Introduction

Copper in India is chiefly used for the production of electrical machinery. As an industrial metal, copper stands second only to steel. It is measured as the best conductor of electricity. Copper is also used in producing brass and bronze, castings and pipes. Further, for the refining of copper, cheap and abundant electricity is required. India manufactures only a little amount of copper and it imports a huge quantity of this mineral resource annually to meet domestic needs. At present, most of the copper ore is mined in the districts of Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Baiaghat (Madhya Pradesh) and Jhunjhunu District and Alwar in Rajasthan. The small producers of copper include Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh, Dhitradurga and Hassan District of Karnataka and also in some parts of Sikkim.

The smelter at Ghatsila in Singhbhum district is very old. It receives copper ore concentrates from Mosabani. Interestingly, up to the year 1971, the smelter at Ghatsila was the only producer of copper in the country. It also produced huge tonnes of copper annually. On the other hand, the smelter situated at Khetri in Jhunjhunu district of Andhra Pradesh also has a huge capacity. In the year 1970, this smelter started producing copper on an experimental basis. The smelter was commissioned for the production of electrolytic copper on a real large scale in the year 1974. This smelter gets copper ore from the copper ore mines at Khetri, Chandmari, Dariba and Kolihan. All these places are located within close proximity from Khetri.

With the increase in the copper smelting capacity of India, production of this mineral resource started an upward trend long time back after 1971. Further, production rose further since then. India is quite able to meet nearly more than half of the annual domestic requirements of copper. In India, several copper projects are being developed in order to augment the production of copper.

Copper Ore in India

Copper Ore in India is only about 0.2 percent of world production. Copper is considered as one of the most important metal used in the country next to iron. Copper is used broadly in the manufacture of electrical machinery, cables and wires as it is a good conductor of electricity. This metal is also used for making brass and other similar alloys, coins and utensils. Defence as well automobile industries too use a huge quantity of copper and its alloys. However, it is the electrical industry that consumes an appreciable bulk of the total amount of copper produced in the world.

Copper Production in India : Mining of copper in India traditionally is more than 2000 years old. Its production to meet manufacturing demand is noted from the middle of 1960"s. With the opening of new mines, the production of copper ore has increased tremendously in the recent times. Of the total production of copper ore in India, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh account for a major output. Now there are three more manufacturers in copper field such as Hindalco Industries Ltd, Sterlite Industries Ltd and Jagadia Copper Ltd.

Copper Mines in India : In India, copper ore belts are found in several regions. The major copper mines are the Khetri copper belt in Rajasthan, Singhbhum copper belt in Jharkhand and Malanjkhand copper belt in Madhya Pradesh. Rakha and Mosabani areas are the major mining areas. Further, in the Himalayan mountain ranges, rich deposits of copper ore are found. It is basically found near Rangpo in Sikkim and in Garhwal of Uttar Pradesh. However, even if the deposits of copper ore are found in some areas in huge quantity, they are not exploited in some areas because of poor transportation means and non-availability of electricity.

Promising deposit of copper ore occurs near Khetri town located near the Aravalli Mountain Ranges. It is a huge copper ore belt in the country with a heavy reserve. Other copper ore belts are found at Agnigundala in Guntur district, at Dariba in Alwar District, at Chitradurga, Kalyadi and Thinthini in Karnataka and at Dikchu in Sikkim. Few more areas in India where copper ore are found include Sirohi in Rajasthan, Chandrapur district in Maharashtra, Chitorgarh district and also in Phek district of Nagaland.

Use of Copper as Medicines

Copper is described as an alterative, emetic and purgative and used in poisoning, dyspepsia, fever, enlarged liver and spleen, anaemia, skin diseases, diarrhoea etc.

Dose of Copper in Medicine : In poisoning, prepared copper is given in doses of about 24 grains with sugar or honey to cause vomiting. Copper enters into the composition of several medicines for ague, remittent fever, enlarged spleen etc. The following are a few illustrations.

