Copper

• Copper is a good conductor of electricity and is ductile (able to be drawn out into a thin wire).
• It is an important metal used in the automobile and defense industries, and in the electrical industry for making wires, electric motors, transformers, and generators.
• Copper can be alloyed with iron and nickel to make stainless steel, with nickel to make ‘morel metal’, and with aluminum to make ‘duralumin’.
• Copper alloyed with zinc is known as ‘brass’ and with tin as ‘bronze’.
• Copper ore is found in ancient as well as younger rock formations and occurs as veins and as bedded deposits.
• Mining for copper is a costly and tedious affair because most of the copper ores contain a small percentage of metal.
• India has low-grade copper ore with less than 1% metal content, which is below the international average of 2.5%.
• The major part of supply comes from the USA, Canada, Zimbabwe, Japan, and Mexico.

Copper Distribution in India

• India is not very lucky regarding reserves and the production of copper. The total reserves in situ are estimated at about 712.5 million tonnes equivalent to 9.4 million tonnes of metal content.
• Major copper ore deposits are located in the Singhbhum district (Jharkhand), Balaghat district (Madhya Pradesh), and Jhunjhunu and Alwar districts (Rajasthan).

• Madhya Pradesh:
  • It is the largest producer of copper in India surpassing Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand in succession
  • The state is blessed with a fairly large belt in the Taregaon area, the Malanjkhand belt of the Balaghat district.
• Rajasthan:
  • Rajasthan has also progressed a lot with respect to the production of copper and is now the second-largest producing state in India accounting for over 40% of the total production of the country.
  • The Khetri-Singhana belt in the Jhunjhunu district is the most important copper-producing area.
  • Ajmer, Alwar, Bhilwara, Chittaurgarh, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Pali, Sikar, Sirohi, and Udaipur are other copper producing areas.
• Jharkhand:
  • The main copper belt extends over a distance of 130 km.
  • Singhbhum is the most important copper-producing district.
  • Hasatu, Baraganda, Jaradih, Parasnath, Barkanath, etc. in Hazaribagh district;
  • Bairakhi in the Santhal Parganas area
  • Some parts of the Palamu and Gaya districts are also reported to have some deposits of copper ore.
    

Chromite

• Chromite (Cr) is the single commercially viable ore of chromium, which is chemically known as iron chromium oxide.
• It is a steel-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle metal which takes a high polish, resists tarnishing, and has a high melting point.
• Chromium is an important alloying metal, used in the manufacture of alloys along with other metals such as nickel, cobalt, and copper.
• Chromium is also used in many other metallurgical, refractories, and chemical industries.
• The properties of chromium that make it versatile and indispensable are its resistance to corrosion, oxidation, and wear.
• Chromium imparts additional strength, hardness, and toughness to its alloys.

Chromite Ore Distribution In India

• India has 203 MT of chromite reserves.
• More than 93% of the chromite resources are located in Odisha.
• The Sukinda valley in Cuttack and Jajapur is the main area where chromite is found in Odisha.
• Minor chromite deposits are located in Manipur, Nagaland, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
• 
• Odisha:
  • Odisha is the sole producer (99 percent) of chromite ore.
  • Over 85 percent of the ore is of high grade [Keonjhar, Cuttack, and Dhenkanal].
• Chromite in Other States
  • Karnataka is the second-largest producer.
  • The main production comes from Mysore and Hassan districts.
  • Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh,
  • Tamenglong and Ukhrul districts of Manipur are other producers.

Nickel

• Nickel is a silvery-white metal with a high melting point.
• It has high resistance to corrosion and oxidation, and exhibits excellent strength and toughness at high temperatures.
• Nickel is capable of being magnetized and readily alloys with many other metals.
• When added in small quantities to iron, it makes the product hard and stainless.
• Nickel steel is used for manufacturing armoured plates and bullet jackets.
• Nickel is used in various products for consumer, industrial, military, aerospace, marine, and architectural applications.
• Nickel has been widely used in coins.

Health Effects of Nickel

• Nickel is a compound that occurs in the environment only at very low levels.
• Humans commonly use nickel as an ingredient in steel and other metal products.
• Exposure to nickel can occur through breathing air, drinking water, eating food, or smoking cigarettes.
• Foodstuffs, particularly chocolate and fats, naturally contain small amounts of nickel.
• Plants accumulate nickel, leading to increased uptake from vegetables grown in polluted soils.
• Smokers have a higher nickel uptake through their lungs.
• Nickel can also be found in detergents.
• Large quantities of nickel uptake can lead to several health consequences, including:
  • Higher chances of developing lung, nose, larynx, and prostate cancer
  • Sickness and dizziness after exposure to nickel gas
  • Lung embolism
  • Respiratory failure
  • Birth defects
  • Asthma and chronic bronchitis
  • Allergic reactions, mainly from jewelry
  • Heart disorders.

Nickel Distribution In India

• Nickeliferous limonite is found in the Sukinda valley of Jajapur district, Odisha, where it occurs as oxide.
• Nickel also occurs in sulphide form along with copper mineralization in the east Sighbhum district, Jharkhand.
• It is found associated with uranium deposits at Jaduguda, Jharkhand.
• Other important occurrences of nickel are in Karnataka, Kerala, and Rajasthan.
• Polymetallic sea nodules are another source of nickel.
• About 92 percent of nickel resources are in Odisha.
• The remaining 8 percent of nickel resources are distributed in Jharkhand, Nagaland, and Karnataka