aoth-logoaoth-logoaoth-logoaoth-logo
  • Articles
    • Medical –
      • Addiction –
      • CBD –
      • Health –
      • Wellness –
    • Metals –
      • Battery Metals –
      • Critical Metals –
      • Energy Metals –
      • Industrial Metals –
      • Precious Metals –
    • Energy –
      • Nuclear –
      • Oil & Gas –
      • Renewable –
    • Environment –
      • Clean Energy –
      • Climate Change –
        • Decarbonization –
        • Electrification –
      • Pollution –
    • Markets –
      • Bitcoin –
      • Bonds –
      • Commodities –
      • cryptocurrency –
      • Currency –
      • Digital Currency –
      • Inflation –
      • Interest Rates –
    • Technology –
      • 3D Printing –
      • 5G –
      • Artificial Intelligence (AI) –
      • Blockchain –
      • Imaging –
    • Politics –
    • Education –
  • 文章
  • Company Profiles
  • News
  • Media
  • AOTH’s six for 22
Home | Disclaimer | 免责声明 | Newsletter Subscribe | RSS Subscribe

Top 5 Uses of Copper

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Environment Climate Change Electrification
  • Top 5 Uses of Copper
April 8, 2022

2022.04.08

As the oldest metal known to man, copper has been an essential material that helped to shape and transform many civilizations, from the ancient Egyptians, Romans to modern day cultures.

One may even go as far as to say society could not have survived without copper. This is because the metal has many useful properties (high ductility, malleability, thermal and electrical conductivity, and resistance to corrosion). Its antimicrobial property also makes the copper element a vital nutrient in our diet.

Today, it is the third most consumed metal on Earth behind iron ore and aluminum. According to the US Geological Survey, every American born in 2008 will use 1,309 pounds of the metal during their lifetime for necessities, lifestyles and health.

Copper is essentially a linchpin to modern society and is a valuable contributor to a variety of industries. Below are the top 5 uses of copper today:

  1. Building Construction

According to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summary, nearly half of the world’s copper makes its way into buildings, from downtown skyscrapers to suburban homes. The average single-family home today contains about 200 kilograms (or 439 pounds) of copper metal.

Source: USGS

With physical properties that few metals can match, copper can be used in a wide range of building applications, from heating and plumbing to roofing and electrical wiring.

Copper’s malleability makes it easy to solder, yet it is strong enough to create the bonds needed for plumbing and electrical wiring. Copper is light and requires little maintenance, and thanks to its resistance to corrosion, it can last for several hundred years.

Cable drum. Source Pixabay

Copper also has low thermal expansion, making it stable and resistant to deterioration from movement. It is relatively light compared to lead, and requires little maintenance compared to other metals.

Copper is also non-magnetic and has good biofouling resistance, thus is commonly used in the construction industry to form pipes and tubing for potable water distribution and heating and cooling systems. The metal can easily be made to form complex shapes and is used as a cladding and flashing material, for gutters, downpipes and coping.

Copper can be both hot and cold worked, and joints can be formed by soldering or welding. Another big plus: copper is antimicrobial. Its resistance to bacteria, viruses and microbes plays a large role in its use in plumbing and the transportation of water.

Furthermore, copper is a sustainable metal for use in building construction, as it can be recycled time and time again without losing durability or conductivity, which means it has low life cycle impacts.

  1. Electronics

Copper is considered the “gold standard” for electrical wiring. Its superior electrical conductivity to other metals and abundance as a raw material make it an efficient and cost-effective choice for electronics manufacturers.

Copper’s thermal conductivity, which is 60% greater than that of aluminum, is also useful in removing heat generated by electronic components. The more heat removed from the processor, the more efficiently it will operate, with less potential for damage to other critical components.

As such, the red-colored metal is found in the electrical wiring and printed circuit boards in almost every consumer electronic product today, from mobile phones, laptops and TVs to surveillance systems, power tools and robotic vacuum cleaners.

Circuit board. Source: Pixabay

Most printed circuit boards for electronic products are made by laminating a sheet of copper onto a flexible film and then etching away much of the copper to leave thin lines of solid copper that carry current.

  1. Transportation

From gas-powered cars and electric vehicles to trains and airplanes, copper also forms an essential part of our daily commute.

