Sr. No. Topic1 What is Copper?2 Characteristics3 Uses of Copper4 Products of Copper5 Routes of Exposition6 Effects of Copper7 Raw Materials8 The Manufacturing Process9 Quality Control

10 Byproducts /Wastei) Production

ii) Copper Production by Country (Metric Tons)iii) World Refined Copper Production and Usage Trendsiv) Copper Mine, Smelter, Refinery Production and Refined Copper Usage by Geographical

Areav) Production and Distribution in India

11 Copper Plants in India12 Reserves13 Month on Month Returns on Copper14 Trends in World Refined Stocks & Prices15 India Exports of Copper16 India Imports of Copper17 Top 10 Copper Producing Companies in World18 Top four companies in Copper industry in India19 Copper Market Forecast 2015-16

Table of Content

Copper

What is Copper?

Copper is a chemical element with symbol Cu (from Latin: cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; a freshly exposed surface has a reddish-orange color. It is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, a building material, and a constituent of various metal alloys.

It is one of the best electrical conductors of all the metals, and its abundance helped it become the material that tied the world together in telecommunications.

The metal and its alloys have been used for thousands of years. In the Roman era, copper was principally mined on Cyprus, hence the origin of the name of the metal as aes сyprium (metal of Cyprus), later corrupted to сuprum, from which the words copper (English), cuivre (French), Koper (Dutch) and Kupfer (German) are all derived. Its compounds are commonly encountered as copper (II) salts, which often impart blue or green colours to minerals such as azurite and turquoise and have been widely used historically as pigments. Architectural structures built with copper corrode to give green verdigris (or patina). Decorative art prominently features copper, both by itself and as part of pigments.

It is commonly used to produce a wide variety of products, including electrical wire, cooking pots and pans, pipes and tubes, automobile radiators, and many others. Copper is also used as a pigment and preservative for paper, paint, textiles, and wood. It is combined with zinc to produce brass and with tin to produce bronze.

Copper was first used as early as 10,000 years ago. A copper pendant from about 8700 B.C. was found in what is now northern Iraq. There is evidence that by about 6400 B.C. copper was being melted and cast into objects in the area now known as Turkey. By 4500 B.C. , this technology was being practiced in Egypt as well. Most of the copper used before 4000 B.C. came from the random discovery of isolated outcroppings of native copper or from meteorites that had impacted Earth. The first mention of the systematic extraction of copper ore comes from about 3800 B.C. when an Egyptian reference describes mining operations on the Sinai Peninsula.

In about 3000 B.C. , large deposits of copper ore were found on the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. When the Romans conquered Cyprus, they gave the metal the Latin name aes cyprium, which was often shortened to cyprium. Later this was corrupted to cuprum, from which the English word copper and the chemical symbol Cu are derived.

In South America, copper objects were being produced along the northern coast of Peru as early as 500 B.C. , and the development of copper metallurgy was well advanced by the time the Inca empire fell to the conquering Spanish soldiers in the 1500s.

In the United States, the first copper mine was opened in Branby, Connecticut, in 1705, followed by one in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1732. Despite this early production, most copper used in the United States was imported from Chile until 1844, when mining of large deposits of high-grade

copper ore around Lake Superior began. The development of more efficient processing techniques in the late-1800s allowed the mining of lower-grade copper ores from huge open-pit mines in the western United States.

Today, the United States and Chile are the world's top two copper producing countries, followed by Russia, Canada, and China.

Characteristics

Physical Copper, silver and gold are in group 11 of the periodic table, and they share certain attributes: they have one sorbital electron on top of a filled d-electron shell and are characterized by high ductility and electrical conductivity. The filled d-shells in these elements do not contribute much to the interatomic interactions, which are dominated by the s-electrons through metallic bonds. Unlike in metals with incomplete d-shells, metallic bonds in copper are lacking a covalent character and are relatively weak. This explains the low hardness and high ductility of single crystals of copper. At the macroscopic scale, introduction of extended defects to the crystal lattice, such as grain boundaries, hinders flow of the material under applied stress, thereby increasing its hardness. For this reason, copper is usually supplied in a fine-grained polycrystalline form, which has greater strength than monocrystalline forms.

The softness of copper partly explains its high electrical conductivity (59.6×106 S/m) and thus also high thermal conductivity, which are the second highest among pure metals at room temperature. This is because the resistivity to electron transport in metals at room temperature mostly originates from scattering of electrons on thermal vibrations of the lattice, which are relatively weak for a soft metal. The maximum permissible current density of copper in open air is approximately 3.1×106 A/m2 of cross-sectional area, above which it begins to heat excessively. As with other metals, if copper is placed against another metal, galvanic corrosion will occur.

Together with caesium and gold (both yellow), and osmium (bluish), copper is one of only four elemental metals with a natural color other than gray or silver. Pure copper is orange-red and acquires a reddish tarnish when exposed to air. The characteristic color of copper results from the electronic transitions between the filled 3d and half-empty 4s atomic shells – the energy difference between these shells is such that it corresponds to orange light. The same mechanism accounts for the yellow color of gold and caesium.

