Pittsburgh Reduction Company
Quick Summary
The Pittsburgh Reduction Company, founded in 1888 by Charles Martin Hall and businessmen, was instrumental in the commercial production of aluminum. Hall, an American chemist, independently discovered the electrolytic method for producing aluminum in 1886, a process that remains the basis for the modern aluminum industry. This method involves dissolving purified alumina in molten cryolite and using direct current to separate oxygen and aluminum.12
The company's first ingot was poured in November 1888. By 1894, a larger plant in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, was producing one ton of aluminum daily. The company later relocated to Niagara Falls to utilize hydroelectric power, becoming its first customer. In 1907, the company was renamed the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa).1
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Charles Martin Hall…the Mellon family, and the Pittsburgh Reduction Company (later the Aluminum Company of America) was formed. In 1890 he became its vice president. By 1914 his process had brought the cost of aluminum down to 18 cents a pound. Hall was a generous benefactor of his college, bequeathing Oberlin more…
Read More…the Mellon family, and the Pittsburgh Reduction Company (later the Aluminum Company of America) was formed. In 1890 he became its vice president. By 1914 his process had brought the cost of aluminum down to 18 cents a pound. Hall was a generous benefactor of his college, bequeathing Oberlin more…
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aluminum processingThe work of Hall and Héroult…group of businessmen established the Pittsburgh Reduction Company in 1888 in Pittsburgh. The first ingot was poured in November that year. Demand for aluminum grew, and a larger reduction plant was built at New Kensington, Pennsylvania, using steam-generated electricity to produce one ton of aluminum per day by 1894. The…
Read More…group of businessmen established the Pittsburgh Reduction Company in 1888 in Pittsburgh. The first ingot was poured in November that year. Demand for aluminum grew, and a larger reduction plant was built at New Kensington, Pennsylvania, using steam-generated electricity to produce one ton of aluminum per day by 1894. The…
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