Aluminium

Kuliah
Metalurgi ekstraktif

Al di muka bumi

Sejarah perkembangan Al
In 1807, Sir Humphrey Davy, the
British scientist, postulated the
existence of the element
arguing that alum was the salt
of an unknown metal which he
said should be
called "Alumium".
The name was respelt as the
more euphonious aluminium by
later scientists.

Awal perkembangan
In 1886, Charles Martin
Hall and Paul L.T. Hroult
each perfected a similar
method for producing
aluminium lectrolytically
from aluminium oxide
(alumina) dissolved in
cryolite.

Hall filed patents in the

USA and Hroult in
France, a fact that was
to have great influence
on the future structure
of the industry.

Perbandingan harga proses

The success of the Hall/Hroult

process was compounded in 1888
when Karl Bayer, an Austrian,
developed a viable process for
producing alumina from bauxite
ore. While the Deville production
cost savings were the more
dramatic in magnitude, the final
figure (price) was still
uncompetitive with alternative
materials.

The Hall/Hroult invention closed

the critical gap. By 1890 the cost of
aluminium had tumbled some 80
percent from Deville's prices (see
Figure 1101.01.04). The metal was
now a commercial proposition,
how would it be used?

Bauxite di Indonesia
Tembeling, Pulau Bintan, Riau
Tayan, Kalimantan Barat

John Veevaert

Gibbsite and Boehmite

Mineral bauxite
Unit

Gibbsite

Bhmite

Diaspore

Composition

Al(OH)3

AlO(OH)

AlO(OH)

Maximum Alumina
%
Content

65.4

85.0

85.0

Crystal System

Monoclinic

Orthorhombic Orthorhombic

Density

gcm-3

2.42

3.01

3.44

Temp. for Rapid

Dehydration

150

350

450

Bauxite occurs in three main forms depending on both the number of molecules of
water of hydration and the crystalline structure. The three structural forms of bauxite are
Gibbsite, Bhmite and Diaspore.

Komposisi mineralogi bauxit

Produksi tahunan Al

Proses Bayer

Proses BAyer
Step 1 - Mixing: Crushed and Mixed with Caustic
Soda, bauxite is pumped into huge digesters.

Step 2 - Digestion: Under high pressure and heat, the

caustic soda dissolves the Alumina, or Aluminum
Oxide, in the bauxite to form Sodium Aluminate.
Step 3 - Clarification: While the Sodium Aluminate
remains in the solution, iron oxides and other solid
impurities drop to the bottom of the settling tank,
where, as red mud, they are pumped to a disposal
pond.
Step 4 - Precipitation: After the Sodium Aluminate is
further cooled, it is agitated and seeded with
Aluminum Hydroxide crystals. These form larger
crystals, which gradually settle out of the solution.
Seed crystals and Sodium Aluminate remaining in the
solution are then recirculated.
Step 5 - Calcination: The Aluminum Hydroxide
crystals are roasted at more than 1800 degrees F to
remove the water. A fine white powder, Alumina,
remains half aluminum and half oxygen. It is then
ready for transport to a smelter.

Proses Bayer

Bauxite, the most important ore of aluminium, contains only 3054% alumina, Al2O3, the rest
being a mixture of silica, various iron oxides, and titanium dioxide.

The alumina must be purified before it can be refined to aluminium metal. In the Bayer
process, bauxite is digested by washing with a hot solution of sodium hydroxide, NaOH, at
175 C. This converts the alumina to aluminium hydroxide, Al(OH)3, which dissolves in the
hydroxide solution according to the chemical equation:

Al2O3 + 2 OH + 3 H2O 2 *Al(OH)4]

The other components of bauxite do not dissolve. The solution is clarified by filtering off the
solid impurities. The mixture of solid impurities is called red mud, and presents a disposal
problem. Next, the hydroxide solution is cooled, and the dissolved aluminium hydroxide
precipitates as a white, fluffy solid. Then, when heated to 1050C (calcined), the aluminium
hydroxide decomposes to alumina, giving off water vapor in the process:

2 Al(OH)3 Al2O3 + 3 H2O

Bayer refinery