Chemicals Copper does not react with water but it does slowly react with atmospheric oxygen to form a layer of brownblack copper oxide which, unlike the rust which forms when iron is exposed to moist air, protects the underlying copper from more extensive corrosion. A green layer of verdigris (copper carbonate) can often be seen on old copper constructions such as the Statue of Liberty. Copper tarnishes when exposed to sulfides, which react with it to form various copper sulfides.

Isotopes There are 29 isotopes of copper. 63Cu and 65Cu are stable, with 63Cu comprising approximately 69% of naturally occurring copper; they both have a spin of 3 ⁄2. The other isotopes are radioactive, with the most stable being 67Cu with a half-life of 61.83 hours. Seven metastable isotopes have been characterized, with 68mCu the longest-lived with a half-life of 3.8 minutes. Isotopes with a mass number above 64 decay by β − , whereas those with a mass number below 64 decay by β + . 64Cu, which has a half-life of 12.7 hours, decays both ways. 62Cu and 64Cu have significant applications. 64Cu is a radiocontrast agent for X-ray imaging, and complexed with a chelate can be used for treating cancer. 62Cu is used in 62Cu-PTSM that is a radioactive tracer for positron emission tomography.

Occurrence Copper is synthesized in massive stars and is present in the Earth’s crust at a concentration of about 50 parts per million (ppm), where it occurs as native copper or in minerals such as the copper sulfides chalcopyrite and chalcocite, the copper carbonates azurite and malachite, and the copper(I) oxide mineral cuprite. The largest mass of elemental copper discovered weighed 420 tonnes and was found in 1857 on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan, US. Native copper is a polycrystal, with the largest described single crystal measuring 4.4×3.2×3.2 cm.

Uses of Copper

Architectural Applications

Copper is heavily employed in the construction industry. It is commonly found in buildings because it is waterproof. This makes it suitable for cladding, roofing and plumbing. It is also applied in freestanding structures because of its light weight and durability. Lightning rods and roofs are often built of copper.

As a lightning rod they help divert natural lightning from striking the edifice. It is redirected to the ground. Copper based welding arcs are made by soldering the metal. The same method is used for building structures.

Industrial Applications The metal’s high ductility makes it a practical tool for industrial use. It is the third most

widely used metal in industries next to aluminum and iron. It is commonly used in shipbuilding. The metal is alloyed with nickel.

As cupronickel, it can withstand corrosion. Its high heat dissipation is the reason why Watt’s steam engine firebox is made from it. Liquefied, copper becomes a wood preservative. It assists in returning a structure to its original form. Objects can be restored even if they are subject to rot.

Uses of Copper in Electricity More than half of the copper produced is for electricity. Its core functions are transmission

of electricity and power generation. The metal is employed in generators, bushbars, motors

and transformers. Properly set the metal produces electricity efficiently and safely. The metal is also used in wiring and electrical equipment. It is present in mobile phones, TV and computers.

Copper is present in electric circuitry and microprocessors. It is also applied for electrical transmission. It is superior to aluminum. The metal is utilized in heat sinks and exchanges. Its heat dissipation capacity is superior to aluminum. The metallic element is used to build magnetron, vacuum tubes and vacuum tubes.

Application in Transportation The element is used in construction of trains, cars, lorries and other vehicles. Battery

currents use high purity copper wire harness systems. The current is transmitted to satellite navigation systems, on-board computers, central locking and lights. Electric supper trams built from this material reduces the pollution that transportation usually produces. The same metal is applied in overhead contact wiring.

Practical Daily Application of Copper The metallic element is applied in fixtures, doorknobs and other elements in a house.

Copper electroplated nickel silver is used for some knives, spoons, knives and frying pans. The same material is used for counters, sinks, bathtubs, and heating cylinders. As pigmented salt the metal can be used for sculptures, statues and decorative art.

Biological Applications Other uses of copper include being a nutrient for animals and plants. Traces of the metal

can be found in bone, muscles, liver and tissues. The main purpose of copper in an organism is serving as an enzyme co-factor. This knowledge isn’t new. The ancients were aware of its antibacterial properties. The Greeks used the metal to cure ulcers and open wounds.

Modern medicine applies copper bracelets to reduce arthritis and joint pains. Its anti-microbial elements assist in producing hygienic surfaces in healthcare institutions. Lack of copper in people may produce shaggy skin, varicose veins and graying of the hair. This metallic element can help in enhancing the skin’s elastic fiber. With enough copper, hair problems may be avoided.

Products of Copper 1) Copper Tubes2) Copper Sheets3) Copper Strips4) Extruded and Drawn Copper Brass5) Copper Coil6) Copper Plate7) Copper Bar8) Copper Flats9) Copper Wires

10) Copper Rods11)

Routes of Exposition Copper can be found in many kinds of food, in drinking water and in air. Because of that we

absorb eminent quantities of copper each day by eating, drinking and breathing. The absorption of copper is necessary, because copper is a trace element that is essential for human health. Although humans can handle proportionally large concentrations of copper, too much copper can still cause eminent health problems.

