Aluminium Life Cycle at Shree Metals | Sustainable Metal Processing

1

Bauxite Mining

Overview: The aluminium lifecycle begins with bauxite the earth’s primary ore for aluminium. It is rich in aluminium hydroxides that can be refined into alumina.

Sources: Bauxite is mined from open-pit deposits across tropical and subtropical regions such as Australia, India, Brazil, and Guinea.

Mining Process: Bauxite mining involves removing layers of overburden to access the ore. This stage is energysensitive and environmentally monitored to ensure land recovery and minimal ecological disturbance.

2

Alumina Refining

Conversion Process: The extracted bauxite is processed into alumina (Al₂O₃), a white powdery oxide, through the Bayer process.

Steps Involved: Crushed bauxite is treated with caustic soda under high pressure and temperature, separating alumina from residual impurities like iron oxides and silica.

3

Aluminum Smelting

Electrolytic Conversion: Alumina is converted into molten aluminium via the Hall-Héroult process, an electrolytic technique using carbon electrodes in molten cryolite.

Energy Consumption: This is one of the most power-intensive steps. Reducing carbon emissions during smelting is a key global challenge, and facilities like ours work toward optimizing power efficiency during this stage.

4

Casting

Product Formation: Once smelted, liquid aluminium is cast into various semi-finished products including ingots, bars, cubes, and custom alloys based on market or client needs

Alloying: Other metals such as silicon, copper, or magnesium may be added to tailor strength, corrosion resistance, or flexibility depending on the target application.

5

Use Phase

Industrial Applications: Aluminium produced by Shree Metals is used globally across automotive, aerospace, construction, packaging, electrical, and consumer product sectors.

Long-Term Value: Its light weight, durability, and corrosion resistance ensure longevity making aluminium an ideal choice for sustainable engineering.

6

Recycling

Sustainability Core: Aluminium is infinitely recyclable without any loss in quality. At Shree Metals, we specialize in converting end-of-life scrap into high-performance materials.

Efficiency: Only about 5% of the energy required for primary aluminium is needed to recycle it, making it one of the most eco-efficient materials in the industrial world

Closed-Loop Model: Through circular recycling, aluminium can return to the production cycle over and over again drastically lowering environmental impact and raw material dependency.