Making aluminium Recycle or raw materials Aluminium Earths

Making aluminium Recycle or raw materials?

Aluminium • Earth’s third most common element. • Found in the mineral bauxite. • Can be recycled without loss of quality. We use about 13 million drink cans each day in the UK.

Properties of aluminium • Element discovered in 1807. • Lightweight but strong. • Easily cast and moulded into many applications. Sheet aluminium in a large coil, ready for making into cans.

Uses of aluminium • Light-weight material for trains, planes, bikes and cars. • Medicines and toiletries e. g. antacid tablets and antiperspirants. • Packages and foils. • Building and construction.

Where does aluminium come from? Aluminium from the raw material Bauxite

Where does aluminium come from? • • Aluminium ore is called bauxite Bauxite is purified to a white powder called aluminium oxide Aluminium is extracted from aluminium oxide by electrolysis The aluminium oxide must be melted so electricity can pass through it (melting point over 2000°C) It is first dissolved in molten cyrolite, an aluminium compound to lower the melting point Aluminium metal forms at the negative electrode and sinks to be tapped off Oxygen forms at the positive electrodes, where it reacts with the graphite (a form of carbon) to form carbon dioxide

Recycled aluminium