NC 82 STH

6 NC 82 STH 66 - INFORMATION - 004 Aluminum and ecology Production of primary aluminum In nature the aluminum does not lie loose, but as a compound which makes up 8%of Earth crust.The aluminum is the 3rd most widespread element in the World after oxy- gen and silicium.The bauxite is mined from the Earth crust; from the bauxite, by elec- trolysis, the aluminum oxide (alumina) is obtained: it is the raw material necessary for the production of primary aluminum.From 8,81 lbs bauxite we obtain 4,40 lbs alu- mina, from which we obtain 2,20 lbs aluminum. Energy saving in recycling The quality of aluminum does not change when recycling.The production scraps of the primary aluminum are directly recycled and re-utilised. The re-melting 2,20lbs aluminum requires only 5% of the energy employed for the production of the metal from the bauxite. Environment In the aluminum industry, the production of gases contributing to the greenhoutiliza- tion effect is due to the utilisation of fossil fuels and to the electrolysis process.The emitted quantities of the above gases are very low and their influence on the total gases produced by the man are around 1% only. However, the ever growing utilisation of aluminum in fields like the sector of transports, enables to reduce the weight of the vehicles, setting a limit to the emission of gases into the atmosphere; the utilisation of thermal break aluminum windows and doors enables a remarkable energy saving. Recycling The re-melting of aluminum requires a modest quantity of energy.In the recycling process it is necessary to employ only 5% of the energy required at the origin to produce the primary metal with material losses lower than 3%. 2018/01 Aluminum and ecology