Copper Shines Bright in Manufacturing and Healthcare

Copper, an extremely important metal, often gets overlooked to “precious metals” gold, silver and platinum. However, copper is one of the most valuable metals on earth, as it is used to provide conveniences in our everyday lives—in the building, wiring, heating and cooling and mechanizing of our homes, offices and vehicles, just to name a few applications.

In fact, according to geology.com, the average car contains 44 pounds of copper, and luxury and hybrid vehicles contain up to 100 pounds. The building/construction industry uses more than 40 percent of copper supplies, while electrical/electronic and transportation equipment each claim 20 percent of the supply, with consumer products and machinery rounding out the industries using copper in their manufacturing processes.  

Graph courtesy of geology.com

Even before Colonial America was established, early U.S. copper was mined in Montana, Utah, Nevada and Arizona. The American Southwest continues to provide much of our country’s supply of copper. To that end, the largest copper mine in North America, dubbed The Resolution Copper Project, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP, 60 miles east of Phoenix, AZ, is currently in the process of being reviewed by regulatory agencies. Not only would this be the world’s largest copper mine, but it would become the deepest, boring 7,000 feet into the ground. Collectively, these two companies have already invested more than $2 billion into the project. According to a press release by Rio Tinto, the project has the potential to supply up to 25 percent of the United States’ copper demand, a big step towards fulfilling the country’s aim to ensure secure and reliable supplies of critical minerals.

While not new to many, copper has received attention lately for its antimicrobial properties. According antimicrobialcopper.org, there are more than 500 antimicrobial copper alloys registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and hundreds of scientific, peer-reviewed studies reporting on the broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy of copper and copper alloys against bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. What we now see are applications of copper in healthcare and public transportation settings, airports and athletic facilities, and places where large volumes of people can spread bacteria and viruses.

As demand for copper increases, it is important to strike a balance between the demand for critical and essential minerals like copper, and our responsibility to ensure proper protection of the environment and our nature resources for future generations.