Aluminium.

Essay by johnno69RJunior High, 8th gradeA+, May 2003

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Aluminium is a light metal used for making a large number of things we see and use every day. They range from Aeroplanes to soft drink cans. Aluminium is the most common metal found in the Earth's soil.

Bauxite

The first step in the production of Aluminium is to mine the ore, which is called Bauxite. Bauxite is formed by the natural weathering of sedimentary rocks which contain a high proportion of Aluminium- bearing minerals.

Aluminium is the most abundant material in the Earth's crust and the third most Abundant in all of the Elements after Oxygen and silicon.

The Bauxite is found in a layer of three to four metres deep on average, beneath about half a metre of topsoil.

What is Aluminium used for?

Aluminium is widely used in the transport, construction, packaging and electrical industries. In the Transport sector aluminium is used in cars (engine blocks, cylinder heads, transmission housing and body panels); in trucks and buses (sheet and plate for bodies); in railway stock and In aircraft.

In the construction sector aluminium is used in sheet products for roofing and wall cladding, in extrusion for windows and doors and in castings for builders hardware. In the packaging sector aluminium is used in the form of alloy sheet for beverage can bodies and tops; as foil for house hold and commercial wrap and in manufacturing packaging products such as cartons for fruit juice and packaging for pharmaceuticals. In the electrical sector aluminium is used In the form of wire, normally reinforced with steel to form cables.

The Economic and environmental benefits of Aluminium

Aluminium is a metal which can easily and economically recycled, by melting it down and casting new products.

Recycled aluminium is known as secondary aluminium. Recycling aluminium uses only 5% of the energy needed...