Following is a rough process chart of the aluminum-production process. In addition to aluminum ore (bauxite), three other materials are needed for aluminum processing. This chart shows the full process needed to produce those materials, as well as indicating some of the waste products.
This chart is offered as a sample process to discuss as a part of Nature Sensitivity Training. Reviewing this process gives some idea of the vast amount of destruction and processing necessary just to make one basic component of many common products.
Each blue box represents a mining or other extraction operation. Each black line represents transportation, often involving multiple transports to/from distributors. Each black box represents a manufacturing facility, consuming energy (sometimes in great quantities) and often emitting pollutants (not always listed here).
Click on (almost) any box to see an example image of the process.
Note that some materials show up more than once. They should be considered distinct, as often they come from different geographic sources.
In addition to aluminum that is recycled, the world produces over 70 million metric tonnes of new aluminum in one year.
Information used to make the chart was concatenated from multiple sources, and is not necessarily accurate. It is also incomplete, as some things were undoubtedly overlooked. In some cases there are alternate methods for making some of the listed materials, requiring different source materials. The most commonly-applied processes were used as the basis for this chart.
References:
- https://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Aluminum.html
- https://www.tomago.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TAC_Aluminum_Process_Poster.pdf
- https://www.chemsky-cn.com/news/view/12404.html
- https://thisvsthat.io/contact-process-vs-lead-chamber-process
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/vanadium-processing
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_coke#Health_hazards
Clicking boxes in the image loads photos sourced from other websites. Those photos are subject to the copyrights of those sources.
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