Where was coal tar pitch used in the aluminum smelter industry?
In the aluminum industry, companies like Alcoa, Inc. use coal tar pitch as a key ingredient in the manufacture of anode blocks. Anode blocks are huge carbon blocks that are used to conduct electricity into the aluminum smelting receptacle (commonly called an “aluminum pot”). Carbon anode blocks weigh up to 2,645 pounds. Aluminum smelters use rows of pots in huge buildings to produce aluminum on an industrial scale. Pots are arranged into what are called “pot lines.” These pot lines each burn up anode blocks during the production of aluminum. The leftover anode blocks are called “butts.” Alcoa uses many thousands of pounds of coal tar in its smelters each year. Likewise, Alcan and other major aluminum companies continue to use coal tar in massive quantities.
