Chemistry project

on:

Extraction
Of
Aluminum
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Acknowledgement
I would like to thank the
Almighty God for giving me
the strength I needed for
doing the project and the
idea of the project. Thank
you Jesus.
Secondly, is my parents who
helped me in encouraging
and believing in me for this

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project all the way through.

Thank you Mam and Dad,
Thirdly, is Madam Farida,
who taught me this topic in
class and understood it even
when I could not grasp the
concept, she helped me
making it easier to follow
every step of the way. Thank
you Madam.

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Table of contents:
1. Introduction of Aluminium….. Page 5
2. Discovering Aluminium…. Page 9
3. Extracting Aluminium…. Page 12
3.1. Bauxite Mining…. Page 12
3.2. The Bayer process…. Page 16
4. The Hall-Heroult process…. Page 21
5. Refining Aluminium…. Page 31

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1. Introduction to
Aluminium.
Aluminium is a silvery-white lightweight,
non-magnetic, ductile metal that is the
third most abundant metal on the Earth.
Its chemical symbol is Al, and its atomic
number is 13. It is the most abundant
metal in the Earth's crust, making up
about 8% of its mass.
Aluminium is known for its unique
combination of properties, including
being: light weight, strong and resistant
to corrosion. It is also an excellent
conductor of heat and electricity, making

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it useful in a wide variety of applications,

from construction to transportation of
electronics and packaging.

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The key advantage of having Aluminium

is its low density which makes it ideal for
producing aircraft bodies. Also these
overhead power cables are produced
from Aluminium due to its conductivity
of electricity.
Aluminium’s protective oxide layer allows
it to produce foils. These foils allow food
to remain hot. In terms of construction it
is useful on manufacturing roofs, sidings
and other materials.

Sidings

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Overhead
power cables with steel core

2. Discovering
Aluminium.

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The discovery of the exotic metal can be

dated back to the ancient times where
the metal was used as a dye in fabrics to
keep them long lasting plus in medicine
for relieving heartburn and healing
stomach ulcers.
It wasn’t until in the 18th century, Danish
physicist and chemist, Hans Christian
Orsted reacted Aluminium Chloride with
Potassium amalgam(an alloy of mercury
with another metal in liquid form) in
which he produced a small amount of the
metal.
Another chemist repeated Orsted’s
experiment but was unable to identify an
Aluminium metal.

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In the 19th century, French chemist Henri

Etienne went in depth in studying
Aluminium. He soon developed a method
for producing Aluminium by reducing it
with Aluminium chloride and Potassium
which was more cost effective compared
to other methods.
After all these methods, American
chemist, Martin Hall and French chemist,
Paul Heroult independently developed a
process by using electrolysis known as
the Hall-Heroult process. This method is
more cost-effective and allows
production of larger quantities of
Aluminium. Until today, the Hall-Heroult
process is still functional but there have

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been ways to improve this method, such

as: Upgrading energy efficiency
Improving cell design
Recycling materials

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3. Extracting
Aluminium.
Aluminium has to be extracted from its
main ore known as Bauxite. We will look
deeper on how bauxite is mined.

3.1 Bauxite mining.

Bauxite is sedimentary(a rock formed
from layers of gathered sediments) rock
in which its main components are
Aluminium and Gallium. Some impurities
in the rock may be oxides of Iron, Silica
and Titania.

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Bauxite

The colour of bauxite may vary due to

weathering effects, from brown ranging
to deep-reddish brown however the main
colour is brown.
It was first discovered in the French
region of Les Baux by a geologist where it
derived its name and first extracted from
Aluminium from Bauxite was in 1888 by
Austrian chemist, Karl Bayer.

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To mine Bauxite is by surface mining

which is one of the most common ways to
be extracted or by underground mines
where it has to be excavated. Large
bulldozers and excavators need to
remove the top layer which covers the
ore to get to it. Once exposed the ore will
be drilled and blasted which is placed on
trucks to be taken to the plants.
One of the world’s largest producers of
bauxite is Australia’s Weipa mine. They
produce about 30 million tonnes of
bauxite annually. The rest are followed
by: Guinea, Brazil, China, etc.

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Weipa mine in Queensland, Australia

Once the ore is transported, it’s taken to

a refining plant by the use of the Bayer
process.

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3.2 The Bayer

process.
The Bayer process involves extracting
Alumina(Al2O3) from its ore bauxite. It
was first invented in 1888 by Karl Bayer
who first extracted Aluminium from
bauxite.
The process involves a number of steps:
1. Digestion: It is the process which
involves dissolving Alumina(Al2O3)
into caustic soda(NaOH) solution. The
solution is mixed greatly in a vessel
under great high pressure.
The solution in which the Alumina has
dissolved in leaves behind some
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impurities. The impurities are filtered

off and the Sodium
Aluminate(NaAlO2) remains ready to
be worked on.
2. Precipitation: This method involves
making Alumina into crystal form.
The Sodium Aluminate solution will
have to be reacted with Carbon
dioxide forming Aluminium hydroxide
(Al(OH)3). Once it is gotten, it has to be
decomposed (heating it) forming
Alumina plus water vapour which
escapes. The entire equation can be:
2NaAlO2+3CO2+3H2O =
Al2O3.3H2O+2Na2CO3

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Aluminium Oxide(powder
form)

Sodium
Aluminate(crystalline)

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Red mud

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The diagram above is Aluminium

hydroxide(powdered form)

3. Settling: The Aluminium hydroxide is a

white, runny precipitate that takes time
to settle at the bottom. This can take
several hours and the result is a slurry
known as ‘red mud’ due to its
reddish-brown colour.
This is the byproduct of the process. It is
quite very alkaline and consists of oxides,
such as: Aluminium, Titanium and Iron.
4. Calcination: This is the final process in
refining bauxite. The obtained
Aluminium hydroxide will have to be
heated in which it will produce
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Aluminium oxide and water vapour

which will escape. This process required
Al(OH)3 to be heated at a very high
temperature of about 1000 degrees
celsius. Once obtained the pure
Aluminium oxide is ready to electrolysed.

