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Aluminum

Aluminum is extracted from bauxite ore through a two-stage process. First, bauxite is purified to produce aluminum oxide by heating the ore with sodium hydroxide which dissolves the aluminum and silicon but leaves iron oxide. Then, electrolysis of the purified alumina is carried out by dissolving it in molten cryolite and passing an electric current through it, producing molten aluminum at the cathode and oxygen gas at the anode. While aluminum is a very useful metal, its production has environmental costs such as destruction of land from mining, waste residue disposal, and greenhouse gas emissions.

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119 views4 pages

Aluminum

Aluminum is extracted from bauxite ore through a two-stage process. First, bauxite is purified to produce aluminum oxide by heating the ore with sodium hydroxide which dissolves the aluminum and silicon but leaves iron oxide. Then, electrolysis of the purified alumina is carried out by dissolving it in molten cryolite and passing an electric current through it, producing molten aluminum at the cathode and oxygen gas at the anode. While aluminum is a very useful metal, its production has environmental costs such as destruction of land from mining, waste residue disposal, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Uploaded by

Martyn Pereira
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Aluminum

Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust. It is extracted from bauxite ores,
containing aluminum oxide (alumina). The main impurities in bauxite are Iron (III) Oxide
(Fe2O3), and Silicon (IV) Oxide (SiO2 aka sand).
Aluminum is obtained from bauxite in two stages:
 Purification of bauxite to make pure aluminum oxide (alumina).
 Electrolysis of the purified alumina.

The production of aluminum from its ore


Purification
In order to remove the Iron (III) Oxide (Fe2O3), and Silicon (IV) Oxide (SiO2), the bauxite is
heated with concentrated sodium hydroxide. Aluminum oxide is amphoteric, so it dissolves in
sodium hydroxide. Silicon (IV) Oxide (SiO2) is acidic so it too dissolves but Iron (III) Oxide
(Fe2O3) is basic so it remains undissolved.
Al2O3(s) + 2OH-(aq) + 3H2O(l)  2[Al(OH)4]-(aq)
SiO2(s) + 2OH-(aq)  SiO32-(aq) + H2O(l)
The undissolved Iron (III) Oxide (Fe2O3) is removed by filtration. The residue is a highly
alkaline red mud (red due to presence of Iron (III) Oxide), which poses a major environmental
problem to dispose.
The filtered solution is then seeded with solid aluminum hydroxide or carbon dioxide is blown
through it to precipitate aluminum hydroxide. The silicate ions remain dissolved in solution.
2[Al(OH)4]-(aq) + CO2(g)  2Al(OH)3 + CO32-(aq) + H2O(l)
The aluminum hydroxide is filtered, washed, and heated to form pure alumina, Al2O3.
2Al(OH)3(s)  Al2O3(s) + 3H2O(g)
Electrolysis
In this stage, the purified aluminum oxide is dissolved and electrolyzed. Alumina has a melting
point of (2040oC) and it is impossible to maintain such a high temperature to perform
electrolysis, so it is dissolved in molten cryolite, Na3AlF6, and fluorspar or calcium fluoride
(CaF2), which reduces the melting point of the electrolyte (cryolite + alumina + fluorspar) to
about 950 °C, reducing the amount of energy needed to keep it molten. Electrolysis takes place
in cells lined with carbon. The carbon lining of the cells is the cathode (negative electrode). The
anodes (positive electrodes) are blocks of carbon dipping into the molten electrolyte. This
electrolysis takes place at a voltage of 5 volts and a current of 100,000 amperes. About one-third
of the electricity is used in electrolytic reactions and the rest is used to keep the electrolyte
molten.

At the cathode: Al3+(aq) + 3e- → Al(l)


The molten aluminum which is pure collects at the bottom of the cell and is tapped off as a pure
liquid metal
At the anode: 2O2– → O2 + 4e- (Oxygen is evolved)
During the electrolysis, the oxygen produced reacts with the carbon anode which gets ‘burnt
away’ and therefore has to be replaced periodically. Carbon dioxide is formed is led away
through fume hoods.
Uses of Aluminum
The uses of aluminum reflect its physical and chemical properties:
 Low density: Aluminum has a low density compared with most other metals, so it is used
where there are energy-saving advantages, e.g. (as an alloy) for aircraft fuselages, in car
bodies, and parts of ships.
 Good strength/ mass ratio: The strength of pure aluminum to stretching (tensile strength)
is 7–11 megapascals. Alloying it increases its tensile strength so aluminum is useful for
making aircraft, ladders, and lightweight cars and lorries.
 Malleability and ductility: Aluminium is easily shaped, so it can be used for drinks cans
and roofing materials. Aluminum foil is more flexible than foils from other metals of
similar price, so can be used for food packaging where it has the additional advantages of
being non-toxic and relatively cheap.
 Good electrical conductivity: Although not as good a conductor of electricity as some
metals, aluminum is cheap. Together with its low density, its good electrical conductivity
makes it useful for electrical wiring, especially in overhead power lines.
 Good thermal conductivity: Aluminium is used to make parts of boilers, cookers and
cookware because of its good thermal conductivity.
 High reflectivity: Aluminum reflects light very well, so it is used in silver-colored paints,
mirror reflectors, and heat-resistant clothing for fire fighting.
 Non-magnetic: Aluminium is used in navigational equipment because it is not corroded
and is not affected significantly by magnetic fields.
 Corrosion resistance: Aluminium is resistant to corrosion because a thin surface layer of
aluminum oxide (unreactive and prevents preventing corrosion) forms on the metal when
it is exposed to air, because of this it is used to make window frames, roofing materials,
and car and plane bodies. It is also useful for drinks cans and food containers whose
contents are acidic.
 Good reducing agent: Aluminium is used in the chemical and steel industries as a
reducing agent.
Aluminum industry and the environment
Aluminum is a very useful metal but producing aluminium has an environmental cost:
Quarrying the bauxite ore
 Quarrying destroys land which can either be used for agriculture or is an area of natural
beauty, e.g. forest.
 The quarries are noisy and can produce dust and fumes from the explosives and vehicles
used to extract and transport the ore.
Production of alumina
 Breaking the bauxite ore produces dust and fumes.
 The waste products precipitated from the reaction with sodium hydroxide produce a
residue, saturated with sodium hydroxide. This ‘red mud’ can drain into the soil into
waterways, poisoning plants and animals by the high concentrations of sodium hydroxide
present in the sludge.
 The kilns (furnaces) used to remove the water from the hydrated alumina produce the
greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.
Electrolysis of alumina
 The reaction of the carbon anodes with the oxygen also produces the greenhouse gas,
carbon dioxide.
 The electrolysis cells used to produce aluminum have a finite lifetime. When broken up
or recycling the electrodes, dust is produced which may contain cyanides, arsenic, and
other toxic compounds.
 Fluorine gas is produced as the amount of aluminum oxide in the cells decreases.
Fluorine is a toxic gas that is very reactive.

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