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The metal that pioneered the age of civilization, COPPER
2022-03-14The metal that pioneered the age of civilization, COPPER
Brand
STORY
Copper with atomic number 29 was the first metal used by humans. Copper has been used since the Bronze Age, and is regarded as a metal that opened and developed the age of human civilization after the Stone Age
Copper has been widely used since ancient times because it is relatively easy to obtain compared to other metals. Copper is believed to have been used since 9000 BC in the Middle East. Copper pendants manufactured around 8800 BC have also been found in Iraq, but there is no record of who discovered them first. Copper’s name comes from Cuprum, the Latin word for the Cyprus island, famous for its copper production
Elements with different shapes, Copper
Copper is malleable and ductile, so it bends easily and conducts electricity and heat well. Also, because of its low price, it is widely used in electric wires. The copper used for electric wires is elongated and has a red color. Copper is red because it reflects only red and orange among visible light and absorbs other colors. It is easy to smelt, has a shiny property, and hard for organisms such as bacteria to grow, so it was used as a main material for coins, which are used a lot by people. Thanks to its excellent antibacterial properties, it is also used in objects such as handles, rails, and elevator buttons.
Copper is not a metal that rusts, but when it comes into contact with moisture in the air, its surface becomes patina and changes color. A typical example of this is the ‘Statue of Liberty’. A symbol of New York, the Statue of Liberty is the largest copper statue in the world. It was completed by overlaid copper on a work made by French artist Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, and was presented to the United States by France in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American independence. The statue of liberty was so huge that it was not easy to make, but it was said that it was a really big job to move it to the United States.
However, different people have different memories of the Statue of Liberty. The reason is that the copper Statue of Liberty was originally brown, but over time its surface gradually turned greenish-blue. The changed green copper is helping the Statue of Liberty from further weathering.
Biological role of copper
Copper is second only to iron and manganese in our body. It is mainly found in the brain, liver, blood and kidneys, and is widely involved in oxygen transport and is an essential element in the body that also functions as an antioxidant to prevent cell damage. It is also essential for the synthesis of hemoglobin, so copper deficiency can lead to anemia.
Here’s an interesting fact. Mammalian and human have red blood due to the effect of hemoglobin, whereas snails, shrimp, horseshoe crab and octopus have blue blood. The reason is copper. The main component of the blood of blue-blooded creatures is hemocyanin, and the colorless hemocyanin contains a large amount of copper. The role of hemocyanin is to transport oxygen in the blood, and in this process, it reacts with copper to form copper oxide. Eventually, hemocyanin, which was colorless, oxidizes and becomes copper-colored, resulting in blue blood.
Essentials for secondary battery materials, Copper
Electric vehicles are at the center of the transition to renewable energy and environmentally friendly future industries, and copper is an essential metal for the production of electric vehicles. Copper is used four times more in electric vehicles than in internal combustion locomotives, and is used in batteries of electric vehicles, as well as major components such as electronic products and wiring. Since copper is an essential metal for all electrical technologies, there is no doubt that the faster the transition to renewable energy, the greater the need for copper.
According to the global trend for an eco-friendly future, the electric vehicle market will grow rapidly, and the secondary battery material market will also grow rapidly. This is also related to Korea Zinc’s strengthening of its rechargeable battery business. Korea Zinc, which has been attracting attention for its competitive raw material production capacity and unrivaled smelting technology, will face another opportunity to take a new leap forward following this global trend.