Main Facts

What do we associate with the word ‘aluminium’? With a pot, a drinks can, a plane? Whatever our opinion is. it is difficult to comprehend the invaluable role of aluminium in the modern world.

Let us imagine our life without aluminium. In that world, traveling from Europe to America would take many days, because the only method of traveling would be in a heavy and bulky ship. Travelling by train would not be as fast as it is now, as without the material to produce lightweight railway cars. Mirrors would spoil rapidly. High-voltage power lines would be made of heavy and expensive cuprum. There is no doubt that this material that holds such a prominent place is our life is worthy of considerable attention.

Aluminium is a light and soft white metal with a frosted silver tint due to a thin oxide film which covers it on contact with air. It is located in the III group of the periodic table and is defined by the symbol, Al. Its atomic number is 13, its atomic mass, 26.98154, and its melting point is 660°C. Aluminium is widespread in nature: it is the fourth most common of all the elements and the first most common of all metals (making up 8.8% of the Earth’s crust), but it is not found in pure form. It is mainly extracted from bauxite, although there are several hundred aluminium minerals (aluminum silicates, alum stones, etc.), the majority of which are not suited to produce the metal.

Aluminium has some outstanding properties, which explains why it is used so widely. In terms of application in various industries, it is second only to iron. Aluminium is forgeable and malleable. Its oxide film makes it resistant to corrosion and this means that the life of aluminium goods is very long. In addition, it has a high electrical conductivity, is non-toxic and is easily reprocessed.

These properties go some way to explaining Aluminium’s importance in the world economy. Aluminium is required to produce automobiles, high-speed railway cars and ships. Various types of aluminium products are used in modern construction. Aluminium has almost replaced cuprum as a material for high-voltage power lines. Nearly half of cooking utensils sold throughout the world each year are made of this metal.

A world where aluminium exists opens a wide range of opportunities. Looking through pages of the our web-site, you can learn more about this outstanding metal.