The crushed bauxite enters a high-pressure "pressure cooker" filled with hot caustic soda [1, 6].
The aluminum in the rock dissolves into the liquid, while the unwanted "red mud" (iron and silica) sinks to the bottom and is filtered out [1, 6].
The electricity rips the oxygen away from the aluminum. The oxygen bonds with the carbon rods and floats away as CO2, while the pure, heavy molten aluminum sinks to the bottom of the vat [1, 6]. Act IV: The Final Form How Aluminium is made animation
The remaining clear liquid is cooled, causing white crystals to settle out [1, 6].
Our story begins in tropical regions, where a reddish-clay rock called is mined [1, 5]. It doesn’t look like metal at all; it’s a mix of aluminum compounds, silica, and iron rust [5, 6]. The crushed bauxite enters a high-pressure "pressure cooker"
A giant "vacuum" ladle siphons the liquid silver from the bottom of the pot [1]. It is whisked away to a furnace where it's purified and mixed with other metals to make it stronger [1, 6]. Finally, it is poured into molds to create massive blocks called , or rolled into thin sheets [1, 6].
Massive carbon rods (anodes) are lowered into the vat, and a colossal electric current—hundreds of thousands of amperes—is surged through the liquid [1, 6]. The oxygen bonds with the carbon rods and
This is a story of transformation—how a crumbly red rock from the earth becomes the sleek, silver metal in your soda can or smartphone. Act I: The Earth’s Rusty Treasure