Edition #7

RECYCLED COPPER KEEPS ITS VALUE

Electronic items like cell phones and computers should never be put out with the regular trash. Instead, contact your municipality; many offer collection dates when e-waste will be accepted.

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Since the discovery of copper about 10,000 years ago, mankind has never ceased to find innovative applications for this infinitely useful element that is easily melted and re-used.

Who knows, maybe copper from one of the tools used to smooth the stones on the great pyramids in Egypt is still in circulation today. It’s quite likely that much of the 700 billion pounds of copper mined worldwide to date is still in use.

With the highest recycling rate of any engineering metal, copper rarely ends up in a landfill – it’s just too valuable. Altogether, 1.5 million tons of scrap copper was recycled in the USA last year, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. This is a savings of 85 percent of the energy that would have been required to produce new copper from ore.

Discarded electrical wiring, plumbing tube, cartridge cases from the military and automobile radiators are some of the main sources for reclaimed copper today.

These products are sold to brass mills, copper mills and refineries to be melted down and recast into new products. In the USA, about 66 percent (78.4 million tons) of all primary copper consumed since 1864 has been returned and reused as scrap.

Man has been recycling copper throughout history. During the Middle Ages, which saw frequent conflicts, bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) cannons were typically melted down after each war and made into more useful items.

During more modern military crises, like the Vietnam conflict and Operation Desert Storm, the increased use of ammunition results in more than a doubling of the usual amount of copper that's reclaimed from cartridge brass (an alloy of copper and zinc).

The home is another source of products made from recycled copper. For example, copper architectural and plumbing products typically contain from 60 to 90 percent scrap.

Homeowners renovating their homes would be wise to remember that all copper products — no matter what age or condition — are still valuable and should not be thrown away. Check around, you’ll never find a piece of scrap copper on a construction site.

Anyone with an old appliance that still has some life in it, or decorative objects made from copper, or even used or unused copper plumbing tube — might consider donating it to a local Habitat for Humanity retail store. Found in 28 states, these stores sell discounted home items to the public and use the proceeds to support the group’s mission to build new homes for the needy.

Because old electronics have components that may be harmful to the environment, they should not be put out with the regular trash. Many municipalities have implemented “e-waste” programs that can separate out these components and enable the recapture of copper used in wiring and circuit boards and return the copper for re-use.

While there is no federal policy to date on recycling electronic waste, individual cities and states have instituted mandatory and voluntary recycling programs. In California, consumer fees of up to $10 on purchases of new electronic products are applied to the proper disposal of older electronic items.

More information on recycling copper is available at www.copper.org > Copper in Your Home > Environment & Health > Recycling.

PREVENTING WATERBORNE DISEASE

Safe drinking water is something most Americans take for granted. But in other parts of the world, polluted water contributes to untold numbers of fatalities, including the death of some 15 million children a year, according to a recent report in The New York Times.

There may be a simple solution to this monumental problem, however: using unlined brass or copper containers, instead of plastic or clay vessels, to store water. English microbiologist Rob Reed recently set out to learn whether folk traditions of using brass vessels to ward off sickness really held water.

While researching sunlight’s antibacterial effects on water, Reed observed villagers in India storing water in brass vessels. When he asked them why they used brass, the villagers said it protected them against waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea and dysentery.

Back in England, Professor Reed tested their theory under laboratory conditions by introducing E.coli bacteria to water in brass pitchers. Within 48 hours, the amount of living bacteria in the water had been reduced to undetectable levels.

According to Reed, the copper and brass containers release into the water minute amounts of natural copper, which destroys the bacteria by interfering with its cell membranes and enzymes. Humans are not at risk because the amount of these particles in the water is far below our safety threshold, he said.

Reed’s findings were recently published in Nature magazine.

Drinking water stored in copper and brass containers will destroy harmful bacteria within a 48-hour period, according to recent studies. This is important news for more than a billion people worldwide who lack access to safe drinking water.

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COPPER JOINS FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

The advent of worldwide terror networks intent on attacking the USA has prompted concerns over the possibility of terrorists contaminating our water supplies with dangerous biological agents.

Copper may one day prove to be an important weapon in our nation’s arsenal against these kinds of potential terrorist attacks. Researchers are working on a device that would use copper electrodes to detect minute quantities of bacteria in large-volume water sources, such as municipal reservoirs.

Under current practice, finding contaminants in large bodies of water is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Since it is impossible to examine every drop of water, engineers do spot-checks instead.

However, Texas A&M University microbiologist Suresh Pillai and mechanical engineer Ali Beskok may have found a way to solve this dilemma by channeling large quantities of water through hundreds of tiny tubes lined with positively charged copper electrodes. In theory, these electrodes should attract the bacteria, which are naturally negatively charged, corralling them into a concentrated sample that could be easily tested.

The size of each tube – a quarter of a millimeter wide – ensures that any microbes present will pass close enough to the copper electrodes to adhere to it. As a result, bacteria and viruses from dozens of liters of water could be easily corralled into a sample the size of a thimble.

Their work has attracted financial support from NASA, whose $89,000 grant will be used to develop a prototype of the water-monitoring device that could be used on long space flights. Astronauts must monitor their water supply constantly when they are in space; an easier testing process would free up their time for more important tasks.

The research team also received funding from the state of Texas to develop a drinking water prototype and the El Paso Water Utility has agreed to field-test the device on its water distribution system.

If tests prove successful, Pillai and Beskok are hoping NASA will provide additional funding for a more comprehensive study.

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Resources:
This edition of Discover Copper is available online at www.copper.org. Additional photos also available online. For more information on the companies mentioned in this newsletter go to:

Earth 911
www.earth911.org

America Recycles Day
www.americarecyclesday.org

Metlund Hot Water System
www.gothotwater.com

The information presented in Discover Copper is provided by the Copper Development Association for editorial re-use. This material is verifiable and accurate as of the date of publication. Additional comment, contact information or attribution may be obtained from the sources noted, or by contacting CDA Communications Manager Ken Geremia (212-251-7209, kgeremia@cda.copper.org). The Copper Development Association Inc., 260 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, is affiliated with the International Copper Association and is the information, education, market and technical development arm of the copper, brass and bronze industry in the United States.