Copper concentrations in air are usually quite low, so that exposure to copper through breathing is negligible. But people that live near smelters that process copper ore into metal, do experience this kind of exposure.

People that live in houses that still have copper plumbing are exposed to higher levels of copper than most people, because copper is released into their drinking water through corrosion of pipes.

Occupational exposure to copper often occurs. In the working environment, copper contagion can lead to a flu-like condition known as metal fever. This condition will pass after two days and is caused by over sensitivity.

Effects of Copper

Health Effects of Copper Long-term exposure to copper can cause irritation of the nose, mouth and eyes and it

causes headaches, stomachaches, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea. Intentionally high uptakes of copper may cause liver and kidney damage and even death. Whether copper is carcinogenic has not been determined yet.

There are scientific articles that indicate a link between long-term exposure to high concentrations of copper and a decline in intelligence with young adolescents. Whether this should be of concern is a topic for further investigation.

Industrial exposure to copper fumes, dusts, or mists may result in metal fume fever with atrophic changes in nasal mucous membranes. Chronic copper poisoning results in Wilson’s Disease, characterized by a hepatic cirrhosis, brain damage, demyelization, renal disease, and copper deposition in the cornea.

Environmental Effects of Copper

When copper ends up in soil it strongly attaches to organic matter and minerals. As a result it does not travel very far after release and it hardly ever enters groundwater. In surface water copper can travel great distances, either suspended on sludge particles or as free ions.

Copper does not break down in the environment and because of that it can accumulate in plants and animals when it is found in soils. On copper-rich soils only a limited number of plants has a chance of survival. That is why there is not much plant diversity near copper-disposing factories. Due to the effects upon plants copper is a serious threat to the

productions of farmlands. Copper can seriously influence the proceedings of certain farmlands, depending upon the acidity of the soil and the presence of organic matter. Despite of this, copper-containing manures are still applied.

Copper can interrupt the activity in soils, as it negatively influences the activity of microorganisms and earthworms. The decomposition of organic matter may seriously slow down because of this.

When the soils of farmland are polluted with copper, animals will absorb concentrations that are damaging to their health. Mainly sheep suffer a great deal from copper poisoning, because the effects of copper are manifesting at fairly low concentrations.

Raw Materials

Pure copper is rarely found in nature, but is usually combined with other chemicals in the form of copper ores. There are about 15 copper ores mined commercially in 40 countries around the world. The most common are known as sulfide ores in which the copper is chemically bonded with sulfur. Others are known as oxide ores, carbonate ores, or mixed ores depending on the chemicals present. Many copper ores also contain significant quantities of gold, silver, nickel, and other valuable metals, as well as large quantities of commercially useless material. Most of the copper ores mined in the United States contain only about 1.2-1.6% copper by weight.

The most common sulfide ore is chalcopyrite, CuFeS 2 , also known as copper pyrite or yellow copper ore. Chalcocite, Cu 2 S, is another sulfide ore.

Cuprite, or red copper ore, Cu 2 O, is an oxide ore. Malachite, or green copper ore, Cu(OH) 2 •CuCO 3 , is an important carbonate ore, as is azurite, or blue copper carbonate, Cu(OH) 2 •2CuCO 3 .

Other ores include tennantite, boronite, chrysocolla, and atacamite.

In addition to the ores themselves, several other chemicals are often used to process and refine copper. These include sulfuric acid, oxygen, iron, silica, and various organic compounds, depending on the process used.

The Manufacturing Process

The process of extracting copper from copper ore varies according to the type of ore and the desired purity of the final product. Each process consists of several steps in which unwanted materials are physically or chemically removed, and the concentration of copper is progressively increased. Some of these steps are conducted at the mine site itself, while others may be conducted at separate facilities.

Here are the steps used to process the sulfide ores commonly found in the western United States.

1) Mining

Most sulfide ores are taken from huge open-pit mines by drilling and blasting with explosives. In

this type of mining, the material located above the ore, called the overburden, is first removed to

expose the buried ore deposit. This produces an open pit that may grow to be a mile or more

across. A road to allow access for equipment spirals down the interior slopes of the pit.

The exposed ore is scooped up by large power shovels capable of loading 500-900 cubic feet (15-25

cubic meters) in a single bite. The ore is loaded into giant dump trucks, called haul trucks, and is

transported up and out of the pit.

2) Concentrating

The copper ore usually contains a large amount of dirt, clay, and a variety of non-copper bearing

minerals. The first step is to remove some of this waste material. This process is called

concentrating and is usually done by the flotation method.

The ore is crushed in a series of cone crushers. A cone crusher consists of an interior grinding cone

that rotates on an eccentric vertical axis inside a fixed outer cone. As the ore is fed into the top of

the crusher, it is squeezed between the two cones and broken into smaller pieces.

