administrative penalties for violating the requirements of the proposed legislation.

In response to the legislation, Shannon Crawford, director of state government affairs for the Washington Plastics Industry Association, testified before the California State Assembly's Natural Resources Committee. In her comments to be published, Crawford wrote that although members of the association “strongly support the use of recycled content” and “if done well, legislative minimum requirements may be helpful.” There are some concerns about the legislation.  

"Although the bill will develop end markets for plastic materials, the same attention should be paid to improving the collection and classification of these materials in order to bring more plastics to these markets," Crawford wrote. "Unfortunately, our analysis shows that there will not be enough recycled content to meet the requirements of this legislation. We hope to work with the committee and other stakeholders to increase the availability of recycled content in the state to achieve the goals of the bill. ."

One of the obstacles she pointed out is the use of PCR in food contact packaging for food safety regulations. She added that the association has issued industry guidelines to ensure that recycled plastic packaging meets and exceeds the compliance requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"In addition, we are developing a'best practice' workbook for the use of recycled content in manufacturing," Crawford said. "This workbook will educate the industry on the benefits of using recycled content and help companies achieve their sustainability goals."

Despite these efforts, Crawford stated that “there is still a “significant gap” between how much recyclable content exists and the requirements of the bill.

Instead, she suggested that “the committee focuses on advanced sorting and collection technologies”, citing the Pacific Northwest Demonstration Project, which uses secondary sorting to increase the capture of recyclable materials.

"We are pleased to work with the committee and other stakeholders to advance solutions to increase the availability of recycled content in the state," Crawford added.

This machine is used to sort aluminum shavings.

Steinert GmbH of Cologne, Germany released the XSS T EVO 5.0 generation X-ray transmission device for sorting scrap and aluminum. Dry density sorting using X-ray transmission is a method used by many scrap recyclers around the world. Considering the high-performance aluminum processor, the updated XSS T EVO 5.0 is used to recover free heavy metals, aluminum compounds, free magnesium, and wrought aluminum and cast aluminum parts.

According to Steinert's press release, the company stated that its ongoing development work ensures specific benefits of the sorting process.

The machine has multi-layer data evaluation (MDE) software, through high-resolution object recognition and parallel classification, so that it can use more distinguishing standards for detection. Steinert said that complex classification tasks, such as magnesium detection, can be easily solved. Automatic X-ray monitoring and calibration (AXM) helps achieve consistently high inspection and sorting quality.

Steinert reports that it has also improved its XSS T EVO 5.0 hardware. The high-resolution pitch of 6.25 mm can sort fine materials as small as 5 mm more effectively. The X-ray scan area is automatically cleaned in the new generation of machines, which Steinert says reduces the amount of manual cleaning required and maintains a consistently high level of inspection quality.

In addition, Steinert provides a four-year warranty for the X-ray source and X-ray sensor. It also has some continuous software and hardware updates. The company stated that its warranty provides operational reliability and keeps operating costs low.

Steinert also provides a solution guide, which can be downloaded as an e-book to provide an initial overview of the opportunities offered for the classification of aluminum scrap and other materials. Although scrap aluminum comes from different sources, such as profiles and plates, bottom ash incineration, crushing systems, or heavy media separation, the stages of the sorting process are similar: non-ferrous metals are recycled and recycled metals are upgraded to produce pure metal types.

Steinert said that the e-book has an in-depth understanding of the core of the system-Steinert XSS T EVO 5.0-as well as upstream magnet technology and downstream fluorescent technology, which is suitable for processors of aluminum pulverizers, secondary smelters or waste incinerator ash. Downstream fluorescence technology produces pure heavy metal components such as copper, brass and zinc.

Steertek NXT can now be ordered on Kenworth T180, T280, T380 and T480 trucks and Peterbilt 535, 536, 537 and 548 trucks.

Hendrickson Truck Commercial Vehicle Systems, headquartered in Woodridge, Illinois, announced on April 14 that its Steertek NXT assembled front steering axle has been selected as the standard front axle for the new Kenworth and Peterbilt medium-duty truck models .

Steertek NXT can now be ordered as standard equipment on Kenworth T180, T280, T380 and T480 trucks and Peterbilt 535, 536, 537 and 548 trucks, with additional capacity options. According to Hendrickson, compared to traditional I-beam axles, Steertek NXT’s proprietary design and manufacturing process can reduce weight, while combining rigidity, excellent maneuverability with 55-degree wheel cuts and reduced maintenance.

The company said that, like other products in the Steertek NXT product portfolio, these new axles have service intervals and an exclusive 10-year, 1 million-mile warranty.

"The availability of Steertek NXT as a standard configuration for the new Kenworth and Peterbilt mid-duty trucks is a huge positive factor for OEMs, Hendrickson and their collective customers," said Sean Whitfield, Director of Commercial Vehicle Systems Marketing, Hendrickson Trucks "Steertek NXT offers great value with our first-class warranty and extended service intervals, and this value is a benefit to any fleet owner in the cost-sensitive mid-sized market."

Steertek NXT has a capacity of 8,000 to 14,600 pounds and has been approved for highway and medium truck bus and motorhome applications. For more information about Steertek NXT, please visit www.hendrickson-intl.com.