Most common uses of aluminum

Aluminum, one of the most versatile and easily available metals, has now become a part of our daily lives. Besides, it is also one of the easiest metals to recycle on this blue planet. Discussing all the benefits and usages of this metal is beyond the scope of a small article. However, enlisted below are specific sectors in which the application of aluminum is common.

This metal is an integral part of the transport industry due to its unmatched strength to weight ratio. It is also researched that any car will have around 60% aluminum in it by 2025 (provide source). It also plays a vital  role in the construction industry.  Besides, making the structures temperature-efficient, this metal is also more malleable than traditional construction materials like steel and timber. Aluminum has revolutionized the window and door manufacturing industry, by replacing heavy woodworks with light but sturdy frames. Also aluminum frames can be powder-coated to any color with utmost ease. This metal has also become the primary choice for modern designs. Working with aluminum gives a designer the freedom to easily shape it into any furniture and give it a contemporary appeal. We cannot separate this metal from our daily lives, as it can be found in almost every consumer good, such as cans, bottles, and other packaging. It has become the first choice for the food and beverage industry for packaging. Kitchen products like foil and pots also have aluminum content. Starting from mobile phones to laptops, all the cutting-edge technological gadgets and equipment contain aluminum.

Source: https://www.highettmetal.com.au/blog/aluminium/most-common-uses-for-aluminium

Metal Recycling from Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW)

All construction companies now promote 'sustainable materials management' where they recycle and reuse certain CDW. This is mainly done to reduce the overall construction cost and the total aggregate demand for new building materials for a construction project.


CDW can be mainly divided into two categories: metals and non-metals. Wood, concrete, asphalt, bricks, glass, and plastics come under the non-metals category. On the other hand, ferrous and non-ferrous materials come under the metal category.


Around 95% of the total recovered metal from any construction project is actually steel. Besides, around 1-2% aluminum (mainly from doors and windows), 1-2% copper (mainly from piping and wires), and around 1% stainless steel (from structural supports) can be also recovered from Construction and Demolition (C&D) projects.

(Source: https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/b0ac5ce4-4253-4d2b-b001-0becf84b52b8/files/case-studies.pdf)


Steel is the easiest metal product to recycle from any C&D site as it can be segregated with minimal effort. And steel products actually produce almost zero waste. Besides, some surplus steel products such as tubes, rebars, pipes, claddings, and internal structural supports can be  reused with  little or  no reprocessing.



Recycling of steel products also has an environmental advantage, since there are  few environmental impacts due to minimal reprocessing. A majority of the steel products recovered from C&D projects can be sandblasted to remove coatings and base painting layers. Then, primer can be applied to use it for a new project. However, engineers do need to inspect and approve their properties and strengths before using it.



Other non ferrous metals, such as copper and aluminum, can be  melted to remove any impurities. They can finally be molded into new products to use in new construction sites.

Powder coating removal from aluminium

When it comes to metal painting, there are various ways to do it, some more prevalent than others. In Aluminum’s case- powder coating is one of the most used ways of coloring. A colored powder is sprayed on the metal when it is extremely hot, which results in a very strong second bond that ultimately leads to long lasting color.

Sometimes people don’t need the metal color anymore and want their object back in the original color, in which case one can follow the following steps to remove the color-

STEP 1: Set up a location outside home to hang the object so that it is accessible in all the areas. You can use your garage or work station for this work.

STEP 2: If there are any areas that you don’t want to change color of, cover them with paper bags and tape them all around very well so that they stay intact.

STEP 3: Use an industrial strength gasket remover to remove the powder color by spraying it all over. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes, by this time you shall see the powder coating bubbling and peeling down.

STEP 4: Clean the object with a dry rag and if you’re still able to see the color at some places, repeat the process.

Safety precautions:

Wear thick long-sleeved clothing, gloves, safety goggles and a respiratory mask since the gasket remover is pretty poisonous.

Discard all the rugs and bags used in the process.

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.