The crushed ore is then ground even smaller by a series of mills. First, it is mixed with water and

placed in a rod mill, which consists of a large cylindrical container filled with numerous short

lengths of steel rod. As the cylinder rotates on its horizontal axis, the steel rods tumble and break

up the ore into pieces about 0.13 in (3 mm) in diameter. The mixture of ore and water is further

broken up in two ball mills, which are like a rod mill except steel balls are used instead of rods. The

slurry of finely ground ore that emerges from the final ball mill contains particles about 0.01 in

(0.25 mm) in diameter.

The slurry is mixed with various chemical reagents, which coat the copper particles. A liquid, called

a frother, is also added. Pine oil or long-chain alcohol are often used as frothers. This mixture is

pumped into rectangular tanks, called flotation cells, where air is injected into the slurry through

the bottom of the tanks. The chemical reagents make the copper particles cling to the bubbles as

they rise to the surface. The frother forms a thick layer of bubbles, which overflows the tanks and is

collected in troughs. The bubbles are allowed to condense and the water is drained off. The

resulting mixture, called a copper concentrate, contains about 25-35% copper along with various

sulfides of copper and iron, plus smaller concentrations of gold, silver, and other materials. The

remaining materials in the tank are called the gangue or tailings. They are pumped into settling

ponds and allowed to dry.

The process of extracting copper from copper ore varies according to the type of ore and the

desired purity of the final product. Each process consists of several steps in which unwanted

materials are physically or chemically removed, and the concentration of copper is progressively

increased.

3) Smelting

Once the waste materials have been physically removed from the ore, the remaining copper

concentrate must undergo several chemical reactions to remove the iron and sulfur. This process

is called smelting and traditionally involves two furnaces as described below. Some modern

plants utilize a single furnace, which combines both operations.

The copper concentrate is fed into a furnace along with a silica material, called a flux. Most copper

smelters utilize oxygen-enriched flash furnaces in which preheated, oxygen-enriched air is forced

into the furnace to combust with fuel oil. The copper concentrate and flux melt, and collect in the

bottom of the furnace. Much of the iron in the concentrate chemically combines with the flux to

form a slag, which is skimmed off the surface of the molten material. Much of the sulfur in the

concentrate combines with the oxygen to form sulfur dioxide, which is exhausted from the furnace

as a gas and is further treated in an acid plant to produce sulfuric acid. The remaining molten

material in the bottom of the furnace is called the matte. It is a mixture of copper sulfides and iron

sulfides and contains about 60% copper by weight.

The molten matte is drawn from the furnace and poured into a second furnace called a converter.

Additional silica flux is added and oxygen is blown through the molten material. The chemical

reactions in the converter are similar to those in the flash furnace. The silica flux reacts with the

remaining iron to form a slag, and the oxygen reacts with the remaining sulfur to form sulfur

dioxide. The slag may be fed back into the flash furnace to act as a flux, and the sulfur dioxide is

processed through the acid plant. After the slag is removed, a final injection of oxygen removes all

but a trace of sulfur. The resulting molten material is called the blister and contains about 99%

copper by weight.

4) Refining

Even though copper blister is 99% pure copper, it still contains high enough levels of sulfur,

oxygen, and other impurities to hamper further refining. To remove or adjust the levels of these

materials, the blister copper is first fire refined before it is sent to the final electrorefining

process.

The blister copper is heated in a refining furnace, which is similar to a converter described above.

Air is blown into the molten blister to oxidize some impurities. A sodium carbonate flux may be

added to remove traces of arsenic and antimony. A sample of the molten material is drawn and an

experienced operator determines when the impurities have reached an acceptable level. The

molten copper, which is about 99.5% pure, is then poured into molds to form large electrical

anodes, which act as the positive terminals for the electrorefining process.

Each copper anode is placed in an individual tank, or cell, made of polymer-concrete. There may be

as many as 1,250 tanks in operation at one time. A sheet of copper is placed on the opposite end of

the tank to act as the cathode, or negative terminal. The tanks are filled with an acidic copper

sulfate solution, which acts as an electrical conductor between the anode and cathode. When an

electrical current is passed through each tank, the copper is stripped off the anode and is deposited

on the cathode. Most of the remaining impurities fall out of the copper sulfate solution and form a

slime at the bottom of the tank. After about 9-15 days, the current is turned off and the cathodes

are removed. The cathodes now weigh about 300 lb (136 kg) and are 99.95-99.99% pure copper.

The slime that collects at the bottom of the tank contains gold, silver, selenium, and tellurium. It is

collected and processed to recover these precious metals.

