Aluminum & Metal Smelters refer to industrial facilities that extract and refine metals from their ores through a process called smelting. Smelting involves heating ores to high temperatures in the presence of a reducing agent (such as carbon or hydrogen) to separate the metal from impurities.
Key Aspects of Smelters:
- Aluminum Smelters – These facilities primarily use the Hall-Héroult process, where aluminum oxide (alumina) is dissolved in molten cryolite and subjected to electrolysis to extract pure aluminum.
- Metal Smelters – These include facilities for smelting metals such as iron, copper, lead, zinc, and nickel, using furnaces like blast furnaces, electric arc furnaces, or reverberatory furnaces.
Environmental & Industrial Impact:
- High energy consumption, especially in aluminum smelting.
- Emission of greenhouse gases like CO₂ and SO₂.
- Waste byproducts such as slag and dross, requiring proper disposal.
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