Copper
Copper has a variety of attributes that make it useful in so many applications today. The metal has found to be a highly efficient conductor of heat and electricity, in addition to it being flexible, durable, strong and resistant to corrosion. The metal has been a key to many of technological advancements of man, the most important being electricity and telegraphic communications. The other important applications of copper metal include its uses in heating, plumbing, air conditioning, brass fittings, roofing, and in the production of various products, which now we take for granted - Radio, television, lighting, computers, mobile phones etc. All these products require copper wiring, adapters, electrical leads, transformers and motors. Several copper compounds and chemicals are also used to protect crops and plants to preserve wood.
In particular, copper is not a rare metal and is produced in several countries across the world. The graphical representation shows the geographical distribution of primary supply of copper metal. At present, the total supply of copper is made up from two sources, the bulk, 88%, comes from the primary production, which is new copper mined from the ground, however growing importance is of secondary supply that accounts for 12% of total refined supply of copper. Secondary supply comes from recycling of copper scrap.
Different grades and varieties of copper scrap are used for recycling purposes and to recover pure copper from the scrap. Given in the table below are some of the important grades / types of copper used in recycling.
| Types | Description |
|---|---|
| Heavy Scrap Copper | It consists of clean unalloyed copper solids and must be uncoated. It may also include copper clippings, punchings, bus bars, commutator segments, clean copper pipe or tubing and copper wire over 1/16th thick but free of brittle or burnt wire. |
| Soldered Copper Pipe | Soldered Copper Pipe includes assorted copper pipe with soldered ends or joints, free of bronze or brass or non-copper fittings. |
| Copper Turnings | Copper turnings consist of unalloyed copper turnings borings or grindings, and may be contaminated with cutting oils. |
| Copper Wires | This grade of copper contains clean unalloyed copper wire, free of hair wire, brittle burnt wire and surplus oils. |
| Fractional Electric Motors | It includes electric motors & small copper coil windings from motors with size less than 1 horsepower. |
| Copper Aluminum Rads | It consists of unalloyed copper tubing surrounded by aluminum cooling fins that are derived from typical heat exchange radiators. |
| Other Scrap Copper | It include items or materials, which are not included in any other copper grade. |
