Energy aluminum processes

The most efficient processes in Table I are for steel and alumintim, mainly because these metals are produced in large amounts, and much technological development has been lavished on them. Magnesium and titanium require chloride intermediates, decreasing their efficiencies of production lead, copper, and nickel require extra processing to remove unwanted impurities. Sulfide ores produce sulfur dioxide (SO2), a pollutant, which must be removed from smokestack gases. For example, in copper production the removal of SO, and its conversion to sulfuric acid adds up to 8(10) JA g of additional process energy consumption. In aluminum production disposal of waste ciyolite must be controlled because of possible fiuoride contamination. 

Affinity of a reaction, A — The decrease in - Gibbs Alcoa process/Alcoa electrolyzer — This is a process energy on going from the reactants to the products of to manufacture metallic aluminum by electrolysis of... 

Alternative Processes for Aluminum Production. In spite of its industrial dominance, the HaH-HAroult process has several inherent disadvantages. The most serious is the large capital investment requited resulting from the multiplicity of units (250 —1000 cells in a typical plant), the cost of the Bayer aluniina-puriftcation plant, and the cost of the carbon—anode plant (or paste plant for Soderberg anodes). Additionally, HaH-HAroult cells requite expensive electrical power rather than thermal energy, most producing countries must import alumina or bauxite, and petroleum coke for anodes is in limited supply. 

Aluminum prices have historically been more stable than other nonferrous metals. Beginning iu the 1970s, however, aluminum prices have fluctuated as shown iu Table 13 (30). These fluctuations reflect increased energy costs as well as increased costs of raw materials. Improvements in production processes as well as a rebalancing of demand and supply are expected to stabilize aluminum prices in the future. 

In the United States, aluminum sulfate is usually produced by the reaction of bauxite or clay (qv) with sulfuric acid (see Sulfuric acid and sulfur trioxide). Bauxite is imported and more expensive than local clay, generally kaolin, which is more often used. Clay is first roasted to remove organics and break down the crystalline stmcture in order to make it more reactive. This is an energy intensive process. The purity of the starting clay or bauxite ore, especially the iron and potassium contents, are reflected in the assay of the final product. Thus the selection of the raw material is governed by the overall economics of producing a satisfying product. 

Compact brazed aluminum plate-fin heat exchangers can be used in most cryogenic hydrogen purification apphcations. The use of these relatively low cost heat exchangers, combined with low separation energy requirements, results in a highly economical process for hydrogen purification. 

Electrochemical systems convert chemical and electrical energy through charge-transfer reactions. These reactions occur at the interface between two phases. Consequendy, an electrochemical ceU contains multiple phases, and surface phenomena are important. Electrochemical processes are sometimes divided into two categories electrolytic, where energy is supplied to the system, eg, the electrolysis of water and the production of aluminum and galvanic, where electrical energy is obtained from the system, eg, batteries (qv) and fuel cells (qv). 

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