There have been many previous types of research about recycling copper, and it concluded that copper is the most recycled metal available in the world today. In the United States, 4.2 million terms of copper were consumed back in 1997, and you can imagine how much the consumption will be in today’s world.
Copper can be remelted and refined as necessary to create new products, and that is why there is a lot of demand for it in the market. The most commonly recycled materials from copper include roofing sheets and plumbing tubes, and they are widely used worldwide.
This article will discuss the copper need and its mining along with a statistical overview of big projects like the Warintza project for your complete understanding. So, keep on reading to find out more information below about the need and consumption of copper.
What Is the Main Reason for Mining More Copper, and Why Is It Important?
The United States of America consumes around 2.6 million turn-off copper every year. This raises many questions in mind about how we can use scrap Copper, and how are going to recycle it to save energy and money.
It also raises this one more question of whether we should stop mining copper in the first place. The answer to this question is that we cannot stop mining copper for many reasons because it is not a feasible idea in the long run. For this purpose, big copper projects like Warintza are done.
There are two main reasons we cannot stop mining copper, so let’s look at them below.
Not Enough Copper Available
The first and the most crucial reason why we cannot stop mining copper is that there is not enough scrap copper available to go around in the first place. In 1997 1.6 million tonnes of copper were recovered.
It was not enough to meet the current needs of today, and that is why there is a demand for copper always. Another primary reason is that copper is an essential part of so many products that we are using nowadays, which is why it is better for the economic health of the countries.
The economy and not simply grow without having enough copper production and consumption. Copper consumption also keeps growing when the economy of a country grows.
Wires And Cables
The second primary reason we cannot stop the production of copper is that most of IT in today’s world is used in electronic equipment and wires. All the electronics run on wires and cables, and it is impossible to produce these wires without copper.
They required copper in pure form so that the electric current could easily flow through it. Even if we are talking about regular household electronic equipment, the copper needs to be 99.9% pure; otherwise, it will not be a feasible option.
There is no chance of having any impurity in the copper because it will reduce the electrical conductivity and result in electricity failure in the whole house.
