Q1. What is copper sulfate?
Copper sulphate, also known as blue sputum and cholesteric, releases copper ions after a chemical reaction, which is harmful to the human body and the environment. The European Union classifies it as a harmful substance.
Q2. Some news pointed out that copper sulphate in pig feed comes from harmful industrial waste. What happened?
Copper sulphate can be obtained from electrolytic copper, copper ore and industrial waste liquid, and the copper sulphate added to the feed should be taken from copper ore or produced by pure copper electrolysis. At present, Taiwan does not mine copper mines. However, Taiwan’s printed circuit board (PCB) production ranks third in the world. Printed circuit board etching and pickling processes produce high concentrations of copper-containing waste liquid. After extraction, sulfuric acid is added and then cooled to produce copper sulfate crystals, which can be reused after recovery. However, such recovered copper sulfate often contains heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and nickel.
Q3. Why is copper sulfate added to the pig’s feed?
In short, although copper is not a component of heme, it is a mineral that is essential for the body to use iron as a heme. It is also a component of some enzymes in the body. Therefore, the feed should contain enough copper for the pig. Only normal growth, pig farmers will use copper-containing feed. However, pigs need only a very low amount of copper, only 3-6 mg/kg. At present, the type of feed copper added is the most commonly used copper sulfate (CuSO4.5H2O).
Q4. What is the possible mechanism of copper-containing feed for improving pig growth?
Possible mechanisms for improving the growth of pigs by adding copper to the feed include: (1) copper may regulate the amount of microorganisms in the intestines to reduce the incidence of intestinal diseases; (2) reduce the amount of microorganisms while reducing the production of harmful toxins; c) reduce the amount of microorganisms and thus reduce the main nutrient content of the pigs; (4) there may be similar effects of antibiotics to make the intestinal function normal, including normal villus and thinning of the intestinal wall, so that the efficiency of absorption and utilization of nutrients is improved. .
Q5. Does adding copper sulphate make sense in animal husbandry or animal husbandry? Can it really achieve the function of sterilization?
Copper sulphate solution can be used as a bacteriostatic agent in many places, so the role of the feed additive is to adjust the intestinal flora to improve digestion efficiency. However, there is no clear research note for this hypothesis, although it seems to have an effect on the site.
Q6. What do you say about the addition of copper sulfate to feed?
Many pig-raising countries have done tests on the addition of copper sulphate in feeds, but not all reports have positive effects. There are also a small number of reports indicating that copper is added to the feed, which has not improved or even negative for pigs. The impact, the influencing factors are not simply caused by copper, but may also be affected by the interaction of other factors. If you add high amounts of copper, if you don’t have a good combination, it will cause a lot of deficiency, such as the reduction of hemoglobin and iron deficiency in pigs.
Q7. What is the status abroad? Is it completely disabled? Have you used it in the past?
Foreign countries still use copper sulphate as a feed additive and are not strictly controlled. But as far as I know, some countries have control over the amount of meat detected.
Q8. Possible effects of adding high amounts of copper to feed?
Adding high amounts of copper to the feed may cause soft meat and copper accumulation in the pig liver. For the environment, most of the copper eaten by pigs will be excreted. Although livestock and poultry excrement is a good organic compost, and copper and zinc are also trace elements required by animals and plants, copper and zinc are relatively inert. If there is excessive copper and zinc in the compost, it will accumulate in the soil, which will cause soil and environmental pollution. However, if high amounts of copper have an inhibitory effect on bacteria in the pig’s intestines, it naturally has an inhibitory effect on the fungi in the wastewater treatment. However, it is necessary to further understand whether it is a copper that can be effectively absorbed by microorganisms, or whether it is correct. Microbial growth is unfavorable.
Q9. What is the government’s regulations on the amount of copper in feed?
In order to take into account pig production and ecological protection, the Standards Inspection Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs has revised the limits for copper and zinc in chicken and pig compound feeds. The maximum limits for copper and zinc in chicken compound feed are 35ppm and 140ppm respectively. The maximum copper limit for pig compound feed is The use of artificial milk and suckling pigs for suckling pigs is 150 ppm, and for piglets from 15 kg to 30 kg, it is 125 ppm, and the compound feed for pigs and breeding pigs of more than 31 kg is reduced to 35 ppm.
Q10. According to the information obtained, industrial copper sulphate is low in purity and contains many other heavy metals. Is it possible to use high-purity copper sulphate?
Theoretically, feed grade copper sulphate is a purity and safety requirement, especially for lead and arsenic.
Q11. Other alternatives or alternatives?
There are many alternatives, and some have a very good effect, but the price is relatively expensive.