Copper Cathode is a form of copper that has a purity of 99.95%. In order to remove impurities from copper ore, it undergoes two processes, smelting and electrorefining. The resulting, nearly pure copper is an excellent conductor and is often used in electrical wiring.
When it is in the ground, copper does not exist in its pure form. Rather it is part of a compound. One of the most common types of copper ore is a mixture of copper, iron and sulfur. This ore is called chalcopyrite. After the ore is mined, it is heated in a furnace to 2,012° F (1,100° C). At this temperature, oxygen reacts with the iron in the ore, turning the ore into three substances, iron oxide, sulfur dioxide and copper sulfite.
Hindalco’s copper cathodes are branded as Birla Copper and Birla Copper II. Known for its high purity and consistent quality, Birla Copper cathodes are square-shaped plates of 6mm thickness, with 99.99 per cent copper purity levels which are produced using the Mount ISA electro-refining process.
Birla Copper cathodes meet International Quality Standards such as BS 6017 1981 (1989) and u-Cath-1 / ASTM B-115 (1999) and are registered as A-Grade cathode on London Metal Exchange (LME). Birla Copper cathodes are high-grade, and have the lowest levels of various group and individual impurities.
Birla Copper cathodes are used in the manufacturing of continuous cast copper rods which are further used for the wire, cable and transformer industries. They are also used for the manufacturing of copper tubes for consumer durable goods and other applications in the form of alloys and sheets.
The cathode is the basic product of copper production. It is produced in a marketable form at Aurubis for use in high-quality applications.
A cathode – a 50 to 80 kg copper square – is produced when pure copper separates from unwrought copper in an electrolytic refining process. Aurubis produces about 1.2 million t of cathodes with a copper content of at least 99.99 % per year in Germany (Hamburg, Lünen), Belgium (Olen) and Bulgaria (Pirdop)
Aurubis cathodes are produced with ISA Technology and comply with the cathode standards LME Grade A, Cu-CATH-1 (EN 1978) and Copper Cathodes Grade 1 (ASTM B115). Aurubis cathode production sites are all certified in accordance with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
Copper cathodes with specific maximum impurity levels are also registered and traded on the London Metal Exchange and the Comex. High-quality copper is distinguished by low impurity levels, as even the smallest amounts of selenium, bismuth or antimony in the ppm range can strongly influence conductivity.
The Aurubis copper cathode brands NA-ESN, HK, OLEN and PIRDOP are registered on the LME and have a very high level of purity and constant quality, regardless of the input materials. These cathodes form the basis for our high-quality copper products.
Typical Chemical Analysis (data in ppm)
| Pb | Bi | As | Sb | Sn | Zn | Fe | Ni | Co | Cr | Cd | Mn | Te | Se |
| <1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | <3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 |
Dimensions of Birla Copper Cathodes:
Length x Width: (approx.) 1 meter x 1 meter
Thickness : (approx.) 6mm
Weight: (approx.) 50kg
