ALFIAN PANGESTU

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THE MAKING ALUMINIUM

This video explain all about aluminium such as, the process from ore (bauxite) to
aluminium, production cost and influence process for environmental. Aluminium used for
many application in daily, like compact disc, plane, car, bicycle, cooking foil and etc. This
video show the process making aluminium from alumina with electrolysis.
Aluminium metal is so chemically reactive that native specimens are rare and limited
to extreme reduce environments. In earth you never find aluminium in pure condition but
always be a compound. Aluminium has bounding with other unsure like Oxygen, fluoride and
etc, so they form a compound in earth. Instead, it is found combined in over 270
different minerals, the form is like rock. The main ore of aluminium is bauxite.
In Darling Ranges, Australia there are a place mine of aluminium, there are mining of
bauxite in this place. Bauxite has a chemical composition Al2O3.3H2O, also have high
melting temperature (20000 C) so need high energy to refine this. High energy always same
with high cost and its not efficient. So we need other process, electrolysis process, but before
elecrolysis process we must convert bauxite to alumina. There are some impurities like silica,
titanium xide, ferro oxide and vanadium oxide. In Bayer Process the reaction bauxite to
alumina is
Al2O3.3H2O + 2 NaOH 2 NaAl02 + 4 H20
2 NaAl02 + 4 H20 Al2O3.3H2O + 2 NaOH
Aluminium oxide react with sodium hidroxide will form caustion solution, this reaction is
reverse reaction.
Al2O3.3H2O Al2O3 +3 H20
This reaction need high temperature (10000 C). So this process need hig energy and high cost.
Alumina contains are small atom Aluminium and big atom oxygen. Each oxide has an ionic
radius two and hal times larger than that of each alumium ions. Atwo to three ratio of
aluminium in ions to oxide ions.
The process from alumina to aluminium need some process. If you want to make 1
ton of aluminium you will need 2 ton alumina. In this video, alumina come from Portland,
Western Victoria saved in storage tank and petroleum coke from America and you need
electricity for this process. Electrity used in this process is very big, you need 15 kWh per kg
of aluminium produced same as 1 kw radiator running in 15 hour. So we need to built self
generator for aluminium fabrication. Production cost per tone of aluminium process is raw
material 45,3% (alumina 33,1%), energy 28,5% (electricity 26,6%) and labour and overhead
26,2%.
Electrolysis process of aluminium use Hall Heroult process invented by Paul Hall and
Charles Martin Hault in 1826. In this process, there are some cathode and anode. Equation of
calculation of electricity is very simple : P= V X I and the calculation is 4,5 volts x 300.000
amps = 1.350.000 watts = 1.350 Kw power consume per pots. There are 408 pots, so we need
over 550 MW total power consumption. The place of electrolysis process consist steel in

bottom, carbon blocks (cathode), steel current conducting bars, insulated superstructure,
carbon blocks (anode), alumina hopper, removable doors, fume hood. The position of anode
lowerer than cathode. The process are: electrical resistance are heating, anode are lowered
onto cathode become short circuit heats the pot to 950 C, anode raise and make a gap 50 mm,
after that cryolite is placed in the heated pot. The term of electrolysis is the chemical
decomposition of certain substances by an electric current passed through the substance in a
dissolved or molten state. Electrolyte composition are cryolite (3 NaF.AlF3) melts at 1009 C,
aluminium fluoride (AlF3), Calcim Fluoride (CaF2) and Aluminium oxide (Al2O3).
Alumina dissolves and melts at 950 C, after that cryoite forms a thick crust, carbon
soaks up sodium compound , pot room operator add soda ash, aluminium fluoride is also
added finding cryolite. Gas is colectcted by fume hood.
Alumina splits into ionic components, aluminium ions migrate to the cathode where
they pool aa molten metal, the cathode pushes electrons into the aluminium ions making them
neutrally charged, the reaction is Al 3+ + 3e- = Al. The oxide ions are attracted to the anode
where they react with carbon to produce carbon dioxide the reaction is
C2+ + 2 O2- CO2 + 4e- .
Aluminium get from electrolysis process will be form to ingot aluminium. The liquid
aluminium is cast into extrusion ingots, sheet ingots or foundry alloys, all depending on what
it will be used for. The process designed it will be continous casting. Ingot purity is 99.9%
with impurity iron, silicon, magnesium manganese, gallium, chromium, zinc and vanadium.
There are some problem in aluminium production especially for environment.
Aluminium consume high energy and produce high carbon dioxide. This gas is very
dangerous for ozone because it can be green house effect. Production of fluoride its also
harmfull, maximum emmision for fluoride is 0,73 kg of fluoride per tonne aluminium. It will
be a responsibility for this fabric for environment, from design flow of fume from fabric to
planning of prevention of impact gas from fabric.