Copper vs. COVID-19

Copper was one of the first metals ever extracted and used by humans, and it has made vital contributions to sustaining and improving society since the dawn of civilization. Copper was first used in coins and ornaments starting about 8000 B.C., and at about 5500 B.C., copper tools helped civilization emerge from the Stone Age. The discovery that copper alloyed with tin produces bronze marked the beginning of the Bronze Age at about 3000 B.C.

Copper vs. COVID-19: Research has shown that the novel coronavirus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, can survive for days on glass, plastic, and stainless steel surfaces, but dies within hours on a copper surface.  Why? Copper has antimicrobial properties that are effective against a wide variety of disease-causing organisms. 

In hospitals, the use of copper and copper alloys on frequently touched surfaces can reduce the number of patients who acquire infections during a hospital stay. Frequently touched surfaces tested in studies include bedside rails, tray tables, intravenous poles, and chair armrests  Some pathogens were killed in minutes on dry copper surfaces. 

The benefit of copper on high-touch surfaces has been known for years, but hospitals have been slow to implement. One reason is that many medical professionals are unaware of the benefits of copper. Another is cost - copper can be more expensive than other options. It is also more costly to replace existing fixtures and equipment than designing with copper from the start. Virus image copyright by iStockphoto and Irina Shatilova.

In the United States, a piece of what is believed to be a copper bracelet was found in a Native American burial on the coastal plain of Georgia in 2017. The burial was a cremation dated to roughly 3500 years ago. The copper contained trace elements that linked it to geological deposits in the Great Lakes region. These discoveries suggest a long-distance trade connection between Georgia and the Great Lakes region, a greater distance than was ever known before. 

Copper is easily stretched, molded, and shaped; is resistant to corrosion; and conducts heat and electricity efficiently. As a result, copper was important to early humans and continues to be a material of choice for a variety of domestic, industrial, and high-technology applications today.

Uses of copper: This graph shows how copper was used in the United States during 2017 by industry sector. As an example: copper used in building construction could have been used for wiring, plumbing, weatherproofing and many other individual types of use. Data for this chart is from the United States Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summary for 2018.

How Do We Use Copper Today?

Presently, copper is used in building construction, power generation and transmission, electronic product manufacturing, and the production of industrial machinery and transportation vehicles. Copper wiring and plumbing are integral to the appliances, heating and cooling systems, and telecommunications links used every day in homes and businesses.

Copper is an essential component in the motors, wiring, radiators, connectors, brakes, and bearings used in cars and trucks. The average car contains 1.5 kilometers (0.9 mile) of copper wire, and the total amount of copper ranges from 20 kilograms (44 pounds) in small cars to 45 kilograms (99 pounds) in luxury and hybrid vehicles.

Ancient Uses of Copper

As in ancient times, copper remains a component of coinage used in many countries, but many new uses have been identified. One of copper's more recent applications includes its use in frequently touched surfaces (such as brass doorknobs), where copper's antimicrobial properties reduce the transfer of germs and disease. 

Have also begun using copper for circuitry in silicon chips, which enables microprocessors to operate faster and use less energy. Copper rotors have also recently been found to increase the efficiency of electric motors, which are a major consumer of electric power.

What Properties Make Copper Useful?

The excellent alloying properties of copper have made it invaluable when combined with other metals, such as zinc (to form brass), tin (to form bronze), or nickel. These alloys have desirable characteristics and, depending on their composition, are developed for highly specialized applications.

For example, copper-nickel alloy is applied to the hulls of ships because it does not corrode in seawater and reduces the adhesion of marine life, such as barnacles, thereby reducing drag and increasing fuel efficiency. Brass is more malleable and has better acoustic properties than pure copper or zinc; consequently, it is used in a variety of musical instruments, including trumpets, trombones, bells, and cymbals.

Types of Copper Deposits

Copper occurs in many forms, but the circumstances that control how, when, and where it is deposited are highly variable. As a result, copper occurs in many different minerals. Chalcopyrite is the most abundant and economically significant of the copper minerals.

Research designed to better understand the geologic processes that produce mineral deposits, including copper deposits, is an important component of the USGS Mineral Resources Program. Copper deposits are broadly classified on the basis of how the deposits formed.

Porphyry copper deposits, which are associated with igneousintrusions, yield about two-thirds of the world's copper and are therefore the world's most important type of copper deposit. Large copper deposits of this type are found in mountainous regions of western North America and in the Andes Mountains of South America.

Another important type of copper deposit - the type contained in sedimentary rocks - accounts for approximately one-fourth of the world's identified copper resources. These deposits occur in such areas as the copper belt of central Africa and the Zechstein basin of Eastern Europe.

Individual copper deposits may contain hundreds of millions of tons of copper-bearing rock and commonly are developed by using open-pit mining methods. Mining operations, which usually follow ore discovery by many years, often last for decades. Although many historic mining operations were not required to conduct their mining activities.