- 30 December 2024
Aluminum was first "manufactured" in 1825 by Danish physicist Hans Oersted. The industrial method of producing aluminum was developed independently by two inventors - American Charles Hall and Frenchman Paul Héroux in 1886. Today, aluminum is one of the most widely used metals in the world.
Many people make the assumption that metal cannot be environmentally friendly, since we associate this metal with large machinery that has a negative impact on the environment. Meanwhile, much depends on how the metal can be processed. So is aluminum environmentally friendly?
According to many experts, aluminum is one of the most environmentally friendly metals in the world. For example, 75% of the 1 billion tons of aluminum produced in the last 100 years is still in use. For whether aluminum is environmentally friendly depends not on its properties per se, but on its recyclability.
In a word, the key is how green aluminum is made. This metal can be recycled indefinitely and you will get exactly the same product. It is the most recyclable industrial material.
After steel, aluminum is the most widely used metal in the world. It is extremely versatile, lightweight, durable and 100% recyclable, making it a highly sought-after material in the construction industry. According to World Aluminum, as much as 85% of building materials used in construction are made of aluminum. It is considered one of the most sustainable and energy-efficient materials, as it helps construct environmentally friendly buildings.
The Empire State Building was the first architectural structure to use mostly aluminum in its construction. In addition, many modern skyscrapers have been made of aluminum, and its flexibility allows it to adapt to the most complex structures. Similarly, the steel window frames in many Manhattan skyscrapers have been replaced with aluminum to make the buildings more energy efficient. The results of the demolition of the aforementioned older skyscrapers can attest to how green aluminum is made. It turned out that up to 96% of the aluminum used in their construction was recovered during demolition.
The study showed that end-of-life aluminum collection rates in the construction sector range from 92-98%, demonstrating the key role of aluminum in the pursuit of sustainability in construction. During the demolition of the old Wembley Stadium, a recovery rate of 96% was achieved
Aluminum, known as a green metal, is one of the most environmentally friendly due to its sustainable nature. As the most recyclable industrial material, green aluminum can be recycled over and over again to produce the same product. Recycling aluminum also saves 95% of the energy used in its production from raw materials.
Recycling aluminum not only reduces its environmental impact, but the metal's properties mean that it can often be used to replace materials that are more harmful to the environment. In construction, green aluminum typically replaces steel and wood, reducing deforestation and Co2 emissions. Aluminum also requires less maintenance compared to wood. To better illustrate this, let's cite some facts about aluminum:
- One ton of recycled aluminum saves nine tons of CO2 emissions and four tons of bauxite (the raw material from which aluminum is made).
- Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for about three hours
- One ton of recycled aluminum saves 14,000 kWh of electricity, 3,200 liters of oil and 10 cubic meters of landfill space.
- It takes 200-500 years for aluminum to completely decompose in a landfill.
