The Usage and Production of Copper
Copper is a highly useful chemical element that appears reddish. The metal is well knowingly utilized due to its diversity in chemical and physical properties. It’s unique among all of the elements. It’s fascinating to know that copper was the first metal to be worked by humans, along with gold and meteoritic iron. As per the estimation of the U.S. Geological survey, copper ranks third for the most consumed industrial metal worldwide after iron and aluminum. About three-quarters of copper is consumed for the formation of electrical wires, cables, and electronics.
Copper is an extremely useful and resourceful industrial metal that is ductile, malleable, and conductive. This versatile metal is used for power transmission, motor, transformer wiring, building wiring, telecommunication, electronic circuitry, and many more. The versatility of copper is due to its most important and desirable properties, which are listed as follows:-
Some of the most perceptible properties of copper are high electrical and thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, biofouling resistance, machinability, non-magnetic, and many more. Due to the useful properties, most of the copper obtained from mines is consumed for electrical equipment (60%), construction (20%), industrial materials (15%), and alloys (5%). This element is durable, ductile, malleable, and has strength which is the reason why it is considered ideal for electrical wiring. The Warintza project from Solaris Resources is aiming to provide enough copper.
Copper Production
Copper is found in almost every continent. Over 20 countries having economically active copper mines is facilitating technical development and innovation throughout the world. Most of the copper is produced from Chile, Peru, China, Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia, Zambia, the United States, and many other copper-rich countries. There are many copper exploration companies like Solaris Resources and Codelco that are doing great to meet up the demands of copper. The mines which produce most of the copper worldwide are listed as follows:-
- Escondida, Chile
- Collahuasi, Chile
- Morenci, USA
- El Teniente, Chile
- Chuquicamata, Chile
- KGHM Mining Hub, Poland
- Antamine, Peru
- Cerro Verde, Peru
- Grasberg, Indonesia
Usefulness of Copper
- Thermal conductivity – Because of having a high melting point, copper is highly effective as it gets heated quickly.
- Good conductivity of electricity – After silver, copper is considered as the highest electrical conductive metal having a 5.9×10⁷S/m value.
- Malleability and Ductility – One of the major benefits of copper is that it can be easily stretched out into several structures.
In the End
Undoubtedly, there is a great value of copper in our lives as it enhances the efficiency of everyday work. Now, it is considered one of the most worthy metals due to its various chemical and physical properties. The production of copper has truly made our lives easier and more efficient. It has played a key role in our daily lives. Not only electrical wiring and other products, but it is also used in treating many diseases like cancer, arthritis as well as heart diseases. The usefulness of copper amazes us.
