U.S. ENERGY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALUMINUM PRODUCTION: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, THEORETICAL LIMITS AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES

摘要

The US aluminum industry is the world's largest, handling over 10.7 million metric tons of metal and producing about $39 billion in products and exports annually. Energy reduction in the US aluminum industry is the result of both technical progress and the growth of recycling. These two factors have contributed to a 58% energy reduction per unit of metal over the past forty years. Nonetheless, by many measures, aluminum remains one of the most energy intensive materials to produce and is the largest consumer of energy on a per-weight basis of the major industrial products. The aluminum industry still has large opportunities to further reduce its energy intensity. This report will present an historical perspective of the subject, will speculate on the theoretical limits to energy efficiency, and will describe current practices. This knowledge can help identify and illustrate process areas where significant energy reductions and environmental impact improvements can be made.