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The Hall–Héroult process is the major industrial process for smelting aluminium. It involves dissolving aluminium oxide (alumina) (obtained most often from bauxite , aluminium 's chief ore, through the Bayer process ) in molten cryolite and electrolyzing the molten salt bath, typically in a purpose-built cell.
Alumina is extracted from the ore bauxite by means of the Bayer process at an alumina refinery. This is an electrolytic process, so an aluminium smelter uses huge amounts of electric power; smelters tend to be located close to large power stations, often hydro-electric ones, in order to hold down costs and reduce the overall carbon footprint ...
Aluminium recycling is the process in which secondary commercial aluminium is created from scrap or other forms of end-of-life or otherwise unusable aluminium. [1] It involves re-melting the metal, which is cheaper and more energy-efficient than the production of virgin aluminium by electrolysis of alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) refined from raw bauxite ...
The Wöhler process was one of the first routes for producing aluminium metal. It involves the reduction of anhydrous aluminium chloride with potassium , produced powdered aluminium: [ 1 ] AlCl 3 + 3 K → Al + 3 KCl
The Cowles process was the immediate predecessor to the Hall-Héroult process—today in nearly universal use more than a century after it was discovered by Charles Martin Hall and Paul Héroult and adapted by others including Carl Josef Bayer. Because of the patent landscape, the Cowles companies found themselves in court.
Molten cryolite is used as a solvent for aluminium oxide (Al 2 O 3) in the Hall–Héroult process, used in the refining of aluminium. It decreases the melting point of aluminium oxide from 2000–2500 °C to 900–1000 °C, and increases its conductivity [ 18 ] thus making the extraction of aluminium more economical.
Aluminium (or aluminum) metal is very rare in native form, and the process to refine it from ores is complex, so for most of human history it was unknown. However, the compound alum has been known since the 5th century BCE and was used extensively by the ancients for dyeing .
Julia Brainerd Hall (November 11, 1859 – September 4, 1926) [1] was the sister of American scientist Charles Martin Hall. She supported him in his discovery of the Hall process for extracting aluminium from its ore. [ 2 ]