Save Time and Money with Aluminium Recycling

The process by which scrap aluminium is reused in products after its initial production is called Aluminium recycling. This process basically involves re-melting scrap metal and therefore, it is far less energy intensive and expensive as compared to mining for fresh aluminium ore through the electrolysis of aluminium oxide which is first mined from bauxite ore and then refined using the Bayer process.

Obtaining aluminium from the recycling process requires only about 5% of the energy used to manufacture new aluminium. This process also serves in keeping large quantities of waste from occupying space in landfills and puts the money to better use such as decreased costs for consumers and higher wages for employees. The best part about this precious metal is that it can be recycled infinitely. This is because once it has been recycled, it continues to have the same chemical molecular structure as newly refined aluminium. Since it is the exact same product with identical qualities, recycling all of this metal that is presently in use could meet the rising demand for decades without ever needing to refining new aluminium. This is mainly because the supply of bauxite ore from which this metal is refined, is diminishing at a fast rate.



The most basic aluminium scrap recycling process is the closed-loop method. This technique melts down used beverage cans to make new sheets of aluminium. A second technique uses scrap from various sources to produce aluminium alloy with a particular chemical composition. The scrap is melted in proportions that meet the specifications and is sold as ingots. Specialized methods suitable for steel deoxidizer products or for recovering aluminium from manufacturing waste products are also used. This process also takes considerably less time than refining new aluminum. Refining fresh aluminum is a three step process that requires large amounts of raw materials and water. It also produces large amounts of carbon dioxide and other harmful green house gasses. On the other hand, an aluminum can moves from the recycling bin through the entire recycling and production and reappears on a store shelf as a fresh product in as much as sixty days.