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Aluminum originates as an oxide called alumina, and because aluminum itself does not occur in nature as a metal, the processing of aluminum took a giant leap forward with the advent of electricity.
Deposits of bauxite ore are mined and refined into alumina--one of the feedstocks for aluminum metal. Then alumina and electricity are combined in a cell with a molten electrolyte called cryolite. Direct current electricity is passed from a consumable carbon anode into the cryolite, splitting the aluminum oxide into molten aluminum metal and carbon dioxide.
The molten aluminum collects at the bottom of the cell and is periodically "tapped" into a crucible and cast into ingots. While continual progress has been made over the more than 110-year history of aluminum processing to reduce the amount of electricity used, there are currently no viable alternatives to the electrometallurgical process.
However, between materials recovery and ongoing innovative research and development efforts, the aluminum industry is constantly searching for areas where energy and costs can be reduced. In the past two decades, the energy efficiency of the production of metal has improved by about 20 percent.
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Aluminum Mining - CommodityMine |
InfoMine: Aluminum Mining Information - comprehensive and current data on aluminum prices, aluminum exploration, aluminum mines and aluminum markets.
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Reduction Process |
Production process of aluminium,fertilizer,iron and steel,cement,chlor alkali,sugar,textiles,chemicals,transport,petrochemicals,power generation and distribution,buildings,establishments and overview of indian railways,port trust
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