Aluminum Smelting: Process Description

Casting
Heattreating
Mining/Primary Processing
Recycle/Scrap Melting
Aluminum Casting
Aluminum Smelting
Anode Baking
Bauxite Mining
Bauxite Refining
Extrusion
Forging
Heat Treating
Molten Handling
Rolling

Alumina is electrolytically reduced into molted aluminum. This reaction occurs in Hall-Heroult reduction cells (called pots) where the bound oxygen in the alumina reacts with carbon electrodes to form carbon-dioxide gas and aluminum. Each ton of aluminum requires 0.4-.05 tons of carbon anodes.