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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 by use of the Bayer and Hall–Héroult processes. Recycling scrap aluminium requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminium from the raw ore. [2]
Aluminum is the third most abundant element in the lithosphere at 82,000 ppm. It occurs in low levels, 0.9 ppm, in humans. [1] Aluminum is known to be an ecotoxicant and expected to be a health risk to people. Global primary production (GPP) of aluminum was about 52 million tons in 2013 and remains one of the world's most important metals.
As recently as 1981, the US produced 30% of the world's primary aluminum, and for many years up through 2000, the US was the world's largest producer of primary aluminum. In 2014, by contrast, the US ranked sixth in primary aluminum production, and provided only 3.5% of world production.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 3 March 2025. Converting waste materials into new products This article is about recycling of waste materials. For recycling of waste energy, see Energy recycling. "Recycled" redirects here. For the album, see Recycled (Nektar album). The three chasing arrows of the universal recycling symbol Municipal ...
A Century Aluminum plant in Kentucky vented tons of perfluorocarbons, or PFCs, which are among the most potent and longest-lasting greenhouse gases on the planet.
Recycling can be carried out on various raw materials. Recycling is an important part of creating more sustainable economies , reducing the cost and environmental impact of raw materials. Not all materials are easily recycled, and processing recyclable into the correct waste stream requires considerable energy.
Recovery of the metal through recycling has become an important task of the aluminium industry. Recycling was a low-profile activity until the late 1960s, when the growing use of aluminium beverage cans brought it to public awareness. [ 147 ]
The most suitable materials for closed-loop recycling are aluminum and glass. These are known to maintain their quality throughout many cycles of extraction, production, use, and recycling. [5] For example, aluminum cans can be recycled and turned into new cans with practically no material degradation or waste. [citation needed]