4. The Hall-Heroult
process.
The Hall-Heroult process is a primary
method of obtaining Aluminium from
Alumina(Al2O3). It was developed by
American chemist, Charles Hall and
French scientist, Paul Heroult in the 19th

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century for a way to obtain Aluminium

metal where it is still used till today.
This process involves a number of steps
to achieve the metal
1. Prepare the electrolyte: We have the
pure Aluminium oxide but this
compound has a very high melting
point plus to keep the energy running
is costly. Its temperature is about
2040 degrees celsius. To solve this we
must use Cryolite(Na3AlF6). Cryolite is
a white, halide mineral which is
typically found on Greenland. It is
used in production of glass and
ceramics plus in manufacturing of
rods.

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Cryolite

Cryolite will have to be molten inorder to

be mixed with the pure Aluminium oxide.
What this substance will do is lower the
melting point of Aluminium oxide up to
1000 degrees celsius. This temperature is
somehow quite high. To further reduce
the temperature, Calcium fluoride(CaF2)
is added which will reduce the

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temperature up to 900 degrees celsius.

Calcium fluoride is an inorganic
compound which is insoluble in water. It
can be used in optical applications,
ceramic industry, dental applications and
nuclear industries.

Calcium
fluoride

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2. Building the cell: The electrolytic

cell is where all the reactions will
happen. For the construction of the
cell must begin. Certain materials
must be gathered such as: steel,
titanium and carbon.
The steel frame is constructed in
order to get the right dimension. The
frame must be strong enough in order
to support the weight of the lining and
the cell and withstand the attractive
forces of the molten electrolyte, high
temperature and corrosive attacks.
All the structures are assembled by
bolting the components to have the
cell

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Hall-Heroult cell

3. Making the electrodes: The electrodes

are made from the element carbon or
graphite. This is chosen in order to
withhold the forces of the electrolyte
and corrosion.
The carbon is crushed into a powder
and mixed with tar to form a paste. This

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paste will be moulded into a specific

design needed of the cathodes and
anodes. The electrodes will be baked at a
temperature of 2000-3000 degrees
celsius which will achieve the high
conductivity needed and inert. Once
removed and cooled, the electrodes will
be shaped into specific dimensions
needed to ensure proper contact with the
electrolyte.

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Carbon
electrodes

4. Assemble: Once all the components

are made they are all assembled. The
electrolyte will be poured inside a pot,
the electrodes will be placed on inside
the electrolyte not too deep in order
to connect the wires.

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5. Electrolysis of Alumina: Electrolysis

is the decomposition of an ionic
compound whether in molten or
aqueous state by passage of electric
current,
Once electricity is generated it is
passed through the entire cell. The
equation of this is:
Al2O3 = 2Al3++ 3O2-
At the cathode, the Al3+ ions will be
reduced which will gain 3 electrons to
form the Aluminium metal
Al3+ + 3e = Al+
At the cathode, the O2- ions are
oxidised which the lose two electrons
to become to form oxygen gas(O2)
2O2- = O2+4e
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Also within the anode , the carbon

anodes burn away periodically due to
the reaction of oxygen which forms
carbon dioxide. There are extra gases
which form in the anode such as:
Carbon monoxide and fluorine gas are
produced.

The diagram below shows the

Hall-Heroult process.

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5. Refining
Aluminium.
Once we have gotten our Aluminium
metal, there are still some impurities

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in the metal. The metal will have to be

degassed which involves in removing
dissolved gases in metal, such as:
hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and
carbon monoxide. All these can
potentially cause the metal to become
brittle and crack.
Next, the metal is passed through a
series of filters which remove any
solid impurities, such as: oxides and
non metallic particles which can
distort the shape of the metal.
In order to improve the ductility,
malleability and strength of the metal,
it is mixed with various metals, such
as: Copper, Magnesium and Silicon
which is known as alloying.
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The final step is casting which

involves moulding the metal and
allowing it to solidify in which it can
be able to create a specific shape.
Also, being able to test in heat involves
heating the metal at a specific
temperature and considering factors,
such as: duration and intensity of the
metal exposure, interaction with any
materials with the metal and specific
properties or behaviours of the metal.
All these factors can assess the stress
and performance of Aluminium,
Once Aluminium has been refined it
can be used in a versatile range of
different applications, such as: aircraft

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bodies, sheets, containers,

transportation, etc.

Refined Aluminium metal in rolled sheets

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6. Conclusion.
Overall, extraction of Aluminium metal
from bauxite is a very, long impacting,
costly process. Along the way there could
have been a lot of land use, water use,
greenhouse emissions, air pollution. All
these factors are deadly and may have
cost lives.
The benefit from all this is that the metal
is very diverse and a lot can be useful,
such as its : Lightweight
Corrosion-resistant
Ductilability

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Conductivity of heat and

electricity
High strength to weight ratio

All these benefits can make Aluminium a

perfect metal to be used in industries,
aerospace, electrical wiring and
cookware.

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Aluminium used to make car bodies

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Aluminium used to make kitchen

cookware

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Aluminium used to make jet engines

Aluminium used to make soda cans

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