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Copper is used for the wiring in the phone, and this is because it conducts heat and electricity very well. It is also very ductile, allowing it to fit and snake through our phones without problems.
British Columbia has six current copper mines, the most in Canada, with 3 in Ontario. The mines are open pit mines, using terraces to gradually go deeper. The biggest copper producer in the world is Chile, producing 5.7 million metric tons of copper in 2020.
Copper is also used in cars and construction projects. In cars, it is also used in electronics. There is over 55 pounds of copper in the average US car. Copper is a non renewable resource on any human timescale.
There is around 2.8 billion tons of copper in world, mined and not mined. Chalcopyrite is the primary source of copper in the world. The biggest producer of copper in the world is Chile.
First, the ore is ground up into powder. Then the process of froth flotation puts it in to a liquid, where the unwanted material sinks to the bottom and is removed. What happens next is that the concentrated powder is heated between 500ºC and 700ºC, where the powder dries. Something called a flux is added to make the copper melt more easily. Air is blown into the liquid copper, which is mixed with iron sulphide, and the gas bubbles from blisters on top of the copper. Lastly, the copper is purified to 99.99% using electroysis
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