ABSTRACT
The solid matter of the earth’s crust is made up of nearly a hundred elements, the most abundant of which are oxygen, silicon, and then aluminium. Commercial ores are grouped under the generic term ‘bauxite’, derived from the medieval village of Les Baux in Southern France, where high concentrations of hydrated aluminium oxide are found, and where early mining of the ore took place. Cheap electrical power is the key to the production of low-price, high-grade aluminium. Hydroelectric power was the obvious first source, and the aluminium industry has its origins in areas like Switzerland, Scotland, Canada and Norway where water power was available in abundance to be harnessed for the production of electricity. Hydropower remains a major source of electricity for aluminium extraction, and one which is completely acceptable environmentally, while in addition coal, natural gas and nuclear energy are also utilized.
