Tag: aluminum recycling

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How to Recycle Aluminum

Two Colleagues At A Factory

When it comes to versatile types of metal, aluminum is a material used to create a wide range of products, items, tools, and machinery. Being light, strong, and resistant to many forms of wear and tear, aluminum provides many positive qualities that allow it to be very useful in a multitude of applications.

Along with being very flexible, aluminum is also a type of metal that is environmentally friendly, as it is more efficient to produce compared to other types of metal, and can also be recycled to create new products. When it comes to recycling, aluminum has a great track record, as many companies make use of recycled aluminum to help create high-quality products.

 

How is aluminum recycled?

Aluminum is known for being a very recyclable type of metal, which is why it is widely used by many product manufacturers worldwide. The process of recycling aluminum is one of the most efficient metal recycling methods, as the procedure allows the metal to be quickly ready for reuse as soon as the process is finished. Here is how aluminum is recycled to create new products.

 

Sorting

Sorting

The first step in recycling aluminum is sorting. Each aluminum product and item would be sorted in bins and containers accordingly to be collected for the recycling process. Sorting begins in waste disposal, where people would drop their aluminum products in the designated disposal bins, which would then be distributed in a recycling facility. The sorting process helps remove unnecessary material like other kinds of metals, plastic, and even scrap and debris, all of which can affect the quality of the recycled material.

 

Shredding

After the aluminum products are properly sorted, the next step is to take them to recycle facilities and begin the process of shredding the aluminum. This helps make the aluminum easier to melt, lessens the weight and volume, and removes all other small materials present. Once the aluminum has been shredded, the next step is to sort it out once again and run it through a magnet.

 

Magnet

Shiny Silver Metallic Textured Background

To make sure the shredded aluminum does not contain other types of metals, it would be passed through a powerful magnet that would remove all traces of other metals present. Most kinds of steel have magnetic properties, making it easier for the magnet to help sort out materials that are not needed in the recycling process. Once other types of metal have been removed, the aluminum would then go through a cleaning process.

 

Cleaning and De-coating

After the aluminum has been shredded and sorted out, the next step is to clean the material. Cleaning is done through the use of strong cleaning solutions that would remove any dirt, paint, or decoration present on the aluminum surface. The aluminum would be scrubbed clean, and then would go through the process of de-coating.

De-coating puts the aluminum through a conveyor system to remove all other traces of color and decoration on the surface. This is done by blowing hot air on the aluminum, which would then be removed and cleaned further. Once the cleaning process has been accomplished, the aluminum is not ready for re-melting.

 

Re-melting

Steel And Metal Production

The crucial process that would make recycled aluminum usable for manufacturing products is re-melting. The scrap aluminum would be put inside a high-temperature furnace, which burns for around 7000 degrees celsius. During the melting process, other types of chemicals would be added to create the proper composition of aluminum.

Once the melting process has been done the molten aluminum would be transferred into a holding furnace. This would turn the aluminum into ingots, which would then be processed further.

 

Rolling

Once the aluminum has been melted to create ingots, these ingots would go through a process called rolling. Rolling would help turn the aluminum into thin sheets, which would then be used to create new products. Rolling helps strengthen the aluminum and make it more flexible. Once the aluminum has been rolled out, it would be distributed to manufacturing companies to be used to create products.

 

Reuse

Interior View Of A Steel Factory

After being rolled, the recycled aluminum would once again go through another production process to create new products that would be distributed to retailers. These products can include aluminum cans, kitchen tools and items, packaging, and even casing for devices. Overall, the recycling process can take a number of weeks to accomplish and is able to recycle a good percentage of aluminum to be reused.

 

Key Takeaway

Aluminum is not only a strong and versatile material, but it is also recyclable, allowing it to be reused to create a new set of products. The recycling process surely takes time to accomplish but ensures the maximum amount of aluminum would be recycled. By knowing the process of recycling aluminum, you would be able to provide the best way to prevent your used aluminum from going to waste.

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Aluminum Recycling: Why Should You Do It?

