Some Interesting Facts about Aluminium

  • Aluminium is a thermal insulator
  • Aluminium can keep cans way longer than any other metals.
  • Aluminium foil jump like popcorn using static electricity from a balloon.
  • The Wright brothers used Aluminium to build key parts of their biplane’s engine because no manufacturer could provide an engine light enough with the needed horsepower.
  • A can recycled today can be back in the marketplace in 60 days. Unopened Aluminium cans are very strong, despite being so thin. Four six-packs of cans are able to support the weight of a 2-ton vehicle!
  • Every three months, Americans throw away enough scrap Aluminium to rebuild the entire U.S. commercial airplane fleet. Recycling that metal would save the energy equivalent of 16 million barrels of oil.
  • Aluminium can be recycled continuously with no loss of its qualities. Recycling saves 95 percent of the production of energy needed to create the metal through smelting processes. Discarding a can wastes as much energy as powering a laptop computer for 11 hours, or a television for 4 hours. The Aluminium industry pays more than $800 million for recycled material, and every minute an average of 113,000 Aluminium cans are recycled.
  • School programs for recycling can make an environmental difference and create funds for programs.
  • The top of the Washington Monument is capped with an 8.9-inch (22.6 centimeters) Aluminium pyramid.
  • Once, more precious than gold and silver before the discovery of the Bayer and Hall–Héroult processes, Aluminium was more expensive than gold or silver. Napoleon III served state dinners on Aluminium plates.
  • Aluminium is used in hundreds of industries, especially in the fields of transportation, aerospace, packaging, building and construction. The industry directly creates more than 155,000 jobs and is adding more yearly.
  • According to the Aluminium Association, an Aluminium can take as little as 60 days to return as a new can after recycling.
  • Aluminium production is a global industry. Bauxite ore is mined in locations such as Australia, China, and Africa. Alumina plants operate across the world, including in Russia and Eastern Europe. Aluminium products are produced and shipped globally. The international Aluminium industry creates careers in finance, operations, IT, and management around the world.
  • Aluminium is on the cutting edge of technology. Science and research careers sparkle with opportunity. Research is under way to produce an Aluminium-air battery projected to run an electric car for 1,000 miles. Nanoparticle research is predicted to create breakthroughs in solar energy cell and nano-circuitry design. NASA’s new Orion spacecraft will use an Aluminium alloy to form its primary structure, and transparent Aluminium is advancing military armor protection.
  • Aluminium powder is commonly used to make fireworks.
  • Solid rocket boosters, including the engines on the space shuttle and model rockets, use Aluminium as their primary fuel.
  • Etch-A-Sketches use Aluminium powder on the back side of their screens.
  • Glitter and liquid-metal paint are made using Aluminium pigments.