AECH 1103 - Topic 6b Aluminum (1) PDF

Topic 6 Metal industry: Aluminum AECH 1103 Industrial Process Overview  Aluminum Aluminum is the third-most abundant element in the earth’s crust. 2  Why Do We Prefer Aluminum ? 1....

Topic 6 Metal industry: Aluminum AECH 1103 Industrial Process Overview  Aluminum Aluminum is the third-most abundant element in the earth’s crust. 2  Why Do We Prefer Aluminum ? 1. Strong 2. Lightweight 3. Durable 4. Resistant to corrosion 5. Malleable 6. Ductile 7. Odorless 8. Conductive 9. Non-combustible 3  The Uses of Aluminium Power lines Packaging Electrical Equipment Aircraft components High-rise buildings Spacecraft components Window frames Ships Consumer electronics Trains Household and industrial appliances Personal vehicles Aluminum Consumption 4  Bauxite and Aluminum Bauxite is the most common raw material used to produce alumina for aluminum metal production. Bauxite is a rock that is mainly composed of various minerals. Most importantly, bauxite is the primary ore for aluminum. Bauxite Pure Aluminum 5 Bauxite occurs mainly in tropical and sub-tropical areas, like Africa, the West Indies, South America and Australia. 6 7  Effect on the Environment Air pollution from bauxite dust Aluminum hydroxide: could be detrimental to health as pain and reddening of the nose, coughing, pain and redness of the skin, along with peeling and itching eyes, are among the significant effects of exposure to bauxite dust. Neurological problems such as chronic brain syndrome, anxiety for no reason, forgetfulness, or Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease in adults Titanium oxide: effect to those who suffer from eczema skin, heart problems and liver problems. Content of reactive silica in bauxite is 1-8 percent. Exposure to high concentrations can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, fainting or even death. 8  Production of Aluminum Raw Materials: Bauxite consists of 45-60% aluminum oxide, along with various impurities such as sand, iron, and other metals. Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) is used to dissolve the aluminum compounds found in the bauxite, separating them from the impurities. Cryolite is a chemical compound composed of sodium, aluminum, and fluorine, is used as the electrolyte (current-conducting medium) in the smelting operation. (Naturally occurring cryolite was once mined in Greenland, but the compound is now produced synthetically for use in the production of aluminum.) Carbon electrodes transmit the electric current through the electrolyte. During the smelting operation, some of the carbon is consumed as it combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. Aluminum fluoride is added to lower the melting point of the electrolyte solution. 9  Production of Aluminum Manufacturing Process: The Bayer process : refining the bauxite ore to obtain aluminum oxide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I56zQTqy6nU&ab_channel=KarthiExplains Hall-Heroult process : smelting the aluminum oxide to release pure aluminum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P90li2PHfA&ab_channel=FuseSchool-GlobalEducation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u8gzoT-seg&ab_channel=HowIt%27sMadeArchive 10  The Bayer process https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVjeWQqruVM&ab_channel=Periwinkle 11 The Bayer process 12 The Bayer process 13 The Bayer process 14 The Bayer process 15 The Bayer process 16 The Bayer process 17 The Bayer process 18 Hall-Heroult process 19 Hall-Heroult process 20 Hall-Heroult process 21 Hall-Heroult process 22 Hall-Heroult process 23 Hall-Heroult process 24  Aluminium Transformation Extruding: For shaping aluminium using ready-made or tailored profiles. Rolling: Given its extreme malleability, aluminium can be rolled from 60 cm to 2 mm and further processed into foil as thin as 0.006 mm and still be completely impermeable to light, aroma and taste. Casting: Changes the properties of aluminium, adding strength, brilliance and/or ductility. 25 Why Recycle Aluminium? i. Environmental ii. Economic iii. Community benefits Energy Consumption of Primary Aluminum Production life cycle (LC) primary fossil energy (PE) greenhouse gas (GHG) 26  How many times the same piece of aluminium can be recycled? According to ”The Aluminium Association”, aluminum drinks cans are the most sustainable form of drinks packaging. On average, they contain 73% recycled content, which equates to 20 times more than the recycled content of plastic bottles. How much energy can people save by recycling aluminium? A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 1 pound of steel. 27  Recycle Process 1. The Loading Conveyor 3. The Magnetic Separator 2. The Shredder 4. De-coating 28  Recycle Process 5. Furnace holding furnace 6. Rolling mill 29