Where is aluminum found?
What happens to aluminum when it is recycled? Aluminum Color: Silvery-White Weight: Almost 3 times heavier than water Found: In clays with other minerals; never as a pure metal deposit Aluminum is a very common metal in the earth s crust. Almost 8% of the surface of the earth is aluminum. Because of its many uses, aluminum has become an important metal to our country. Aluminum is almost as strong as steel, but weights only 1/3 as much. Aluminum is also a good conductor of electricity. What is surprising is that aluminum, which has been polished, reflects heat off its shiny surface (the heat bounces of instead of going into the metal). A very malleable metal, aluminum can be hammered thinner than anything except gold. When used outdoors, aluminum corrodes (changes and gets weaker) only a little on the surface. It does not rust because as soon as air touches it, some of the aluminum combines with oxygen to form a thin protective coating. Since it is light and can be made strong, aluminum
Bauxite is the basic ore aluminum is made from. Last year Australia was the top producer of bauxite with almost one-third world share, followed by China, Brazil, Guinea, and Jamaica However refining bauxite into aluminum is a fairly complex and involved process. At one time Aluminum cost more then gold. There is no such thing as an aluminum mine.