5) Casting

After refining, the copper cathodes are melted and cast into ingots, cakes, billets, or rods

depending on the final application. Ingots are rectangular or trapezoidal bricks, which are remelted

along with other metals to make brass and bronze products. Cakes are rectangular slabs about 8 in

(20 cm) thick and up to 28 ft (8.5 m) long. They are rolled to make copper plate, strip, sheet, and

foil products. Billets are cylindrical logs about 8 in (20 cm) in diameter and several feet (meters)

long. They are extruded or drawn to make copper tubing and pipe. Rods have a round cross-section

about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) in diameter. They are usually cast into very long lengths, which are coiled. This

coiled material is then drawn down further to make copper wire.

Quality Control

Because electrical applications require a very low level of impurities, copper is one of the few

common metals that are refined to almost 100% purity. The process described above has been

proven to produce copper of very high purity. To ensure this purity, samples are analyzed at

various steps to determine whether any adjustment to the process is required.

Byproducts /Waste

The recovery of sulfuric acid from the copper smelting process not only provides a profitable

byproduct, but also significantly reduces the air pollution caused by the furnace exhaust. Gold,

silver, and other precious metals are also important byproducts.

Waste products include the overburden from the mining operation, the tailings from the

concentrating operation, and the slag from the smelting operation. This waste may contain

significant concentrations of arsenic, lead, and other chemicals, which pose a potential health

hazard to the surrounding area. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

regulates the storage of such wastes and the remediation of the area once mining and processing

operations have ceased. The sheer volume of the material involved—in some cases, billions of tons

of waste—makes this a formidable task, but it also presents some potentially profitable

opportunities to recover the useable materials contained in this waste.

Production

Chile accounts for over one third of world's copper production followed by China, Peru, United States, Australia, Indonesia, Zambia, Canada and Poland. Major exporters of copper ores and concentrates are Chile, Peru, Indonesia, Australia , Canada, Brazil, Kazakhstan, United States, Argentina and Mongolia. The biggest importers of copper are China, Japan, India, South Korea and Germany. Copper market participants use the COMEX Division of high-grade copper futures and options to mitigate price risk. Copper is the world's third most widely used metal, after iron and aluminum, and is primarily used in highly cyclical industries such as construction and industrial machinery manufacturing. Profitable extraction of the metal depends on cost-efficient high-volume mining techniques, and supply is sensitive to the political situation particularly in those countries where copper mining is a government-controlled enterprise.

Copper Production by Country (Metric Tons)

(Source: ICSG)

Most copper is mined or extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in porphyry copper deposits that contain 0.4 to 1.0% copper. Examples include Chuquicamata in Chile, Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah, United States and El Chino Mine in New Mexico, United States. According to the British Geological Survey, in 2005, Chile was the top mine producer of copper with at least one-third world share followed by the United States, Indonesia and Peru. Copper can also be recovered through the In-situ leach process. Several sites in the state of Arizona are considered prime

candidates for this method. The amount of copper in use is increasing and the quantity available is barely sufficient to allow all countries to reach developed world levels of usage.

Production and Distribution in India

India is not very lucky regarding reserves and production of copper. Her total reserves in situ are estimated at about 712.5 million tonnes equivalent to 9.4 million tonnes of metal content. Major copper ore deposits are located in Singhbhum district (Jharkhand), Balghat district (Madhya Pradesh) and Jhunjhunu and Alwar districts (Rajasthan). In addition, there are small deposits in Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

Table shows that there had been gradual increase in production for two decades between 1950-51 and 1970-71. A steep rise in production was recorded after 1970-71 and it stood at a record high of 5,255 thousand tonnes in 1990-91.

Thereafter, a downward trend was observed and the production fell to 3,896 thousand tonnes in 1996-97. A landslide fall in production was recorded after 1996-97 and there was a drastic fall in production in 1997-98 when it was 223 thousand tonnes only. Since 1997-98, the production remained at a very low level and stood at 153 thousand tonnes only in 2002-03. Table 25.8 narrates the tragic story of downfall of copper production in India.

Trends in Production of Copper in India

Year Quantity (000' tonnes)

Value (Rs. crore)

1950-51 375 1.941960-61 423 2.291970-71 666 4.951980-81 2109 42.71990-91 5255 169.971994-95 4767 208.921996-97 3896 241.591997-98 223 385.971998-99 199 337.72

1999-2000 165 310.562000-2001 164 324.322001-2002 164 278.922002-2003 153 242.96

Distribution of Copper in India (2002-2003)

State Production (lakh tonnes)

Percentage of all India

Value in Rs. crore

Madhya Pradesh

87 56.86 131.19

Rajasthan 62 40.52 91.74Jharkhand 4 2.62 20.03

All India 153 100 242.96

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has become the largest producer of copper in India surpassing Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand in succession. In the year 2002-03 the state produced 56.86 per cent of the total copper production of the country.

The state is blessed with a fairly large belt in Taregaon area, in Malanjkhand belt of Balaghat district. This district has recoverable reserve of 84.83 million tonnes of copper ore having 1,006 thousand tonnes of metal. Reserves of moderate size are also found in Kherlibazar- Bargaon area of Betul district. Some other areas are also reported to have copper ore reserves.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan has also progressed a lot with respect to production of copper and is now the second largest producing state in India accounting for over 40 per cent of the total production of the country. Most of the copper reserves are found along the Aravali range.

