The Chinese government has issued an action plan for the domestic nonferrous metals sector to boost scrap recycling and build a green economy, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a circular issued Wednesday.
In a joint circular issued by 14 Chinese government units, including the Ministry of Industry and Information and NDRC, it said that due to the interlinked problems of an expected slowdown in domestic economic growth in the 13th Five Year Plan period (2016-20), conflicts within the structure of the metal industry, as well as natural resource constraints, circular development in the nonferrous metals sector was needed.
China is to lift the ratio of recycled aluminum in national refined aluminum output to 20% by 2020 from 15% in 2015, and the ratio of recycled copper and recycled lead in national refined copper and refined lead output is to be increased to 27% and 45%, respectively, by 2020, from 25% and 33% in 2015, data from MIIT showed.
China's refined copper demand (including recycled copper) in 2020 is forecast by MIIT to hit 13.5 million mt, with an average annual growth rate of 3.3% over 2016-20, up from demand of 11.47 million mt in 2015.
China's refined aluminum demand in 2020 is forecast to hit 40 million mt, with average annual growth rate of 5.2% over 2016-20, up from 31.07 million mt in 2015.
China's refined magnesium demand in 2020 is forecast to hit 750,000 mt in 2020, with average annual growth rate of 7.1 % over 2016-20, up from 53.2 million mt in 2015.
China's refined zinc demand (including recycled zinc) in 2020 is forecast to hit 7.3 million mt, with average annual growth rate of 1.7% over 2016-20, up from 6.71 million mt in 2015.
China's refined lead demand (including recycled lead) in 2020 is forecast to hit 4.5 million mt in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 0.6% over 2016-20, up from demand of 4.37 million mt in 2015, data from MIIT showed.
MIIT said with rising steel, nonferrous metal raw materials consumption and stocks in China, and the resulting higher volume of scrap electric appliances and electronic products, there would be huge potential to develop recycled metal resources in the coming years.
CHINA TO DRIVE CIRCULAR USE OF POLYMETALLIC ORES, TAILINGS
China will also promote the integrated use of polymetallic ores and tailings in the coming years, according to NDRC.
The commission said selected test demonstration points would be set up at domestic bauxite, copper, lead and zinc, gold, tin, iron mines as well as polymetallic mines with large reserves to develop integrated use of resources.
In addition, separation and extraction of metals with market values from tailings, as well as integrated use of tailings would be encouraged.
Moreover, using tailings for the production of building materials and road project materials, as well as the development of tailings at exhausted mines would also be encouraged, according to the commission.
