ALUMINUM

The metallic element aluminum is the third most plentiful element in the earth's crust, comprising 8% of
the planet's soil and rocks (oxygen and silicon make up 47% and 28%, respectively). In nature, aluminum
is found only in chemical compounds with other elements such as sulfur, silicon, and oxygen. Pure,
metallic aluminum can be economically produced only from aluminum oxide ore.

RAW MATERIALS

Aluminum compounds occur in all types of clay, but the ore that is most useful for producing pure
aluminum is bauxite. Bauxite consists of 45-60% aluminum oxide, along with various impurities such as
sand, iron, and other metals. Although some bauxite deposits are hard rock, most consist of relatively
soft dirt that is easily dug from open-pit mines. Australia produces more than one-third of the world's
supply of bauxite. It takes about 4 lb (2 kg) of bauxite to produce 1 lb (0.5 kg) of aluminum metal.

Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) is used to dissolve the aluminum compounds found in the bauxite,
separating them from the impurities. Depending on the composition of the bauxite ore, relatively small
amounts of other chemicals may be used in the extraction.

Cryolite, 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.
Aluminum fluoride is added to lower the melting point of the electrolyte solution.

The other major ingredient used in the smelting operation is carbon. 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. In fact, about half a pound (0.2 kg) of carbon is used
for every pound (2.2 kg) of aluminum produced. Some of the carbon used in aluminum smelting is a
byproduct of oil refining; additional carbon is obtained from coal.

Because aluminum smelting involves passing an electric current through a molten electrolyte, it requires
large amounts of electrical energy. On average, production of 2 lb (1 kg) of aluminum requires 15
kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy. The cost of electricity represents about one-third of the cost of smelting
aluminum.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Aluminum manufacture is accomplished in two phases:

the Bayer process of refining the bauxite ore to obtain aluminum oxide, and
the Hall-Heroult process of smelting the aluminum oxide to release pure aluminum.
 BAYER PROCESS

CRUSHING

the bauxite ore is mechanically crushed. Then, the crushed ore is mixed with caustic soda and
processed in a grinding mill to produce a slurry (a watery suspension) containing very fine particles of
ore.

DIGESTING

The slurry is pumped into a digester, a tank that functions like a pressure cooker. The slurry is
heated to 230-520F (110-270C) under a pressure of 50 lb/in 2 (340 kPa). These conditions are
maintained for a time ranging from half an hour to several hours. Additional caustic soda may be added
to ensure that all aluminum-containing compounds are dissolved.

COOLING

The hot slurry, which is now a sodium aluminate solution, passes through a series of flash tanks
that reduce the pressure and recover heat that can be reused in the refining process.

SETTLING

The slurry is pumped into a settling tank. As the slurry rests in this tank, impurities that will not
dissolve in the caustic soda settle to the bottom of the vessel. One manufacturer compares this process
to fine sand settling to the bottom of a glass of sugar water; the sugar does not settle out because it is
dissolved in the water, just as the aluminum in the settling tank remains dissolved in the caustic soda.
The residue (called "red mud") that accumulates in the bottom of the tank consists of fine sand, iron
oxide, and oxides of trace elements like titanium.

FILTERING

After the impurities have settled out, the remaining liquid, which looks somewhat like coffee, is
pumped through a series of cloth filters. Any fine particles of impurities that remain in the solution are
trapped by the filters. This material is washed to recover alumina and caustic soda that can be reused.

PRECIPITATION

The filtered liquid is pumped through a series of six-story-tall precipitation tanks. Seed crystals of
alumina hydrate (alumina bonded to water molecules) are added through the top of each tank. The seed
crystals grow as they settle through the liquid and dissolved alumina attaches to them.

WASHING AND KILNING

The crystals precipitate (settle to the bottom of the tank) and are removed. After washing, they are
transferred to a kiln for calcining (heating to release the water molecules that are chemically bonded to
the alumina molecules). A screw conveyor moves a continuous stream of crystals into a rotating,
cylindrical kiln that is tilted to allow gravity to move the material through it. A temperature of 2,000 F
(1,100 C) drives off the water molecules, leaving anhydrous (waterless) alumina crystals. After leaving
the kiln, the crystals pass through a cooler.

HALL-HEROULT PROCESS

SMELTING

Smelting of alumina into metallic aluminum takes place in a steel vat called a reduction pot. The
bottom of the pot is lined with carbon, which acts as one electrode (conductor of electric current) of the
system. The opposite electrodes consist of a set of carbon rods suspended above the pot; they are
lowered into an electrolyte solution and held about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) above the surface of the molten
aluminum that accumulates on the floor of the pot. Reduction pots are arranged in rows (pot lines)
consisting of 50-200 pots that are connected in series to form an electric circuit. Each pot line can
produce 66,000-110,000 tons (60,000-100,000 metric tons) of aluminum per year. A typical smelting
plant consists of two or three pot lines.

ELECTROLYSIS

Within the reduction pot, alumina crystals are dissolved in molten cryolite at a temperature of
1,760-1,780 F (960-970 C) to form an electrolyte solution that will conduct electricity from the carbon
rods to the carbon-lined bed of the pot. A direct current (4-6 volts and 100,000-230,000 amperes) is
passed through the solution. The resulting reaction breaks the bonds between the aluminum and oxygen
atoms in the alumina molecules. The oxygen that is released is attracted to the carbon rods, where it
forms carbon dioxide. The freed aluminum atoms settle to the bottom of the pot as molten metal.

SIPHONING

The smelting process is a continuous one, with more alumina being added to the cryolite solution
to replace the decomposed compound. A constant electric current is maintained. Heat generated by the
flow of electricity at the bottom electrode keeps the contents of the pot in a liquid state, but a crust tends
to form atop the molten electrolyte. Periodically, the crust is broken to allow more alumina to be added
for processing. The pure molten aluminum accumulates at the bottom of the pot and is siphoned off. The
pots are operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

CASTING

A crucible is moved down the pot line, collecting 9,000 lb (4,000 kg) of molten aluminum, which
is 99.8% pure. The metal is transferred to a holding furnace and then cast (poured into molds) as ingots.
One common technique is to pour the molten aluminum into a long, horizontal mold. As the metal moves
through the mold, the exterior is cooled with water, causing the aluminum to solidify. The solid shaft
emerges from the far end of the mold, where it is sawed at appropriate intervals to form ingots of the
desired length. Like the smelting process itself, this casting process is also continuous.
BAYER PROCESS

HALL- HEROULT PROCESS