10 Facts about Recycling Aluminum

 

1. Aluminum, at one time, was more valuable then silver and gold. In the 19th century Aluminum became more precious then gold and silver because it was more difficult to attain. The French government had aluminum bars next to the crown jewels, and the minor emperor Napoleon III reserved a prized set of aluminum cutlery for special guests at banquets. In 1884 the United States capped the Washington monument with 6 pounds of Aluminum.

2. Recycling Aluminum takes 95% less energy then creating Aluminum from raw materials. State Metal Industries is passionate about the Aluminum Scrap Recycling industry. Every ton of recycled Aluminum saves:

    • 1,663 gallons of oil
    • 14,000 kWh of electricity
    • 237 million Btu’s of energy
    • 10 Cubic yards of landfill space

3. In 2010, U.S. manufacturers generated nearly two million tons of aluminum. Manufacturers use about 1.3 million tons of aluminum to make durable and non-durable goods for containers and packaging.

4. Recycling Aluminum saves money, energy, and manpower. Preparing aluminum products from virgin metal consumes close to 100 times the power required to recycle aluminum. If all aluminum produced is regularly recycled, the energy saved is enough to light up a medium-sized city for close to five years.

5. Aluminum was first discovered in the 1820s. In 1821 P. Bertheir discovers, outside a small village in the south of France, a clay-like material that contains 52 percent Aluminum oxide. He gives this ore the name bauxite. He does not realize it at the time, but he had discovered the most commonly found ore of Aluminum.

6. Aluminum Recycling in Cars. According to estimates, 85 percent of all automobile aluminum is recycled. But, according to the EPA, in 2009, only 50.7 percent of scrap aluminum was recycled.

7. Recycled Aluminum has many applications. The uses of aluminum are varied and diverse. Today it is used in commerce, transportation, and other industries. Some of its applications are well known, while others are not so obvious. Apart from consumer products, the metallic element is also used in glass creation.

8. The largest single use of Aluminum is in the transportation industry. Car and truck manufacturers like aluminum, and aluminum alloy, because they are very strong, yet lightweight. Companies are using more aluminum products in electric cars. These cars must be lightweight in order to conserve battery power. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have all announced advanced new car designs in which aluminum products will be used more extensively

9. Aluminum Can Recycling. In the United States, over 100,000 aluminum cans are recycled each minute. That amounts to 53 billion cans recycled in 2013 However, over $1.1 billion in aluminum cans were wasted in 2013.
10. Aluminum is highly sustainable. 31 percent of all aluminum produced in the United States comes from recycled scrap and 75 percent of all Aluminum produced since 1888 is still in use to this day

 

Author State Metal Industries

State Metal Industries., a South Camden mainstay, manufactures high-quality specification secondary aluminum ingot. We’ve been providing superior customer service since 1948. For more than a half century State Metal Industries. has been an industry recognized supplier of standard and specification aluminum. A busy secondary aluminum source melting millions of pounds of scrap per month, State Metal Industries has an unwavering commitment to meet individual customer’s unique needs. State Metal Industries processing, metallurgical and manufacturing expertise, and state-of-the-art technology have allowed us to develop long-term, successful business relationships with some of the best manufacturers in the U.S. and overseas.

More posts by State Metal Industries

Join the discussion One Comment