What does a copper rod do?
Every year, 50% of the copper is purified by electrolysis into pure copper for the power industry. The copper mentioned here needs to be very pure indeed, containing more than 99.95% copper. Very small amounts of impurities, especially phosphorus, arsenic and aluminium, can significantly reduce the electrical conductivity of copper. Oxygen in copper (which tends to mix in small amounts in copper smelting) has a significant effect on the electrical conductivity of copper. The copper used in the electrical industry is generally oxygen-free copper. In addition, impurities such as lead, antimony and bismuth can prevent the crystals of copper from binding together, causing thermal embrittlement and also affecting the processing of pure copper. This pure copper of high purity is generally refined by electrolysis: impure copper (i.e. crude copper) is used as the anode, pure copper as the cathode and copper sulphate solution as the electrolyte. When current is passed, the impurity copper on the anode gradually melts and the pure copper on the cathode gradually precipitates. Refined copper can be 99.99% pure.
2022-01-21
