Aluminium is fascinating, flexible and very versatile. But how is it made?
Aluminium production starts with the raw material bauxite, a clay like soil type found in a belt around the equator. The bauxite is mined from a few meters below the ground. The bauxite is then transported to plants where the clay is washed off and the bauxite passes through a grinder. Alumina, or aluminium oxide, is extracted from the bauxite through refining. Alumina is then separated from the bauxite by using a hot solution of caustic soda and lime. Afterwards, the mixture is heated and filtered, and the remaining alumina is dried to a white powder.
Next stop is the metal plant. Here, the refined alumina is transformed into aluminium. Three different raw materials are needed to make aluminium: aluminium oxide, electricity and carbon.
Electricity is run between a negative cathode and a positive anode, both made of carbon. The anode reacts with the oxygen in the alumina and forms CO2. The result is liquid aluminium, which can now be tapped from the cells. The liquid aluminium is cast into extrusion ingots, sheet ingots or foundry alloys, all depending on what it will be used for.
The next step is the extrusion process, where the aluminium ingot is heated and pressed through a shaped tool called a die. The extrusion technique has almost unlimited possibilities for design and offers countless application opportunities. Aluminium foundry alloys are cast in different shapes. The metal will be remelted again and made into, for example, wheel rims or other car parts.
Recycling scrap aluminium requires only 5 percent of the energy used to make new aluminium. Aluminium can be recycled over and over again with 100 percent efficiency. In other words, none of aluminiums natural qualities are lost in the recycling process. The recycled product may be the same as the original product, or it can become something completely different. Aircraft, automobiles, bicycles, boats, computers, household appliances, wire and cans are all sources for recycling.
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Hydro – aluminium and energy company
Hydro is a leading industrial company that builds businesses and partnerships for a more sustainable future. We develop industries that matter to people and society.
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Since 1905, Hydro has turned natural resources into valuable products for people and businesses, creating a safe and secure workplace for our 30,000+ employees in more than 140 locations and 40 countries.
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Today, we own and operate various businesses and have investments with a base in sustainable industries. Hydro is through its businesses present in a broad range of market segments for aluminium, energy, metal recycling, renewables and batteries, offering a unique wealth of knowledge and competence.
Hydro is committed to leading the way towards a more sustainable future, creating more viable societies by developing natural resources into products and solutions in innovative and efficient ways.
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