ALUMINUM

Aluminum is a chemical element with symbol Al and atomic number 13 and a mass number of
approximately 27 g mol-1. It is a silver-white, malleable, non-magnetic, ductile, metallic chemical
element that conducts electricity well and resists weathering. Aluminum is the most plentiful
metal in the earth's crust.

 Lightweight: Its weight is about ⅓ rd of the weight of steel, brass, or copper of equal
volume.
 Strength: The strength is such that it can stand heavy pressures and loads. When it is
alloyed properly, it can have the strength of steel.
 Electrical Conductivity: The conductivity is twice as compared to the conductivity of
copper.
 Thermal Conductivity: It can quickly spread heat or cooling energy in an even and quick
manner.
 Non-toxic: It is non-toxic, and this property makes it ideal for packing cooking material.
 Reflectivity: It reflects light as well as other forms of radiant energy.
 Ductility: The metal is ductile, and thus, it can be drawn into wires.
 Miscible: It can be modified by alloying it with metals that make it malleable,
conductive, and resilient than aluminum alone.
 Finishing: A variety of coatings and finishes can be used over it, such as paints, lacquer,
organic coatings, or porcelain.
 Recyclable: It can be easily recycled into many products.
 Corrosion: It corrodes less; hence, it is used in the construction of many buildings.
 Durability: It has a great amount of durability.

HISTORY OF ALUMINUM

The analysis of a curious metal ornament found in the tomb of Chou-Chu, a military leader in
3rd century China, turned out to be 85% aluminum. How it was produced remains a mystery. By
the end of the 1700s, aluminum oxide was known to contain a metal, but it defeated all attempts
to extract it. Humphry Davy had used electric current to extract sodium and potassium from their
so-called ‘earths’ (oxides), but his method did not release aluminum in the same way. The first
person to produce it was Hans Christian Oersted at Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1825, and he did it
by heating aluminum chloride with potassium. Even so, his sample was impure. It fell to the
German chemist Friedrich Wöhler to perfect the method in 1827, and obtain pure aluminum for
the first time by using sodium instead of potassium.

USES OF ALUMINUM

 Transportation: Aluminum is used in transportation because of its unbeatable strength to

weight ratio. Its lighter weight means that less force is required to move the vehicle,
leading to greater fuel efficiency. Although aluminum is not the strongest metal, alloying
(a metallic solid or liquid that is composed of a homogeneous mixture of two or more
metals or of metals and nonmetal or metalloid elements) it with other metals helps to
increase its strength. Its corrosion resistance is also beneficial, eliminating the need for
heavy and expensive anti-corrosion coatings.
 Construction: Aluminum is necessary in construction. The metal is used in practically all
elements: skylights, building bridges, shutters, ladders and railings. The element is
present in rods, doors, stampings, wiring, bars, tubing, sheets, pipes, casting and scraps.
Aluminum is applied in a wide array of industrial applications. Staircases are sometimes
made of aluminum too. The metallic element is found in many buildings. They are low
maintenance. The light weight is also used for gutters.
Buildings made with aluminum are virtually maintenance free due to aluminum’s
resistance to corrosion. Aluminum is also thermally efficient, which keeps homes warm
in winter and cool in summer. Add the fact that aluminum has a pleasing finish and can
be curved, cut and welded to any desired shape, it allows modern architects unlimited
freedom to create buildings that would be impossible to make from wood, plastic, or
steel.
 Electrical: Although it has just 63% of the electrical conductivity of copper, aluminum’s
low density makes it the best option for long distance power lines. If copper was used,
support structures would be heavier, more numerous, and more expensive. Aluminum is
also more ductile than copper, enabling it to be formed into wires much more easily.
Lastly, its corrosion-resistance helps protect wires from the elements. In addition to
 power lines and cables, aluminum is used in motors, appliances, and power systems.
Television antennae and satellite dishes, even some LED bulbs are made of aluminum.
 Packaging: One of the most popular uses of aluminum is packaging. Trays, foils, bottle
caps and cans are usually made of this metallic element. It is also used for thermos,
utensil lids and storage boxes. It is also applied as a foil container, bottle tops and foil
wrappings. Aluminum is preferred because it keeps food clean. The metal’s properties
keep food safe from harmful elements in the environment.
 Consumer Goods: Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and flat screen TVs are being made
with an increasing amount of aluminum. Its appearance makes modern tech gadgets look
sleek and sophisticated while being light and durable. Aluminum is replacing plastic and
steel components, as it is stronger and tougher than plastic and lighter than steel. It also
allows heat to dissipate quickly, keeping electronic devices from overheating.
 THE BAYER PROCESS

