In continuance of our series on the metals that we use here at Qualitetch, we have come to Aluminium. As one of the most used and recycled metals in the world, it is an extremely resourceful metal that has a multitude of uses and, as you will see, has so much more to give than just stopping your roast dinner from burning.
Get to Know Aluminium
- Aluminium is the second most prevalent element in the Earth’s crust, after Silicon
- It makes up approximately 8% of the Earth’s crust
- It has a plethora of uses; from food and drink cans and mobile phones to aircraft and automobiles
- Aluminium is extremely lightweight, at just a third of the weight of steel and copper
- It is a soft metal and one of the youngest at only 150 years old. Copper, in comparison, is over 9000 years old
- It was first extracted in 1825 by a Danish chemist called Hans Christian Oersted
- Its melting point is 660 degrees C and boiling point is 2519 degrees C
- Aluminium resists corrosion
- It is very durable and can be recycled almost endlessly
- Aluminium is a very reactive element
- It reacts with oxygen almost instantly. However, the oxidation by-product is not flaky rust; it forms a shell of the metal which protects it from further damage
- Over 1.9million tonnes of Aluminium was produced in 2012 for the sole purpose of food and drink packaging. Almost the same again was produced for other goods
- At one point in the 19th century, Aluminium was considered rarer than gold due to its costly and complicated extraction process
- 75% of all aluminium ever made is still in use
- Roughly 55% of cans are recycled every year
- It can take as little as six weeks to sell a can of drink, recycle it and get it back on the shelves
- Aluminium is almost always used as an alloy
- It is one of the most recyclable metals in the world
- Even the by-product of aluminium is useful; white dross is used in concrete production
- Recycled aluminium uses 95% less energy than producing it from scratch
- The UK is capable of recycling over 8 billion aluminium cans every year. The biggest recycling plant in the world turns over 40 billion annually
- Recycling one can could save enough energy to keep a bulb lit for almost four hours
In this line of work, we deal with metals like these every day and are leading manufacturers of parts and components across a broad range of industries. For more information on our metal stamping and forming services throughout the UK, amongst many others, please visit our website or contact us to discuss how we can help you today.
