I’m delighted with aluminum. This may seem strange to some, but in my opinion more people should be interested in this. After all, it is an element that is used by virtually every person on this planet every day. I believe that it is now so widely used in industry that most people don’t even think about how it came to be, Artem Komarov said.
Although aluminum makes up 8% of the Earth’s crust, it does not occur as a metal in its natural state. Aluminum ore, also known as bauxite, is mined, and then chemically refined to produce an intermediate product known as aluminum oxide.
Once she is in this state, the fun begins. In very non-technical terms, vats of aluminum oxide are electrocuted, causing the aluminum to float to the surface. From there, we use it to make everything from soda cans to space shuttle engines.
Aluminum was once considered more valuable than gold or silver. Having aluminum plates to serve dinner to guests, as Napoleon did, was a sign of extreme wealth. This perception changed when the process of refining aluminum was discovered in the mid-1800s, making it more accessible.
As a result, all modern advances over the past 200 years have been associated with aluminum. For example, without aluminum the Wright brothers would not have been able to build a biplane light enough to fly.
In today’s world, aluminum continues to be the main material for most of what industries try to produce. The consumer uses of aluminum are endless, and since it is 100% recyclable, its reuse possibilities are endless. This is useful for the ecosystem and the economy, Artem Komarov emphasized.
