Copper Overview - From Historical Aspects to Applications

Copper is a metal that currently is a key element in the field of electricity, although it has significant importance in other fields, particularly when it is alloyed, due to its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Moreover, copper and some of its compounds are gaining importance in other topics due to their antibacterial properties. Nevertheless, this metal, which was one of the first used by humans, has been crucial for their development, and for this reason, two periods of history are called the Copper Age and Bronze Age due to the importance of Cu and Cu-Sn, respectively, in the fabrication of utensils, weapons, and ornamental objects. From that moment, the utilization of copper has significantly grown to an actual production approaching 30 Mt, of which around 80% corresponds to the mine production while the rest comes from recycling. The reutilization of copper (or the exploitation of secondary resources) is a topic of increasing importance due to both the depletion of high-grade deposits and the importance of environmental aspects in metallurgical industries. This book provides a collection of research works and reviews that emphasize some of the above-reported topics.