Copper is one of the earliest ancient metals discovered by humans.

China has a long history of using copper. About six or seven thousand years ago, the ancestors of Chinese people discovered and began to use copper. In 1973, a semi circular copper fragment was unearthed at the Jiangzhai Site in Lintong, Shaanxi, which was identified as brass. In 1975, a bronze knife was unearthed at the Linjia Majiayao Cultural Site in Dongxiang, Gansu Province (around 3000 BC), which is the earliest bronze artifact discovered in China and a proof of China's entry into the Bronze Age. Compared to West Asia, South Asia, and North Africa, which entered the Bronze Age about 6500 years ago, the arrival of the Bronze Age in China was relatively late. There is an era in China where bronze and stone tools were used together, dating back approximately 5500-4500 years. On this basis, China invented bronze alloy, which is the same as the development model of world bronze ware.

Metal copper, element symbol Cu, atomic weight 63.54, specific gravity 8.92, melting point 1083 "C. Pure copper appears in a light rose or light red color, with a copper oxide film formed on the surface, resulting in a purple copper color appearance. Copper has many valuable physical and chemical properties.

Distribution of Copper International Market

According to statistics from the UK Commodity Research Institute (CRU), the total global refined copper production in 2018 was 23882600 tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.05%. The top five countries in global production are China, Chile, Japan, Russia, and the United States, with 64.70% of the global production accounted for by these five countries. In 2018, the global supply of copper concentrate was relatively loose, ensuring the normal production of refined copper. Asia remains the top producer of refined copper, while the Americas and Africa remain the main producers of wet copper. From the trend of refined copper production in the past three years, China is the main contributor to global refined copper growth, and with the rapid expansion of China's smelting capacity in the next two years, China's refined copper production will still maintain a high level.

According to CRU statistics, global refined copper consumption reached 23.5982 million tons in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 2.8%. China, the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea rank among the top five global copper consumers, with a total refined copper consumption of 16.2534 million tons, accounting for 68.88% of the global total. From a national and regional perspective, Asia remains the region with the largest consumption of refined copper, while China remains the main driving force for global copper consumption growth; Most European and American countries have maintained stable or slight growth, which has also supported the growth of global refined copper consumption.

Industrial uses of copper

Copper is a non-ferrous metal closely related to humans and is widely used in fields such as electrical, light industry, mechanical manufacturing, construction industry, national defense industry, etc. It is second only to aluminum in the consumption of non-ferrous metal materials in China. Copper is a red metal and also a green metal. It is said to be a green metal mainly because it has a low melting point and is easily remelted and remelted, making recycling and utilization quite cheap. In ancient times, it was mainly used for the casting of vessels, artworks, and weapons. Famous vessels and artworks such as the Houmu Wu Ding and the Four Sheep Fang Zun were also used.

Electrical and Electronics Market

The electrical and electronic markets account for approximately 28% of the total. In 1997, these two markets became the second largest end users of copper consumption, with a 25% market share. In many electrical products (such as wires, busbars, transformer windings, heavy-duty motors, telephone lines, and telephone cables), the service life of copper is quite long. Only after 20 to 50 years can the copper inside be recycled. Other copper containing electrical and electronic products (such as small appliances and consumer electronics) have a relatively short service life, usually 5-10 years. Commercial electronic products and large electrical products are usually recycled because they contain precious metals in addition to copper. However, the recycling rate of small electronic consumer products is still quite low, as there is almost no copper element in them.

Transportation equipment

Transportation equipment is the third largest market for copper, accounting for approximately 13% of the total, similar to the 1960s. Although the importance of transportation has not changed, the use of copper has undergone significant changes. For many years, automatic radiators have been the most important end users in this field; However, the use of copper in automatic appliances and electronic products has grown rapidly, while its use in the heat exchanger market has decreased. The average service life of a small car is 10-15 years, and almost all copper (including radiators and wiring) is recycled before its overall disassembly and recycling.

Industrial machinery and equipment

Industrial machinery and equipment are another major application market, where copper often has a relatively long service life. Coins and ammunition are the main end users in this area. Bullets are rarely recycled, some coins can melt, while many are kept by collectors or depositors and cannot be recycled. In the manufacturing of machinery and transportation vehicles, it is used to manufacture industrial valves and accessories, instruments, sliding bearings, molds, heat exchangers, and pumps.

Widely used in the chemical industry to manufacture vacuum vessels, distillation pots, brewing pots, etc.

In the national defense industry, it is used to manufacture bullets, shells, gun parts, etc. For every 3 million rounds produced, 13-14 tons of copper are required.

In the construction industry, it is used for various pipelines, pipeline fittings, decorative devices, etc.

Article source: Internet

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