The Copper Ore Has a Bright Prospect in Africa

With the rapid development of economic globalization, more and more countries have carried on sufficient construction relying on their domestic resources in modern society, like Africa. Generally, people from Africa process these ore stones into sand, metal, other materials in building, chemistry, metallurgy by crushing , grinding, refining, etc, which greatly improve the living conditions of local inhabitants. What’s more, the distribution of copper resources is potential to Africa.

According to the report from Research Center for Sino-Africa Trade, copper is a fine electricity, and is widely used in wire-making and assembiles. In addition, the refining of copper is a form of recycling, which often is done by electrolysis that we call it as electrolytic copper refining.

Copper Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo

As the largest country on copper production in Africa, DRC(Democratic Republic of Congo) is the fourth largest country around the whole world, where there has copper ore of 1.3 million tons totally in 2019.

Copper Mining in Zambia

While Zambia, the second largest production country on copper, there have a large volume of copper, taking 70% of the Africa, which has become the 7th biggest country all over the world until 2019, producing 790000 tons copper, the red metal. Moreover, the copper accounts for 60% of total export volume in their country, like “copper belt”, the well-known production base of copper at the north of Zambia, has the length of 220 kilometers, the width of 65 kilometers, where there has abundant copper ores with high quality.(3.9% averagely).

Zambia is the fifth largest country about copper production, nearly closed to USA, the Soviot Union, Canada, Chile, similarly, is also the second biggest country on copper ore exporting. The digging of copper ore is key that it is on a dominant statue towards the development of the economy of Zambia, which takes up nine tenths of export volume, nearly a half of revenue of government. The copper-digging industry is the pillar of the national economy, and is the main industry that makes profits for Zambia that more than one 7th of worker is relying on it. There have 14 copper ores in Zambia, among them, Kansanshi, Lumwana, Mopani, and Konkola is the key.

Copper Mining in South Africa

South Africa is a land rich in mineral resources and is mainly famous for its platinum group metals. It is the world's leading producer of platinum and the second largest producer of palladium after Russia. However, with the opening of the palabora open pit copper mine in 1966, South Africa was the first African country to start commercial scale copper mining.

Today, palabora copper mine is still one of the largest and deepest open-pit mines in the world. The palabora mining company, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, manages mines, smelters and refineries, which is the only refined copper producer in South Africa. In the past few years, the overall output of South Africa's mining industry has declined sharply due to conflicts between industry and the government, labor strikes and economic crisis. The covid-19 crisis will only exacerbate the country's production problems.（source: China-Africa Trade Research Center)