Aluminum is not only used to wrap food and store it in the fridge. In fact, aluminum is the second most abundant metallic element on Earth after silicon. It is used in soda cans, airplanes, cars and even in state-of-the-art mobiles. In addition, it is a lightweight metal, easy to mold, fold and recycle. As if that were not enough, aluminum resists corrosion and can be used infinitely many times.
The most curious thing about aluminum is that it should not be so useful or have so many applications. In fact, this metal oxidizes and loses electrons easily. However, unlike iron oxide, aluminum oxide adheres to the original metal and protects it from further decomposition, according to the University of Wisconsin.
History of aluminum
Aluminum is one of the most modern metals if we compare it with metallurgy that was born more than 5000 years ago. It was at the beginning of the 19th century that Hans Cristian Oersted, a Danish chemist, isolated the metal for the first time in 1825 by means of a chemical process that used an amalgam of potassium and aluminum chloride.
Later, the German chemist Wöhler obtained it in powder form by reacting potassium with aluminum chloride. In 1845, the chemist came to establish the properties of this metal for the first time, separating it into small balls.
Finally, in 1886 Paul Heroult (scientist and engineer) and Charles Hall (chemistry graduate) invented a process in which aluminum oxide is fused into cryolite (that is, with sodium and aluminum fluoride) and subjected to electrical current. . This process is still used to produce aluminum today alongside the Bayer process, the main industrial method for creating aluminum from bauxite.
Curiosities of this metal
Did you know that a single Boeing-747 has more than 66,000 kilograms of aluminum? In fact, as stated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in 2012 1.9 million tons of aluminum were destined only for containers and packaging. Another 1.7 million tons were produced for household appliances and vehicle parts.
On the other hand, recycling aluminum consumes only 5% of the energy needed to extract the mineral again. For this reason, around 50% of the aluminum cans used in soft drinks reach the recycling bin.
Also, according to the Aluminum Association, a can only takes sixty days to return as a new can after being recycled. As if that were not enough, approximately 75% of all the aluminum that is manufactured in the world is still used thanks to recycling.