A total of recoverable reserve in the state, spread over the districts of Ajmer, Alwar, Bhilwara, Chittaurgarh, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Pali, Sikar, Sirohi and Udaipur are estimated at 65.08 million tonnes from which 613.55 thousand tonnes of metal is expected to be obtained.

The Khetri-Singhana belt in Jhunjhunu district is the most important copper producing area. This belt runs in north-east to south-west direction over a distance of 80 km from Singhana to Raghunathgarh with average width varying from 3 to 5 km.

The annual output of copper ore at Khetri is 1.8 million tonnes yielding around 16,000 tonnes of metal. The Kho-Dariba area about 48 km to the south-west of the Alwar city and Delwara-Kirovli area about 30 km from Udaipur are other important producers. In Kishangarh area of Ajmer district, 2.5 million tonnes of copper ore, having 0.60 per cent copper, have tentatively been estimated.

Jharkhand

Jharkhand, earlier a part of Bihar used to be the largest producer of copper till early 1980s but it has lost much importance and has slipped to third position, partly due to fall in its own production and mainly due to increased production of other states. The state s share of copper ore production has fallen from 62 per cent of the nation’s total production in 1977-78 to a desperate 23 per cent in 2002-03.

The main copper belt extends over a distance of 130 km. Singhbhum is the most important copper producing district where Rakha, Kendadih, Surda, Dhobani, Mosabani and some other areas have proved reserves of 58.044 million tonnes from which 1,480.12 thousand tonnes of metal may be recovered. Hasatu, Baraganda, Jaradih, Parasnath, Barkanath, etc. in Hazaribagh district; Bairakhi in Santhal Parganas area and some parts of Palamu and Gaya districts are also reported to have some deposits of copper ore.

Copper Plants in India

1) Chilpi Series: It stretches over parts of Balaghat, and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh. The series consists of quartzite, copper-pyrite, mica schist, and marble. The copper obtained from this series is used in the Malanjkhand Copper Plant.

2) Ghatsila: Located in Jharkhand, it is a copper smelting plant. It is an electrolytic refinery. It manufactures brass sheets. It also obtains gold, silver, and nickel in the processing of copper.

3) Khetri: It is an integrated copper mining-cum-ore refining plant in the Jhunjhunu District of Rajasthan. It was established in 1967. It also obtains copper ore from the Malanjkhand copper mines of Madhya Pradesh. It also has a sulphuric acid plant, and a fertiliser plant.

4) Korba: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) has an aluminium plant located at Korba, Bilaspur District of Chhattisgarh. It obtains bauxite deposits from the Amarkantak region and electricity from the Korba Thermal Power Plant. The government has disinvested its share to a private company, Sterlite.

5) Malanjkhand: It is an open cast copper mine in Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh. A copper plant has been established at Malanjkhand. The copper ore is also sent to the Khetri Copper Plant of Rajasthan.

6) Rakha Project: The Rakha copper Plant is located in the Rakha District of Singhbhum of Jharkhand. It obtains copper ore from the mines of Rakha.

7) Tajola: The Tajola Copper Plant is located in the Raigadh town in Maharashtra. The plant has imported copper cathodes. It manufactures copper rods.

Reserves Copper has been in use at least 10,000 years, but more than 96% of all copper ever mined and smelted has been extracted since 1900, and more than half was extracted in only the last 24 years. As with many natural resources, the total amount of copper on Earth is vast (around 1014 tons just in the top kilometre of Earth’s crust, or about 5 million years’ worth at the current rate of extraction). However, only a tiny fraction of these reserves is economically viable, given present-day prices and technologies. Various estimates of existing copper reserves available for mining vary from 25 years to 60 years, depending on core assumptions such as the growth rate. Recycling is a major source of copper in the modern world. Because of these and other factors, the future of copper production and supply is the subject of much debate, including the concept of peak copper, analogous to peak oil. The price of copper has historically been unstable, and it sextupled from the 60-year low of US$0.60/lb (US$1.32/kg) in June 1999 to US$3.75 per pound (US$8.27/kg) in May 2006. It dropped to US$2.40/lb (US$5.29/kg) in February 2007, then rebounded to US$3.50/lb (US$7.71/kg) in April 2007. In February 2009, weakening global demand and a steep fall in commodity prices since the previous year’s highs left copper prices at US$1.51/lb.

Month on Month Returns of Copper

Trends in World Refined Stocks & Prices (Source: ICSG)

India Exports of Copper

India Imports of Copper

Top 10 Copper Producing Companies in World

1. Codelco

Production: 1.84 million tonnes

Codelco increased its copper production in 2014 to 1.84 million tonnes. In 2013, the company produced 1.79 million tonnes. The state-owned Chilean company is the world’s biggest copper producer. This growth has led the company to expect oversupply in 2015, at which time it will begin to slow down its shipments, according to a Bloomberg article from last November.