Aluminum Recycling Why Should You Do It

Why is it so important to recycle aluminum?

  1. It saves energy
  2. It lowers the impacts of mining
  3. It reduces carbon emissions
  4. It helps satisfy increasing demand

 

 

Aluminum is one of the most widely used material in the world. All grades and aluminum profiles in the Philippines have specific uses and not a single piece is deemed useless. Industries like construction, architecture, aerospace, and aviation make use of it every single day. Us, too, actually. We use aluminum all the time, but we barely notice. It’s on our phones, laptops, homes, and even in our food.

Part of the reason it is so widely used is its abundance. Of all metals that can be found in the earth’s crust, aluminum is the most abundant and subsequently the third most abundant element as it makes up about 8% of the crust. Another reason is its affordability and many amazing properties that make it such an ideal material for production.

Naturally, with use comes waste. And with that comes waste management, which loosely translates to recycling. Now, why should we exert so much energy in recycling this common metal when it’s so cheap and easy to make and when there are other things like plastic and paper recycling that should obviously take precedence?  That’s exactly what we’ll tell you today, so keep on reading to find out why you should recycle aluminum!

 

 

It Saves Energy

It Saves Energy

Aluminum may be cheap and affordable now, but it wasn’t like that back in the early days of its discovery. It was an elite material then that was only used for ornaments and luxury items. If not for technological advancements and scientific discoveries, aluminum would still have the same value as gold or silver, even more.

However, despite being able to lower the production cost of aluminum, manufacturers still need to use a considerable amount of energy to make it. But this is a problem that can be solved through recycling.

Recycling and re-casting old aluminum cans into new ones require 95% less energy than producing one from scratch. Put into perspective, the energy saved is enough to power your television for three hours, and that’s just one can.

 

 

It Lowers the Impacts of Mining

Aluminum cannot be found purely in nature, it must be extracted from bauxite ore—an ore that can be obtained by mining. Miners must dig huge pits into the ground—a process called stripping—just to gain access to the bauxite ore. Afterward, these pits are left as they are making them essentially useless.

Negative impacts like this can be prevented through recycling. If we continue to recycle aluminum, there will be little need to dig through the surface of our planet just to get a hold of bauxite ores. This not only saves our planet for further damage, it also prevents depletion of this valuable commodity.

In fact, each year approximately 5% of the total bauxite ore in the world is preserved through recycling.

 

 

It Reduces Carbon Emissions

It Reduces Carbon Emissions

The process with which aluminum is created is called the Hall-Heroult process, and it is one that releases carbon dioxide as a by-product. According to estimates, aluminum and carbon dioxide are produced in a 1:1 ratio—an equal proportion—to the ton. When you take into consideration how much aluminum is made on a daily basis around the globe, then you start to see the problem.

Now, we are all aware of how much damage carbon dioxide can do to our atmosphere especially in large quantities. It is among the root causes of global warming. So in order to avoid such large production of this detrimental gas, we have to start properly recycling our aluminum products.

When compared to the Hall-Heroult process, recycling only releases 5% of the same gas. Though it there is still carbon dioxide production, it is significantly less thus not as harmful.

 

 

It Helps Satisfy Increasing Demand

We can’t deny the fact that our overall population continues to increase year after year. And as the population grows, so does the demand for aluminum products. Increased demand means continuous production which also means constant mining of bauxite ore.

Aside from the many negative impacts of mining on our environment, it simply isn’t sufficient enough to satisfy the demand for this material. A gap between supply and demand is then formed and the only way to close it is through recycling.

Most manufacturers today already utilize recycled aluminum as they use 35% recycled aluminum and 65% natural aluminum to create their products and meet demand.

 

 

Key Takeaway

Aluminum is a rare metal due to the fact that it is infinitely recyclable, which means it can be recycled over and over and over again without ever losing its natural qualities. No matter the type, grade or aluminum profile, the Philippines must find a way to take advantage of this property and recycle aluminum.

At this point, it’s not just an option, it is a necessity that must be done in order to meet demands, save energy, reduce gas emissions, lower mining impact, and ultimately protect the environment.