Used Beverage Cans (UBC) represent one of the most sustainable and valuable secondary aluminum resources worldwide. However, for aluminum recyclers and remelters, raw UBC scrap presents a major industrial bottleneck: inks, varnishes, external lacquers, and internal epoxy coatings.

Feeding painted UBC shreds directly into remelting furnaces leads to severe metal oxidation, intense dross formation, environmental non-compliance, and dangerous deflagration risks.

Investing in a Continuous UBC Cans Decoating Line (Thermal Paint Removal & Carbonization System) solves this challenge at the source—delivering over 99% paint stripping efficiency while driving down melt loss to maximize high-purity aluminum recovery.

Why Direct Melting of Painted UBC Destroys Profitability

When coated aluminum scraps enter a melting furnace without thermal pretreatment, several negative reactions occur:

1. High Melt Loss (Oxidation & Slag Entrapment): Organic coatings burn uncontrollably in the furnace, trapping fine molten aluminum droplets within excessive dross/slag. Typical direct melt loss of raw UBC can exceed 10% to 18%.
2. Reduced Metal Purity: Residual hydrocarbons degrade the chemical specification of the recycled aluminum ingot or billet.
3. Flue Gas & Emission Hazards: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and hazardous smoke strain the baghouse filtration system and risk environmental penalties.
4. Energy Inefficiency: Thick paint layers shield heat transfer and increase overall fuel consumption per ton of molten metal.

By stripping coatings prior to smelting, decoating technology reduces subsequent melting dross formation, cutting overall melt loss down to industry-leading minimal thresholds (typically below 2–4%).

How the Continuous UBC Decoating System Works

Our continuous decoating system operates on an advanced low-oxygen thermal pyrolysis and carbonization principle, ensuring thorough lacquer stripping without degrading the aluminum substrate.

Baled / Loose UBC ➔ Shredding & Crushing ➔ Magnetic Separation (De-ironing) ➔ Continuous Rotary Pyrolysis Kiln (450°C–550°C) ➔ Gas-Solid Separation & Cooling ➔ 
De-coated Clean Aluminum Chips

1. Crushing & Iron Separation

Baled or loose UBC cans are first processed by a twin-shaft shredder and fine hammer crusher to achieve an optimal chip size (approx. 20–50 mm). A cross-belt permanent magnetic separator removes iron caps, steel contaminations, and ferrous debris.

2. Controlled Atmosphere Rotary Pyrolysis

The shredded aluminum is continuously metered into a sealed rotary decoating drum:

• Operating Temperature: Dynamically maintained between 450°C and 550°C—sufficient to decompose complex polymers and epoxy resins, but safely below aluminum’s melting threshold (~660°C).
• Controlled Low-Oxygen Environment: Prevents surface oxidation and auto-ignition of the thin aluminum foil/walls during thermal cracking.
• Continuous Tumbling Action: Guarantees uniform heat exposure, causing the paint film to crack, carbonize, and volatilize into pyrolysis gases.

3. Energy Recovery & Thermal Oxidation (Afterburner)

The hydrocarbon-rich pyrolysis gas generated during paint removal is channeled into an Afterburner (Thermal Oxidizer) operating at 850°C–1100°C.

• Organic gases are completely incinerated into harmless CO₂ and H₂O.
• The high-temperature clean flue gas is recycled back to heat the rotary kiln, achieving a closed-loop self-sustaining thermal cycle that significantly cuts operational fuel/gas consumption.

Technical Specifications & Capacities

Our continuous UBC decoating production lines are modular and engineered to match various smelting output capacities:

• Capacity Range: 800 kg/h – 3,000 kg/h (Customizable multi-line systems available for large-scale operations)
• Applicable Raw Materials: Used beverage cans (UBC), baled aluminum cans, aluminum extrusion profiles, shredded thermal break aluminum, and painted aluminum sheet scrap.
• Stripping Rate: ≥ 99.5%
• Core Line Equipment:
  • Heavy-duty Dual-shaft Shredder / Fine Crusher
  • Over-band Magnetic Separator
  • Automated Constant-Feed Conveyor System
  • Continuous Rotary Pyrolysis Decoating Kiln
  • High-Efficiency Secondary Combustion Chamber (Afterburner)
  • Cyclone Dust Collector & Flue Gas Baghouse Filter
  • PLC Touchscreen Central Control Cabinet

Elevate Your Aluminum Scrap Value Today

Thermal decoating is no longer an optional upgrade—it is the modern standard for aluminum remelters striving for ESG compliance, reduced energy costs, and maximized metal yields.

Contact our technical engineering team today to receive:

• Detailed equipment layout drawings and footprints.
• Custom ROI & melt-loss reduction calculation for your raw material.
• Turnkey quotation for continuous UBC decoating production lines.