Sitabhanji Rasa: Take orpiment, mercury, sulphur and realgar, 2, 1, half and quarter parts, respectively, rub them together into a thin paste with the juice of Momordica Charantia (Karavella). Apply this paste on copper plates equal in weight to the other ingredients, enclose the plates in a covered crucible, and roast in a sand-bath over a strong fire for 12 hours. When cool extract the copper plates from the crucible and powder them. Dose should be 4 grains with 4 black peppers enclosed in a betel leaf. This packet should be chewed. It is given in intermittent fever with shivering fits, followed by burning and heat of skin. A preparation very similar to the above in composition is called Pliha Panchanana Rasa, and used in enlarged spleen.

Svachchhanda Bhairava Rasa: Take prepared copper and aconite equal parts, rub together with the juice of datura leaves and make into 1 grain pills. They are given with ginger juice, sugar and rock salt in fevers complicated with cerebral symptoms.

Mahaamritunjaya Lauha: Take mercury, sulphur, talc, orpiment and realgar, each 1 part, iron 2 parts, copper 4 parts, yavakshara and sarjikakshara, borax, black salt, burnt couries and conch-shells, plumbago-root, asafoetida, root of Picrorrhiza Kurroa (katuki), Amoora, rohitaka and Ipomoea Turpethum (trivrit); tamarind pulp, colocynth root, root bark of Anogeissus latifolius (dhava), root of Alangium decapetalum (ankota), Achyranthes aspera (Apamarga), ashes of the spikes of the palm tree, turmeric and wood of Berberis Asiatica (Daruharidra), croton seeds, sulphate of copper rusot and Oxalis corniculata (amlalonika), all in equal parts, with the exception of rohitaka bark, which should be 2 parts. Powder the ingredients, mix, soak the mixture in the fresh juice of ginger and gulancha and add to it 32 tolas of honey. Make into 6 grain pills with honey. One pill is given every morning in enlarged liver, spleen disease, ascites etc.

In enlargements of the abdominal viscera, designated by the term gulma, copper is used in a variety of forms. Thus, prepared copper in doses of 2 grains rubbed with ginger juice and enclosed in betel leaf may be given, or the following composition may be used.

Gulma Kalanana Rasa: Take mercury, sulphur, copper, orpiment, borax, and yavakshara, each 2 tolas, tubers of Cyperus rotundus (mustaka), black pepper, ginger, long pepper, fruit of Pothos officinalis (Gajapipul), chebulic myrobalans, Acorus Galamus (vacha) and Aplotaxis auriculata (kushtha), each 1 tola. Powder them all, mix and soak the mixture in the juice of Hedyotis biflora (Parpati), Heliophytum Indicum (hastisundi), Achyranthes aspera (Apamarga) and Trichosanthes dioica (patala) respectively and dry. This medicine is given in the form of a powder in doses of 8 grains with the decoction of chebulic myrobalans.

Several preparations of copper are recommended for use in with asthma and heart disease, as for example, Suryavarta Rasa, Hridayarnava Rasa etc.

Suryavarta Rasa: This preparation of copper is recommended for use in asthma by Sarangadhara and thus prepared. One part of mercury and one of sulphur are rubbed together with the juice of Aloe Indica for 6 hours. 2 parts of copper leaves are pasted with the above mixture and mounted within a closed crucible in a sand-bath for 12 hours. When cool the copper leaves are taken out from the crucible and powdered. Dose will be 4 grains with the addition of honey and the juice of Adhatoda Vasica (vasaka).

Hridayarnava Rasa: Take purified mercury and sulphur, each one part, prepared copper 2 parts; rub them together for 12 hours with the decoction of the 3 myrobalans, and with the fresh juice of Solanum Nigrum (kakamachi). Make into pills about 4 grains each, These pills are administered with a decoction of the fruits of Solanum Nigrum and the 3 myrobalans, prepared with 2 tolas, in all of the drugs and 32 tolas of water, which is boiled down to 4 tolas. They are said to be useful in heart disease.

Tamresvara: Take prepared copper, mercury, borax, iron, sulphur and long pepper, equal parts, soak in the decoction of the leaves, bark, fruit, root, and flowers of Azadirachta Indica (nimba), of the pulp of Cassia fistula and of the 3 myrobalans. Dose should be 4 grains, in skin diseases of various sorts. During the administration of this medicine a cooling regimen should be observed.