History of copper

Greeks call copper Chlco and Romans call it Aes. Copper was principally mined in Cyprus. Hence the original name of the metal is сyprium (metal of Cyprus).The Romans called it Aes Cyprium and later shortened it to сuprum . Today it is called Copper in English, Kupfer in Germany, Cuiver in French, Cobre in Spanish and Koppar in Swedish.

Very likely the original centre of copper metallurgy was in Persia, where copper was easily found. Archaeologists have found lots of evidence that copper crafting was known in Persia.

The evidences were found in the following area:

• Tal-1-Iblis Iran near Kerman
• Tepe- Sialk Iran near Kashan
• Arisman near Kashan

It is very likely that the first melting process of copper were in Tal -1-Iblis or Arisman around (6000-10000 B.C.) years ago in Iran where a lot of slags found around several small furnaces over the Hills near Tal-1-Iblis. It is believed that copper and copper metallurgy was taken from old Asia to Europe

The initial copper production was very simple. A hole was made in the ground, copper oxide (Mostly malachite) was placed in the hole. The heating material used was charcoal. To increase the temperature, they used the bellows technique and produced molten copper.To form the copper stone or clay was used as a mould. Treatment of sulphide copper ores (chalcopyrite) did not produce copper at that time.

In Romans time most copper ore was mined in Spain (Rio Tinto) and Cyprus. During the middle Ages, mining and winning of metals expanded from Germany to the rest of the Europe. In 1556 Georgius Agricola published the first recorded metallurgy book titled De Re Metallica.

About 1500, Germany was the world leader in copper production. In 1580 the Bellows system was developed and in 1585 shaft furnace for melting copper was designed by Barthel-Kohler. Revebratory furnace was developed in 1698 by D. Wright. In 1851 Roasting furnace was designed by Parkes and further improved by Smith and Brucken in form using a partial heating through the exothermic reaction.In 1875 the converter system was introduced by W. Keates and from 1880 converter were used in the metallurgy of copper by David and Manhes Woods were used since 1700 for refining of copper in the area of Harz in Germany and for the recovery of precious metals from the copper. Scholuter introduced a refining process for recovering precious metal. This method was used until about 1870. After this date the electrolytic refining process was found . In 1865 J. B. Elkington found the basic galvanic deposition of metals. The most important technical problems were solved by E. Wohlwill at the Norddeutsche Affinierie in Hamburg Germany ,about from 1876 this method has been used . This process is used until now and developed the refining process everywhere. The first electrolytic copper refinery in the USA was operated from 1883 to 1918 by Balbach Smelting and Refining Co, Newark, New Jersey.