How Is Aluminium Made?

Aluminium is one of the most widely used metals in the world. Lightweight, strong, and resistant to rust, you’ll find it in everything from drinks cans and foil to cars, buildings, and aircrafts. But how is aluminium actually made?

Here at Taroni’s we are Birminghams’s number one scrap metal experts, with decades of experience, we’ve been working with metals for generations. In this blog, we’re taking a closer look at how aluminium is made, from raw material to finished product.

Step 1: Mining Bauxite

Aluminium starts life as a reddish-brown rock called bauxite. This ore is mostly found in tropical regions like Australia, Africa, and South America. Bauxite contains a substance called alumina (aluminium oxide), which is what is needed to make aluminium metal. The bauxite is mined and crushed into smaller pieces, ready for the next step.

Step 2: Extracting Alumina

To get the alumina out of the bauxite, the crushed ore is treated with hot caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) in a process called the Bayer Process. This separates the alumina from the waste material, leaving behind a white powder. That white powder is alumina, and it’s the key ingredient in making pure aluminium.

Step 3: Smelting

Turning alumina into aluminium metal. This is done using a process called electrolysis, where an electric current is passed through molten alumina mixed with a substance called cryolite. This breaks the bond between the aluminium and oxygen atoms, leaving behind liquid aluminium at the bottom of the tank. It’s then tapped off and poured into moulds or cast into shapes for further use.

Step 4: Fabrication and Use

Once it cools, the aluminium can be rolled, stretched, pressed or moulded into all sorts of things, from sheets and bars to cans, engine parts, window frames and more. Thanks to its low weight and resistance to corrosion, aluminium is a top choice for the automotive, construction, aerospace and packaging industries.

Recycling Aluminium

Here at Taroni’s, we see a huge amount of scrap aluminium come through our gates every week, and we’re proud to recycle as much of it as possible.

Recycling aluminium is one of the best things we can do for the environment. It takes up to 95% less energy to recycle aluminium than it does to make it from raw materials. Plus, it cuts down on mining, reduces waste, and gives the metal a brand new life without any loss in quality.

So whether it’s old ladders, bike frames, car parts or foil trays, if it’s aluminium, we’ll make sure it gets put to good use again.

Got aluminium to scrap?
Bring it down to Taroni’s of Birmingham, we offer competitive prices, fast service, and expert advice every time.