The Metal of Civilization
Copper is essential for modern living. It delivers electricity into our homes and cities and makes an important contribution to sustainable development. More than that, it is essential for life itself.
Copper is interwoven with the story of humanity’s progress. It’s crucial role in our homes, in transportation, as well as in infrastructure and in our industries is omnipresent. So, what are the special features of this metal that make it indispensible in the modern world?
Copper is a metal that is known to mankind for a long time. Even in the stone age over 10,000 years ago, people learned the material deal and further process it, among other things Bronze -. The compound of copper and tin. The name "copper" comes from the Roman period, there was the metal as " aes cyprium " designated and means "ore from Cyprus". Hence the word "cuprum", the chemical name "cu" and the German word "copper" developed. Copper is a metal that is as often recyclable without loss of quality is. Recycling not only protects the finite natural resources, but also helps to save energy. Because in recycling not only saves the energy required in the ore mining and processing, it is also produced during the melting of the waste material only part of the energy demand, which is required for the metal recovery from concentrate. Due to the good conductivity of copper is ideal suitable for use in electrical, electronics and telecommunications. Increased networking our office world, the increasing demands on telecommunications at home, but also the high safety and comfort standards in today's automotive care for constantly increasing demand for copper. Average around 25 kg of copper found today their use in any car - models in the luxury class, it may be more than doubled. Without copper modern life would be impossible. too in architecture and construction, copper has its place: In our homes we can find electric wiring copper and copper pipes in the water and heating system. Because of its good corrosion resistance and last but not least because of its aesthetics copper is often used for roofing and facade cladding.
Copper is Conductive
Conductive of Heat:
Copper has the highest thermal conductivity of any engineering metal. When good heat transfer is essential, as in heat sinks and refrigeration units, copper and brass are excellent choices. Top-quality saucepans are copper-bottomed to provide uniform heating and are, still today, the choice of professional chefs.
Conductive of Electricity:
Copper has the highest electrical conductivity of any engineering metal, with this property accounting for nearly 65% of its use. It reduces electrical energy losses, improves energy efficiency, and optimum use can reduce the lifetime operating cost. From high voltage transmission to micro-electronics, and from giga watt generators to personal computers, in every aspect of electricity generation, transmission and use, copper is the vital, energy-efficient, reliable metal.
Copper is Durable
Indoors, copper and its alloys will very slowly darken in color, but they will not rust. This darkening does not damage their function, which is very important for items such as water and gas pipes, taps and electrical wires. If desired, decorative items such as jewelry, light fixtures and door hardware are easily polished to restore a bright surface. Outdoors, copper and its alloys will gradually attain an attractive, stable patina that enhances the appearance of statues, roofs and other decorative and architectural items. It is no wonder that architects and designers choose copper time and again.
Copper is Malleable & Ductile
Copper can be formed and stretched into complex and intricate surfaces without breaking. This makes it possible to create spires, steeples, musical instruments, bowls, bed frames, tubes and a huge number of other useful and beautiful products. The very small diameter wires, which transmit power in cars, computers, televisions, lighting and mobile phones only exist because of the high ductility and malleability of copper.
Copper is Recyclable
Copper exists in naturally-occurring ores and, in the US, is mined primarily in the southwest. As copper is recycled, again and again, without any loss of performance, it is rarely lost from the world's resources. Today, around half of North America's demand for copper is met with recycled material.
The Metal
Copper, Cu, the metal with the chemical name, has in pure and unalloyed condition, the typical copper-red color.
The metal is characterized by its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity of. It is 1.5 times as high as that of aluminum and 8-times higher than the conductivity of steel. In very good deformation behavior of copper is still extremely robust and is characterized by high corrosion resistance. Atmosphere at the copper forms over the years from a natural patina, the color and chemical composition are influenced mainly by the atmosphere on site. After the initial shade of brown in different shades form over the years patina of whose colors range from green to blue-yellow-green, depending on how the weather conditions are. This unique property profile explains the large number of applications and the wide dissemination of this material. Classical copper applications such as roofing and plumbing tubes, but increasingly, many "high-tech products" such as lead frames, underwater cable band or the high purity copper matrix of superconductors are just a few examples of the varied applications. The automotive industry also cannot do without copper: In any size passenger car average about 25 kg of copper are included in electric or hybrid cars there is a far higher percentage of copper.
The Market
In recent years, the global demand for copper has almost doubled: In 1980, approximately nine million tons of copper were still promoted today is produced and processed the quantity of refined copper at about 21 million tonnes per year.
Asia became the major growth region for copper. With an annual copper demand of about 8.9 million tonnes is now around 40% of total world demand in China . This demand continues unabated available, so that by 2020, an increase of 35% to 12 million tons of copper is expected. According to the global financial crisis and temporary highs of up to $ 10,000 / t, the copper price has stabilized at a lower level. Currently, the price that is sometimes subject to strong Schwankungen, at about 7,200 U.S. $ / t. In Europe, approximately 3.4 million tons of copper, which is about 14% of world copper production are generated. The amount is stagnating at a high level - although more here used as manufactured. The current demand of 3.4 million tonnes corresponds approximately to an annual per capita use of more than 9 kg .