In the auto industry, copper is an essential component in brakes, bearings, connectors, motors, radiators and wiring. One conventional vehicle can contain as much as 50 pounds of copper: 40 pounds for electrical and 10 pounds for non-electrical components. Electric vehicles rely on copper’s electrical conductivity in batteries, wiring systems and charging stations.

Source: Pixabay

In the railway industry, copper is used to manufacture various train parts, including motors, brakes and controls, and can also be found in electric and signal systems. A typical diesel-electric railroad locomotive uses about 11,000 pounds of the metal.

Airplanes need copper for their cooling, hydraulics and navigation, along with electrical systems. About 2% (9,000 pounds) of the total weight of a Boeing 747-200 jet plane is copper. Included in that weight is 632,000 feet of copper wire.

Copper alloys are also standard materials in shipbuilding, from bolts and rivets to propellers and condenser pipes.

  1. Consumer Products

When it comes to consumer products, copper’s reach and influence are even more diverse. The healthcare, jewelry and arts sectors, among many others, have long been its loyal customers.

Not only is copper essential to the human diet and is required for the growth and development of body organs, it also has antimicrobial properties that are vital to healthcare applications.

Research has shown that bacteria, viruses and yeasts cannot survive long on a copper surface, as the metal interferes with the electrical charge of a microbe’s cell membranes. Data from the US Environmental Protection Agency shows copper can kill 99.9% of E.Coli. within just two hours of exposure.

Copper’s durability also makes it an ideal ingredient for jewelries, which are usually alloyed with large quantities of metal to provide a degree of hardness, as well as aesthetic appeal. For instance, an 18K gold jewelry typically contains 75% gold, 15% silver and 10% copper. Coins also use copper and its alloys to maintain their longevity.

Copper is also “instrumental” in the creation of arts. In fact, copper alloy was used in even the oldest of musical instruments, dating back to over three millennia. Copper-based pigments were also an important ingredient in ancient paints, and the metal itself was frequently employed as a “canvas” on which Renaissance artists painted.

  1. Machinery

Since copper and its alloys are some of the most versatile engineering materials available, they are used in almost every industrial machinery and equipment. These include copper pipe systems, electrical motors, evaporators, condensers, heat exchangers, valves and containers for holding corrosive mediums. Corrosion-resistant copper alloys are critical materials in the fabrication of undersea installations, such as desalination machinery and offshore oil and gas drilling platforms.

The renewable energy sector is also heavily reliant on copper, an important raw material needed to build windmill turbines and solar energy systems. Compared with traditional energy systems, renewables can contain 12 times more copper metal. Wind farms use anywhere between 4 to 15 million pounds of copper, while solar photovoltaic farms require 9,000 pounds of copper per megawatt.

Richard (Rick) Mills
aheadoftheherd.com
subscribe to my free newsletter

Legal Notice / Disclaimer

Ahead of the Herd newsletter, aheadoftheherd.com, hereafter known as AOTH.

Any AOTH/Richard Mills document is not, and should not be, construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment.

Share

Related posts

May 25, 2022

Max Resource Fully Financed


Read more
May 17, 2022

Fully-funded Core Assets eyeing next phase of exploration at Blue


Read more
May 7, 2022

Pampa Metals exploring potential porphyry district on trend with Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine


Read more
Copper wire
May 6, 2022

Top 5 reasons copper is heading higher


Read more
April 29, 2022

Top 5 reasons to ‘think zinc’


Read more
April 28, 2022

Core Assets finds multiple large-scale geophysical anomalies at Laverdiere prospect


Read more
April 15, 2022

Core Assets identifies new copper outcrop at Laverdiere Cu-Fe skarn-porphyry target


Read more
April 13, 2022

Palladium: 5 reasons stronger for longer


Read more
April 11, 2022

Max Resource, eyeballs, prospectivity and entval


Read more
April 2, 2022

Governments ignore mining in electrification push


Read more
April 2, 2022

EV affordability confronted by rising component costs


Read more
March 29, 2022

Max Resource seals cooperation agreement with Endeavour Silver


Read more
March 26, 2022

Under the Spotlight – Mills, Beale: Pampa Metals


Read more
March 22, 2022

Backpack drilling confirms grade consistency and continuity of mineralization at Core Assets’ Blue property