The Bayer process is the principal industrial means of refining bauxite to produce alumina
(aluminum oxide)

Extraction: Aluminum reacts so readily with oxygen that you never naturally find it in its
pure form. Instead, compounds of aluminum exist in huge quantities in Earth's crust as an ore
(raw rocky material) called bauxite. This is the common name for hydrated alumina, a
substance typically made from about two thirds aluminum oxide (chemical formula Al2O3)
with one third water molecules (H2O) locked into its crystal structure. Depending on where
on Earth it's found, bauxite also contains a range of different impurities such as iron oxide,
silicon oxide, and titanium oxide. Crushed bauxite is treated with moderately concentrated
sodium hydroxide solution. The concentration, temperature and pressure used depend on the
source of the bauxite and exactly what form of aluminum oxide it contains. Temperatures are
typically from 140°C to 240°C; pressures can be up to about 35 atm.

High pressures are necessary to keep the water in the sodium hydroxide solution liquid at
temperatures above 100°C. The higher the temperature, the higher the pressure needed.

With hot concentrated sodium hydroxide solution, aluminum oxide reacts to give a solution
of sodium tetrahydroxoaluminate:

Al2O3 + 2NaOH + 3H20 → 2NaAl(OH)4

The impurities in the bauxite remain as solids. For example, the other metal oxides present
tend not to react with the sodium hydroxide solution and so remain unchanged. Some of the
silicon dioxide reacts, but goes on to form a sodium aluminosilicate which precipitates out.
All these solids are separated from the sodium tetrahydroxoaluminate solution by filtration.
They form a "red mud" which is just stored in huge lagoons.

Precipitation of aluminum hydroxide: The sodium tetrahydroxoaluminate solution is cooled,

and "seeded" with some previously produced aluminum hydroxide. This provides something
for the new aluminum hydroxide to precipitate around.
NaAl(OH)4 → Al(OH)3 + NaOH

Calcination (Formation of pure aluminum oxide): Aluminum oxide (sometimes known as

alumina) is made by heating the aluminum hydroxide to a temperature of about 1100 -
1200°C.

2Al(OH)3 → Al2O3 + 3H2O

Smelting: The purified Al2O3 is dissolved in molten cryolite, Na3AlF6 which has a melting
point of 1012oC and is an effective conductor of electric current. Molten aluminum is
syphoned out of the cell from time to time, and new aluminum oxide added at the top. The
cell operates at a low voltage of about 5 - 6 volts, but at huge currents of 100,000 amps or
more. The heating effect of these large currents keeps the cell at a temperature of about
1000°C. The cell electrolytic reaction is:

2AlO3 + 3C → 4Al + 3CO2

The Electrode Reactions

Aluminum is released at the cathode. Aluminum ions are reduced by gaining 3 electrons.

Oxygen is produced initially at the anode.

 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE ALUMINUM INDUSTRY

 Loss of landscape due to mining, processing and transporting the bauxite.

 Noise and air pollution (greenhouse effect, acid rain) involved in these operations.
 Loss of landscape due to the size of the chemical plant needed, and in the production
and transport of the electricity.
 Noise.
 Atmospheric pollution from the various stages of extraction. For example: carbon
dioxide from the burning of the anodes (greenhouse effect); carbon monoxide
(poisonous); fluorine (and fluorine compounds) lost from the cryolite during the
electrolysis process (poisonous).
 Pollution caused by power generation (varying depending on how the electricity is
generated.)
 Disposal of red mud into unsightly lagoons.
 Transport of the finished aluminum.

Reducing the environmental impacts of aluminum can be done by simply recycling

already manufactured aluminum:

 Saving of raw materials and particularly electrical energy by not having to extract
the aluminum from the bauxite. Recycling aluminum uses only about 5% of the
energy used to extract it from bauxite.
 Avoiding the environmental problems in the extraction of aluminum from the
bauxite.
 Not having to find space to dump the unwanted aluminum if it wasn't recycled.
 (Offsetting these to a minor extent) Energy and pollution costs in collecting and
transporting the recycled aluminum.