“We cannot continue selling the same amount, as we have less,” Rodrigo Toro, corporate sales vice president for Codelco, said in an interview. “Not only to China, not only to Asia. We are selling less to the world.”

Still, the miner remains the largest in the world, and despite troubles with falling grades, there have been reports suggesting that Codelco’s Ministro Hales mine in Chile will open soon.

2. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX)

Production: 1.47 million tonnes

Freeport-McMoRan saw a dip in its copper production in 2014, producing 1.47 million tonnes compared to 1.535 million tonnes in 2013. The company is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

One of the company’s assets is the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia, which is one of the largest copper deposits on the globe. Grasberg exported less material last year due to a concentrate export ban in Indonesia, and has also had to temporarily halt production this year due to worker protests.

3. Glencore (LSE:GLEN)

Production: 1.296 million tonnes

A major diversified miner, Glencore produced 1.296 million tonnes of copper in 2014, an increase over 2013 s total of 1.26 million tonnes. According to a press release the company issued in′ February of this year, the increase in copper production was largely due to the ramp up of Mutanda, one of its more recently developed sites.

4. BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BLT)

Production: 1.203 million tonnes

BHP Billiton saw a dip in production from 2013 to 2014, producing 1.205 million tonnes during the former and 1.203 million tonnes during the latter. The Australia-based producer had plans to improve production in 2015, but saw problems earlier this year at its Olympic Dam operation in Australia, forcing it to cut its production forecast by 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes.

5. Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO)

Production: 665,000 tonnes

Southern Copper saw a gain in its copper production, putting out 635,000 tonnes in 2013 and 665,000 tonnes in 2014. The company, which is over 85-percent owned by Grupo Mexico, saw higher production at its Mexican operations — specifically the Buenavista mine — as well as improvements at its Peruvian operations.

The company believes it has the largest copper reserves in the industry. However, Southern Copper and Grupo Mexico got some bad press for environmental troubles at Buenavista mne this year — a toxic leak at the mine contaminated the Bacanuchi and Sonora rivers in Northern Mexico, turning waters orange.

6. Rio Tinto (LSE:RIO,NYSE:RIO,ASX:RIO)

Production: 636,000 tonnes

Rio Tinto produced 636,000 tonnes of copper in 2014, an increase over the 587,000 tonnes it produced in 2013. One of the largest diversified mining companies in the world behind BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto got some good news regarding its Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia this May: after two years of setbacks due to disagreements over the project with the Mongolian government, the two parties came to an agreement to move it forward.

7. KGHM Polska Miedz (WSE:KGH)

Production: 506,000 tonnes

Poland’s KGHM has operations in Europe, North America and South America, and says that it holds over 37.5 million tonnes of copper ore resources worldwide. In 2014, the company produced 506,000 tonnes of copper compared to 531,000 tonnes in 2013.

Despite this decrease, the company is certain its production will continue to grow, increasing its ranking as one of the world’s top copper-producing companies. In January of this year, the company released an announcement highlighting its commitment to shifting its strategy.

8. Anglo American (LSE:AAL)

Production: 504,000 tonnes

Like many companies on this list, Anglo American produced less copper in 2013 than it did in 2014 — 516,000 tonnes and 504,000 tonnes, respectively.

Anglo has already said that its Q1 2015 production was lower compared to the same period in 2015 (from 202,000 tonnes vs. 171,800 tonnes). The decrease was largely due to the fact that the company took one of its Los Bronces processing plants offline to manage water reserve levels.

9. Antofagasta (LSE:ANTO)

Production: 455,000 tonnes

Chilean copper mining company Antofagasta produced 455,000 tonnes of copper in 2014, a decrease from 2013 s total of 466,000 tonnes. However, according to a 2014 annual report′ released by the company, the loss was expected as the group focused on reducing costs and positioning itself for long-term growth.

“The completion of the concentrator expansion at Centinela in 2015 will increase production there, and in our two mining districts we were advancing our Encuentro Oxides, Pelambres Incremental Expansion, and Centinela Second Concentrator projects,” Chairman Jean-Paul Lukasic said. With these advancements currently underway, the company expects to see considerable growth in copper production in coming years.

10. First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM)

Production: 380,000 tonnes

Rounding out the list of 2014 s 10 top producers is First Quantum Minerals. The company saw a bit′ of an increase in production from 2013 to 2014, producing 381,000 tonnes in 2013 and 380,000 last year.

That said, First Quantum experienced several setbacks in production throughout the year, including the suspension of operations at its Guelb Moghrein copper-gold mine in Mauritania due to strike action takenby some unionized employees in September. However, the company also acquired Lumina Copper(TSXV:LCC) and that company’s Taca Taca project in Argentina.