Read more
March 21, 2022

Red-hot nickel, copper and palladium bodes well for Palladium One


Read more
March 11, 2022

Copper and nickel market updates


Read more
March 4, 2022

New copper discoveries becoming pressing matter with production from top producer drying up


Read more
February 23, 2022

Electrification metals nickel, cobalt, palladium in play following Russian moves in Eastern Ukraine


Read more
February 17, 2022

Getchell returns ‘stunning result’ at North Fork Zone, as gold nears 3-month high


Read more
February 16, 2022

As copper supply approaches “extreme scarcity”, GSP looks to reboot former producing mine with bulk-tonnage potential


Read more
February 16, 2022

Transformative year for Max Resources


Read more
February 15, 2022

Nickel Market Update


Read more
February 15, 2022

Copper market update


Read more
February 15, 2022

Core Assets: Maiden sampling program at Blue project returns high-grade carbonate replacement mineralization


Read more
February 14, 2022

Copper, lithium, graphite: Electrification demand strengthens as supplies tighten


Read more
February 12, 2022

World’s running short on nickel supply for battery use


Read more
February 10, 2022

Pampa Metals lands deal with AI tech company to explore more copper-gold prospects in Chile


Read more
RSS Subscribe
Subscribe to our RSS feed to receive our most recent articles directly to your favourite RSS Reader application.

Article Archives

Article Categories

  • Education (87)
  • Energy (83)
    • Nuclear (15)
    • Oil & Gas (11)
    • Re-newable (37)
  • Environment (284)
    • Clean Energy (46)
    • Climate Change (185)
      • Decarbonization (54)
      • Electrification (114)
    • Pollution (67)
  • Markets (204)
    • Bitcoin (2)
    • Bonds (13)
    • Commodities (91)
    • cryptocurrency (6)
    • Currency (63)
    • Digital Currency (2)
    • Inflation (48)
    • Interest Rates (30)
  • Medical (89)
    • Addiction (8)
    • CBD (4)
    • Health (88)
    • Wellness (25)
  • Metals (579)
    • Battery Metals (170)
    • Critical Metals (115)
    • Energy Metals (43)
    • Industrial Metals (186)
    • Precious Metals (299)
  • Politics (149)
  • Technology (45)
    • 3D Printing (3)
    • 5G (27)
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI) (9)
    • Blockchain (6)
    • Imaging (3)
  • Uncategorized (219)

AOTH Portfolio

  • Articles
  • 文章
  • Company Profiles
  • Company News Releases
  • Media
  • AOTHs-six-for-22
  • Disclaimer

Recent Articles

  • Dolly Varden set for initial 30,000m program at newly consolidated Kitsault Valley property May 27, 2022
  • Dolly Varden 将在新合并的 Kitsault Valley 资产开启3万米勘探项目 May 27, 2022
  • BTV-Business Television features Dolly Varden Silver on BNN Bloomberg & FOX Business May 27, 2022
  • Russia’s war in Ukraine, seen through the lens of fossil fuels and climate change May 26, 2022
  • Max Resource Fully Financed May 25, 2022
  • Glacial melt accelerating fresh water crisis May 24, 2022
  • Lower copper price due to Chinese lockdowns is only temporary May 24, 2022
  • Stripped of its ESG credentials, Tesla continues to pursue dirty nickel in Indonesia May 20, 2022

Ahead of the Herd

Enjoy hundreds of top-notch, thoroughly-researched articles on commodities and the junior resource companies that search for deposits of them.

Newsletter Subscribe

Subscribe to our free newsletter so we can start telling you things everyone else doesn't already know!

Recent Articles

  • Dolly Varden set for initial 30,000m program at newly consolidated Kitsault Valley property
  • Dolly Varden 将在新合并的 Kitsault Valley 资产开启3万米勘探项目
  • BTV-Business Television features Dolly Varden Silver on BNN Bloomberg & FOX Business

Explore

  • Articles
  • 文章
  • Company Profiles
  • Company News Releases
  • Media
  • AOTHs-six-for-22
  • Disclaimer
© 2020 Ahead of the Herd. All Rights Reserved