aluminum processing

Introduction
History
- Early use and extraction
- Deville process
- The work of Hall and Héroult
- European industry
Ores
Mining
Extraction and refining
- Refining the ore
- Smelting
- Recycling
The metal and its alloys
- Foundry alloys
- Wrought alloys
Chemical compounds
- Aluminum oxide
- Other compounds

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External Websites

U.S. Energy Information Administration - Today in Energy - Energy needed to produce aluminum

aluminum processing

Written by

Kent R. Van Horn

Vice President, Research and Development, Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, 1962–70; Director of Research, 1952–62; Research Metallurgist, 1929–62. Coauthor of Aluminum in Iron and Steel; editor...

Kent R. Van HornAll

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Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

aluminum processing, preparation of the ore for use in various products. Aluminum, or aluminium (Al), is a silvery white metal with a melting point of 660 °C (1,220 °F) and a density of 2.7 grams per cubic cm. The most abundant metallic element, it constitutes 8.1 percent of Earth’s crust. In nature it occurs chemically combined with oxygen and other elements. In the pure state it is soft and ductile, but it can be alloyed...

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