Ch. 3— Minerals Supply, Demand, and Future Trends • 97 



copper operations.*^ The only domestic mine to 

 metal production came from Hanna Mining Com- 

 pany's Nickel Mountain Mine in Oregon, which 

 produced ferronickel; the mine closed permanendy 

 in August 1986. Secondary recovery of nickel from 

 recycled old and new scrap contributed about 

 39,000 tons in 1986, which was approximately 21 

 percent of apparent consumption. 



Future Demand and Technological Trends 



After growing at an average rate of roughly 6 

 percent per year for most of the century, nickel con- 

 sumption flattened in the 1970s. From 1978 to 

 1982, the consumption sharply declined before 

 stabililzing in the mid-1980s. A major factor in the 

 declining consumption between 1978 and 1982 was 

 the drop in the intensity of nickel use. Less nickel 

 was used per value of Gross National Product and 

 per capita each year during the period. Since 1982, 

 the intensity of use has remained fairly constant. 



Much of the decrease in the intensity of use re- 

 sulted from the substitution of plastics in coatings, 

 containers, automobile parts, and plumbing, and 

 displacement in the use of some stainless steel. 

 Other possible substitute materials include alumi- 

 num, coated steel, titanium, platinum, cobalt, and 

 copper. These substitutes, however, can mean 

 poorer performance or added cost. Higher imports 

 of finished goods and the reduced size of automo- 

 biles also reduce domestic nickel demand. 



Domestic demand for nickel in 2000 is forecast 

 to be between 300,000 and 400,000 tons, with the 

 probable level being about 350,000 tons (table 3- 

 7).'° The forecast for a 2.6 percent annual growth 



in domestic nickel demand through 2000 is due to 

 projected growth in total consumption, primarily 

 for pollution abatement and waste treatment ma- 

 chinery, mass transit systems, and aerospace com- 

 ponents.^' 



Copper 

 Properties and Uses 



Copper offers very high electrical and thermal 

 conductivity, strength, and wear- and corrosion- 

 resistance, and it is nonmagnetic. As a result, cop- 

 per is valuable both as a basic metal and in alloys 

 (e.g., brass, bronze, copper nickel, copper-nickel- 

 zinc-alloy, and leaded copper), and ranks third in 

 world metal consumption after steel and aluminum. 

 About 43 percent of U.S. copper products are used 

 in building construction, 24 percent in electrical and 

 electronic products, 13 percent for industrial ma- 

 chinery and equipment, 10 percent in transporta- 

 tion, and the remaining 10 percent in general prod- 

 ucts manufacturing. 



In the aggregate, the largest use of copper (65 

 percent) is in electrical equipment, in the transmis- 

 sion of electrical energy, in electronic and comput- 

 ing equipment, and in telecommunications systems. 

 Because of its corrosion resistance, copper has many 

 uses in industrial equipment and marine and air- 

 craft products. Copper is used extensively for 

 plumbing, roofing, gutters, and other construction 

 purposes. Brass is used in ordnance, military equip- 

 ment, and machine tools that are important to na- 

 tional security. Copper chemicals are also used in 

 agriculture, in medicine, and as wood preservatives. 

 Once used extensively in coinage, copper has been 



■"Chamberlain, "Nickel," Mineral Commodity Summaries — 1987, 

 p. 109. 



^°S. Sibley, "Nickel," Mineral Facts and Problems— 1985 Edition, 

 BuUetin 675 (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1986), p. 547. 



^'International Trade Administration, The End-Use Marliet for 13 

 Non-Ferrous Metals (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 

 Commerce, 1986), p. 32. 



Table 3-7.— Forecast of U.S. and World Nickel Demand In 2000 



2000 

 Actual Low Probable High 



(thousand tons) 



184^ 300 350 400 



800 1,000 1,300 1,500 



— 1,300 1,700 1,900 



^U.S. data for 1986 from P. Cfiamberlain, "Nickel," Mineral Commodity Summaries— 1987 Edition (Wasfiington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1987), p. 108. 

 SOURCE: Adapted from S. Sibley, "Nickel," Mineral Facts and Problems— 1985 Edition (Wasfiington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1986), p. 548. 