Top four companies in Copper industry in India

The names of some of the top producers of copper in the nation are given below:

• Sterlite Industries Limited

• Hindustan Copper Limited

• Hindalco Industries Limited

• Jhagadia Copper Limited

Some of the details regarding these top four copper producers in the nation are given below:

Sterlite Industries Limited:

Sterlite Industries Limited is the country’s largest non-ferrous mining and metal company with the stats of one of the developing companies in the private sector in the nation. The stocks of this company are listed in the National and Bombay Stock Exchanges and it holds the pride of being the first mining & metal company in the nation to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. They are primarily engaged in commercial energy, lead, zine, aluminum and of course copper business. Their main product list include copper cathode and they have a copper mine in Australia, which is operated through their group company.

Hindustan Copper Limited:

Hindustan Copper Limited is a Government of India enterprise that came into existence in the year 1967. The company holds the pride of being the country’s only integrated copper producing company encompassing casting, refining, smelting, beneficiation and mining of refined copper metal. They have copper plants in the states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. Their main product list includes copper concentrate, copper cathode and continuous cast copper rod, while by products include copper sulphate among others.

Hindalco Industries Limited:

Hindalco Industries Limited is a group company of the Aditya Birla Group and the company came into existence in the year 1958. They are leaders in the copper industry through their copper unit called Birla Copper, which produces cast copper rods, copper cathodes and other by-products like DAP fertilizers, silver and gold. Their copper unit is located in the city of Dahej in the state of

Gujarat and it holds the pride of being the largest single-location copper smelter in the world. The smelter has a capacity of nearly 5,00,000 tpa and it uses state-of-the-art technology.

Jhagadia Copper Limited:

Jhagadia Copper Limited is the largest manufacturer of LME Grade A copper cathodes with the help of secondary smelting route in the nation. The company was established in technical collaboration with Outokumpu Technology AB of Sweden. The company uses top blown rotary converter as its main furnace with a view to get flexibility in the handling of raw materials. Their copper plant capacity is 50,000 MT per annum of copper cathodes. It is an ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSS 18001:1999 certified company awarded for occupational health & safety management system standards, environmental management system standards and quality management system standards.

Thus, these companies contribute a great share towards the development of copper production in the nation.

Copper Market Forecast 2015-16 (Source: ICSG)

In developing its global market balance, ICSG uses an apparent demand calculation for China, the leading global consumer of copper, accounting for about 45% of world demand. Apparent copper demand for China is based only on reported data (production + net trade +/- SHFE stock changes) and does not take into account changes in unreported stocks [State Reserve Bureau (SRB), producer, consumer and merchant/trader], which can be significant during periods of stocking or de-stocking and which can markedly alter global supply-demand balances.

ICSG projections for 2015 indicate that the market should essentially remain balanced, while in 2016 ICSG forecasts a small deficit of around 130,000 metric tonnes (t) as demand growth outpaces production growth. This compares with a surplus of 360,000 t and 230,000 t for 2015 and 2016, respectively, forecast at our April 2015 meeting. The revisions reflect substantial changes in market conditions since April 2015. Although a downward revision has been made to global usage in view

of lower than anticipated growth in China, larger downward adjustments have been made to production as a result of recent announcements of production cuts.

In developing its projections, ICSG recognizes that global market balances can vary from those projected owing to numerous factors that could alter projections for both production and usage. In this context it can be noted that actual market balance outcomes have on recent occasions deviated significantly from ICSG market balance forecasts due to unforeseen developments. World mine production after adjusting for historical disruption factors is expected to increase by around 1.2% in 2015 (a similar growth to 2014) to reach 18.8 Mt (million tonnes). Despite announced production cuts, higher growth of around 4% is expected in 2016 as additional supply is expected to arise from expansions at existing operations, ramp-up in production from mines that have recently come on stream and output from a few new mine projects. Growth in 2015 and 2016 is expected to be in the form of copper in concentrate as SX-EW production is envisaged to decline mainly due to the announced production cuts being almost entirely at SX-EW mines.

After increasing by almost 7% in 2014, world refined copper production in 2015 is expected to increase by only 1% year-on-year to 22.7 Mt. Growth of around 7% in China will be partially offset by a decline in production in Chile, Japan and the United States, the second, third and fourth leading refined copper producers. Primary refined production (excluding SX-EW) and secondary production are expected to grow by around 2% each, while SX-EW output is anticipated to decline by 4%. In 2016, world refined copper production is expected to grow by around 2.5% to 23.2 Mt, as larger growth of 4% in primary electrolytic production will be partially offset by a further 4% decline in SX-EW production.

Following growth of around 7% in 2014, ICSG expects world apparent refined usage in 2015 to decline by 1.2%. This is mainly because apparent demand in China is expected to remain essentially flat, although underlying “real” demand growth in China is estimated by others at around 3-4% (lower than the 4.5-5% anticipated growth in April). On the other hand, usage in the rest of the world is expected to decline by 1.5%. For 2016, the growth in world apparent refined usage is expected at around 3% with underlying Chinese industrial demand growth expected at around 4%. Usage in the rest of the world is expected to increase by about 2%.