Copper is one of the main materials recycled and repurposed because copper stays essentially the same throughout usage and recycling and is 100 percent recyclable. Around 80 to 85 percent of the copper used today has been recycled at some point. This makes copper the No. 1 recycled material in the world. The process of recycling copper varies somewhat depending on the grade of copper.
Pure copper is just what it sounds like. It is a mixture of more than 90 percent copper. Typically, pure copper contains less than 0.7 percent of impurities. Recycling pure copper is the easiest form of copper to recycle because all the recycling center must do is melt the copper down back into its original state. No separation or filtering is necessary with pure copper.
Pitch copper is a specialized form of copper treated with a process of electrolytic processes that form the copper into a substance with electrical compatibility. This is a very pure grade of copper with more than 100 percent electrical conductivity. Pitch copper contains less than 50 ppm (parts per million) of other materials such as sulfur and other impurities. This form of copper is the kind generally seen in electronic wires and other electrical equipment such as computers.
Oxygen-free copper is a highly complex form of copper sent through several chemical processes to eliminate the presence of oxygen in any part of the copper.
