The aluminum in the rock dissolves into the liquid, while the unwanted "red mud" (iron and silica) sinks to the bottom and is filtered out [1, 6].
Our story begins in tropical regions, where a reddish-clay rock called is mined [1, 5]. It doesn’t look like metal at all; it’s a mix of aluminum compounds, silica, and iron rust [5, 6]. How Aluminium is made animation
Massive carbon rods (anodes) are lowered into the vat, and a colossal electric current—hundreds of thousands of amperes—is surged through the liquid [1, 6]. The aluminum in the rock dissolves into the
A giant "vacuum" ladle siphons the liquid silver from the bottom of the pot [1]. It is whisked away to a furnace where it's purified and mixed with other metals to make it stronger [1, 6]. Finally, it is poured into molds to create massive blocks called , or rolled into thin sheets [1, 6]. Massive carbon rods (anodes) are lowered into the
The electricity rips the oxygen away from the aluminum. The oxygen bonds with the carbon rods and floats away as CO2, while the pure, heavy molten aluminum sinks to the bottom of the vat [1, 6]. Act IV: The Final Form