Copper is a non-ferrous metal closely related to human beings. It is widely used in electrical, light industry, machinery manufacturing, construction industry, national defense industry and other fields. It is second only to aluminum in the consumption of non-ferrous materials in China. Copper is a red metal as well as a green metal. It is said that it is a green metal, mainly because it has a low melting point and is easy to be remelted and re smelted, so it is relatively cheap to recycle. In ancient times, it was mainly used for casting vessels, works of art and weapons, and more famous vessels and works of art such as Houmu Wuding and Siyang Fangzun.

Electrical and Electronics Market

The electrical and electronic markets account for about 28 per cent of the total. In 1997, these two markets became the second largest end users of copper consumption, with 25% market share. In many electrical products (such as wires, buses, transformer windings, heavy 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. The service life of other copper containing electrical and electronic products (such as small electrical and consumer electronic products) is relatively short, generally 5-10 years. Commercial electronic products and large electrical products are usually recycled because they contain other precious metals besides copper. However, the recovery rate of small electronic consumer products is quite low, because there is almost no copper in them.

With the rapid development of science and technology in the electronic field, some old copper containing products are becoming more and more outdated. For example, in the 1980s, telephone switching stations and central business offices were the main sources of copper and copper alloy scraps, but the emergence of digital conversion made these heavy, metal intensive things more and more outdated.

Transportation equipment

Transportation equipment is the third largest market for copper, accounting for about 13% of the total, which is basically the same as that in the 1960s. Although the importance of transportation has not changed, the use form of copper has changed greatly. For many years, automatic radiator is the most important end user in this field; However, the use of copper in automatic electrical and electronic products has grown rapidly, while the use of copper in the heat exchanger market has declined. The average service life of a car is 10-15 years. Almost all copper (including radiator and wiring) is recycled before its overall disassembly and recycling. [1] 

Industrial machinery and equipment

Industrial machinery and equipment is another major application market, in which copper often has a relatively long service life. Coins and arms are the main end users in this regard. Bullets are rarely recycled. Some coins can be melted, while many are kept by collectors or savers and cannot be recycled. [1] In the manufacture of machinery and transport vehicles, it is used to manufacture industrial valves and accessories, instruments, sliding bearings, molds, heat exchangers, pumps, etc.

It is widely used in the chemical industry to manufacture vacuum vessels, distillation pots, brewing pots, etc.

It is used to manufacture bullets, shells, gun parts, etc. in the national defense industry. For every 3 million bullets produced, 13-14 tons of copper are needed.

In the construction industry, it is used for various pipes, pipe fittings, decorative devices, etc.

Medical Science

In medicine, the bactericidal effect of copper has long been recognized. Since the 1950s, people have also found that copper has very good medical uses. Later, Mexican scientists also found that copper has anti-cancer function. In the new century, British researchers found that copper has a strong bactericidal effect. It is believed that copper will make great contributions to improving human health in the near future.

Organic chemistry

In organic chemistry, organic copper lithium compounds are important organometallic compounds.

alloy

Copper can be used to make many kinds of alloys. The important alloys of copper are as follows:

(1) Brass: Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, named after its yellow color. Brass has good mechanical properties and wear resistance, and can be used to manufacture precision instruments, ship parts, gun casings, etc. Brass sounds good when it is knocked, so gongs, cymbals, bells, horns and other instruments are made of brass.

(2) Maritime brass: It is an alloy of copper, zinc and tin. It is resistant to seawater corrosion and can be used to make ship parts and balancers.

(3) Bronze: The alloy of copper and tin is called bronze, which is named after its green color. In ancient times, it was a commonly used alloy (such as the Bronze Age in China). Bronze generally has good corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance, castability and excellent mechanical properties. It is used to manufacture precision bearings, high-pressure bearings, marine mechanical parts resistant to seawater corrosion, and various plates, pipes, bars, etc. Bronze also has an abnormal characteristic - "heat shrinks and cold expands", which is used to cast statues. After cooling, it expands to make eyebrows clearer.

(4) Phosphor bronze: It is an alloy of copper, tin and phosphorus. It is hard and can be used to make springs.

(5) Cupronickel: Cupronickel is an alloy of copper and nickel. Its color is the same as silver. It is shiny and not easy to rust. It is often used to make coins, electrical appliances, meters and decorations.

(6) 18K gold (rose gold): an alloy of 6/24 copper and 18/24 gold. It is red and yellow with high hardness. It can be used to make jewelry and decorations.

• Keywords:

• Stainless Steel Coil

• Stainless Steel Pipe

• Stainless Steel Sheet

• Stainless Steel Rod