subject: Uses Of Copper And Its Recycling [print this page] Copper is one of the most beneficial products known to mankind. It is ductile and malleable that makes copper very versatile. Lets scan through some popular uses of copper:
Used in pipe water supplies, air conditioning systems and refrigerators.
Present in magnetrons found in microwave ovens.
Copper is sometimes added to nutritional supplements and fungicides.
It is a great water proof roofing material.
It is sometimes combined with nickel to be used as a corrosion- resistant material in shipbuilding.
Copper (II) sulphate is used to kill mildew.
Used to make many musical instruments, especially brass instruments.
As copper is able to absorb high amount of heat, it is used in computer heat sinks to absorb the heat.
Cathode ray tubes and vacuum tubes make use of copper.
As copper is a good conductor of electricity, it is used in wires, electrical relays, electromagnets and switches.
Some iconic structures, like the Statue of Liberty, are made with copper.
Used in lighting rods to attract the lightning and disperses it to prevent it from striking, and possibly destroying, some other structure.
It is also a component of ceramic glazes and often used to colour glasses.
Having being used by human civilization for thousands of years, it still continues to be one of the most useful metals. But surprisingly, only one- tenth of the total copper has been mined so far. Thanks to recycling!!! Copper recycling has developed to be major industry in many parts of the world like Europe, Middle East and United States. Lets look at some benefits of copper recycling:
The mining and refining of copper has a considerable impact (no doubt, degrading) on the environment. The process of refining releases toxic fumes and dust into the air. Plus mining releases sulphur dioxide and other harmful gases. Recycling, on the other hand, does not produce any harmful gas, resulting in a positive effect on air quality and other environmental factors.
Extraction and mining is an energy efficient process. Recycling, on the other hand, requires only one tenth of the energy needed in mining. Less energy also means a less emission of greenhouse gases into the environment.
Recycled copper costs about 9 times lower than mined copper. This is extremely lucrative for industries as demand for copper is always on a high. Recycling keeps copper costs low.
Landfills around the world face an insurmountable task of swallowing up the enormous wastes. Mining only contributes to it. Recycling of copper can lift up some burden from the landfills.
Although only a limited portion of copper has been mined till date, the fact cannot be reversed that it is natural resource limited in quantity. Recycling used metal therefore preserves the virgin resources for future generations to come.
If you are a resident of Toronto and want to recycle copper, you need not worry. There are many dealers who do copper recycling in Toronto. You can gather scrap copper, clean and sort them out and sell them to these dealers.
