Aluminum celebrates commercial production anniversary

by Jonathan McGaha | April 3, 2011 12:00 am

One hundred and twenty-five years ago, Charles Martin Hall discovered a method by which to produce aluminum commercially-transforming it from a precious metal to an everyday material. With the advent of aluminum windows, curtainwall and siding, aluminum transformed the modern construction industry.

By passing an electric current through a carbon crucible filled with a cryolite bath containing alumina-producing a congealed mass that contained pure aluminum within-the precocious 22-year-old had achieved what had eluded scientists for decades. That same process is used to this day by aluminum companies to produce aluminum from ore. Hall’s work had only begun, however. He would patent the process, found a company-the Pittsburgh Reduction Co. (precursor to today’s Alcoa)-and manufacture aluminum cookware to help establish a nascent market for the metal.

“Aluminum’s utility across a wide swath of product applications is, by now, well understood by the American consumer,” says Aluminum Association President Steve Larkin. “What consumers may not be aware of are the sustainable characteristics of this remarkable metal. In particular, its light weight, durability and recyclability make it a crucial part of the solution to our society’s growing concerns over the environment, energy security and resource management.”

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/news/industry-news/aluminum-celebrates-commercial-production-anniversary/

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