Roy Gnanaskandan Dr.

Dogan
1148798 9/22/2017

MATLS 4I03 Assignment 2

Question 1: Bauxite Soil

a. Although other sources of aluminum are available, bauxite soil is mined and used due to its lower overall
manufacturing costs. In order to use transform bauxite into metallic aluminum, it must first be refined into A 2O3
(alumina). A typical bauxite ore will contain 30-60% alumina, with the rest being a mixture silica, iron oxides, and
titanium dioxide. This refining process is done via the Bayer process, a method that includes crushing and
dissolving the raw ore in caustic soda and lime solution, followed by hydrolyzing and precipitation. The resulting
aluminum hydroxide is then calcined into alumina using a rotary kin.

b. Types of bauxite can be classified based on various traits such as chemistry, geomorphology and host rock type.
The most common type, which accounts for ~85% of bauxite production is lateritic bauxite which is derived from
lateritic deposits. According to the source ‘https://www.geologyforinvestors.com/lateritic-bauxite-deposits/’, a
typical lateritic bauxite rock known as Gibbsite would contain 52% alumina. Based on this assumption:

2 Al 2 O3 +3 C → 4 Al +3 CO2
m 1000 kg 1000 g
n Al = = ∙ =37050.76 mol
M 26.99 g /mol 1 kg
n Al :n Al O =2 : 1 →n Al O =18525.38mo l
2 3 2 3

101.96 g
m Al O =n ∙ M =18525.38∙ =1888847.72 g=1888.85 kg
2 3
mol
If Bauxite only contains 52% Alumina…
m Al O
mBauxite = 2 3
=3632.39 kg
52 %

c. This value differs than from the one presented in the LCI most likely due to the grade of bauxite used in the
calculation. The mass of bauxite derived in the LCI is assuming a lower grade of bauxite which is composed of
only 35% alumina compared to the 52% found in the gibbsite grade that was found in the link provided.

Question 2: Carbon Dioxide

a. Throughout the production of aluminum from raw ore to pure metal, multiple sources of CO 2 exist through 3
main outlets. These 3 outlets include CO 2 generation during the smelting of alumina via the Hall–Héroult
process, aluminum refinement process, and finally the CO 2 generated through electricity generation used
throughout the entire process.

b. CO 2 [ Al smelting process ] …

2 Al 2 O3 +3 C → 4 Al +3 CO2
m 1000 kg 1000 g
n Al = = ∙ =37050.76 mol
M 26.99 g /mol 1 kg
n Al :nCO =4 :3 →nCO =27788.07 mo l
2 2
Roy Gnanaskandan Dr.Dogan
1148798 9/22/2017
44.01 g
mCO =n ∙ M =27788.07∙ =1222952.96 g=1222.95 kg
2
mol

35200 MJ
CO 2 [ Al refining process ] =35,200 MJ → mCO = =1235 kg
2
28.5 MJ /kg

For CO2 generation via electricity usage, it is assumed that 6992 Kwh are used to smelt 1000kg of Al. Also assuming that
40% comes from coal-fired generation (the rest being zero carbon) with a 30% efficiency, we have:

6229 Kwh∗40 % [ coal fired generation ] =2491.6 Kwh

2491.6 Kwh
=8305.3 Kwh needed
30 % efficiency
3.6 MJ
8305.3 Kwh ∙ =29899.08 MJ
1 Kwh

Based on an LCV of 28.5 MJ/kg and a carbon wt% composition of 55.1 for carbon and 35.6 for volatiles, the amount of
CO2 from the two reactions can be determined.

For complete combustion of CO2...

C+ O2 → CO2

29899.08 MJ ∙ 0.551
mC = =578.04 kg
28.5 MJ /kg
mC 578.04 kg
nC = = =48.130 kmol=nCO
M 12.01e-3 kg /mol 2

kg
mCO =nCO ∙ M =48.130e3mol ∙ 44.010e-3 =2118.23 kg
2 2
mol

For the reaction involving volatiles…

CH 4 +2 O2 → CO2 +2 H 2 O

29899.08 MJ ∙ 0.356
mC = =373.48 kg
28.5 MJ /kg
mC 373.48 kg
nC = = =31.097 kmol=n CO
M 12.01e-3 kg /mol 2

kg
mCO =nCO ∙ M =31.0971e3 mol ∙ 44.01e-3 =1368.58 kg
2 2
mol
Roy Gnanaskandan Dr.Dogan
1148798 9/22/2017

Total CO2 from power generation is… m CO [ ¿carbon ] +¿m

2 CO 2 [Square sheet ] =2118.23+1368.57 =3486.8kg ¿

∴ mCO [ TOTAL ] =m CO [ refining ] + mCO [ H −H process ] +m CO [ Power generation ] =¿ 1222.95 + 1235 + 1368.58 = 3826.53 kg
2 2 2 2

c. The calculated amount of CO2 generated from aluminum production is much greater than from the one found in
the LCI. This is because the LCI only accounts for the CO 2 produced via the chemical reactions involved in bayer
and HH process. It fails to consider CO2 emitted through power generation that is consumed in the refining and
smelting processes.

Question 3: Solid Waste

a. Solid waste from Al production is mostly comes in the form of ‘Red Mud’ which is the remainder of the bauxite
ore after the alumina has been extracted from it. It is a by-product of the Bayer process is highly alkaline, with a
pH ranging from 10-13. It is mostly made up of iron-oxide, but also typically contains silica, titanium-oxide and
unleached residual alumina. In addition, solid tailings from the coal (such as silica, calcium oxide and iron oxide)
used in the HH process can contribute to the solid waste. These tailings together have a wt% of about 4.99%.

b. Based on the soil grade of bauxite derived in Question 1, 3632.39 kg of bauxite is needed to produce 1000kg of
aluminum. Under the assumption that all solid materials minus carbon that were used in the manufacturing
process (Bayer and HH) were derived from bauxite and that all solid outputs that are not aluminum are
considered waste, a simple mass balance can be used to determine the amount of solid waste produced per ton
of Al manufactured.

mbauxite
=3632.39 kg
tonne of Al

msolid waste[ bauxite residual ]=mbauxite −m Al =( 3632.39−1000 ) kg=2632.39 kg

If accounting for solid waste from Carbon tailings…

29899.08 MJ ∙ 0.0499
mCarbontailings = =52.35 kg
28.5 MJ /kg
∴ msolid waste [ total ] =msolid waste [ bauxiteresidual ] +msolid waste [ carbontailings] =2632.39+52.35=2684.74 kg

c. The calculated mass of solid waste overshoots that of the LCI’s by 100% (2684 kg vs 1309 kg). This may be
because of the assumption that all non-aluminum material is considered waste when in actuality, they can be
recycled or repurposed. Through years of process and equipment refinement, aluminum manufacturing has
become a highly developed and polished process, so it is safe to assume breakthroughs have been made along
the way to reduce waste and improve output.