Ways to address the issue of high energy consumption in non-ferrous metal production

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1) Strengthen management, enforce strict operating procedures, and reduce human-induced waste. 2) Rely on technological progress to improve process technologies and pay attention to the utilization of waste heat. Take the pyrometallurgical production of copper as an example. It is divided into three main operational units: matte smelting, crude steel blowing, and electrolytic refining. The quality of the matte smelting process is the key factor determining the energy consumption in steel production. In recent years, the use of oxygen-enriched flash smelting technology has led to a **reduction in energy consumption** in steel production; it reduces energy consumption by 30% compared to traditional methods used in copper production. Furthermore, the use of a series process in the alumina production process, along with the development of large-scale pre-baked electrolyzers equipped with intelligent control, can reduce energy consumption by 20% to 25%. 3) By recycling scrap metal and seeking alternative materials, the consumption of non-ferrous metals is reduced, thereby achieving energy savings and lower consumption. Take recycled tin as an example. Producing 1 million tons of recycled aluminum can save 6 million tons of bauxite and 600,000 tons of carbon-based materials. Moreover, the energy consumption per ton of recycled aluminum is only 5% of that of primary aluminum, which shows just how important it is to focus on the recycling of non-ferrous metals in order to reduce energy consumption. Searching for substitutes for non-ferrous metals is an indirect way to reduce energy consumption. In recent years, the use of fiber optic cables to replace traditional copper cables is one such example. 45 kilograms of optical fiber is equivalent to the information transmission capacity of 1,000 kilograms of copper wire, and the energy required to produce 45 kilograms of optical fiber is only 5% of that needed to produce 1 ton of copper wire. Therefore, actively developing new materials to replace energy-intensive traditional materials is also an important way to save energy and reduce consumption.