Aluminium is commonly used as a packaging material with a value that is more than the costs of recycling it because of the energy that is used when aluminium is being obtained from bauxite, that is, it can cost only 5 percent of the energy to recycle an aluminium can. One is able to reuse aluminium more than one-time without any loss in its quality. Nowadays, in the United Kingdom, 57 percent of aluminium that is being used has been recycled, but only 11 percent of aluminium foil and 42 percent of aluminium cans has been reprocessed (International Aluminium Institute, 2003). Everyone should therefore be involved in making sure their aluminium foils and cans should be reused and not end up in landfill. Reprocessors collect aluminium cans where they are melted-down and shaped into ingots, each weighing 25 tonnes, which are then taken to rolling mills to be used to manufacture more foil and cans. Currently, the price of aluminium cans is increasing at the expense of other commodities. Aluminium foil should be stored separately from cans because it is made of a different alloy. Examples of aluminium foil are pie cases, take-away food packaging, and chocolate wrappers. Foil that is found in juice and milk cartoons cannot be reprocessed thriftily because it is in a cover with plastic or card. This paper is going to examine the benefits of recycling aluminium, and further point out how much waste is produced if aluminium is neither disposed of properly nor recycled. Finally, the paper will explain whether aluminium natural processes are at a rate that is comparable or faster than its consumption rate by humans
Benefits of Recycling Aluminium
The benefits of recycling can range from minimizing the impacts of industrialized production to saving energy. The recycling concept can assist to minimize the green-house effect. Gas emissions can take place due to the manufacturing process of aluminium, usage and also disposal of aluminium products that are not recyclable. When gas emissions from the greenhouse reach concentration levels that are dangerous, it can lead to variations in temperatures worldwide, and variations in other climatic conditions and sea levels. Recycling therefore can assist to minimize the manufacturing process of metals thus saving energy required for manufacturing of brand new products.
Using products that are recycled will also assist to minimize the amount of non-biodegradable materials in the landfills, which can tend to decompose and lead to the secretion of methane-gas into the ambience. Usage of recycled aluminium will assist in the conservation of energy. Aluminium proves to be difficult to dispose. If it is buried it can last for more than 700 years. When one is using aluminium foils and cans, heshe ought to give a thought the amount of waste heshe is adding to the environment. Such elements should cease to be used, bags for shopping should always be carried and such products should be recycled and reused wherever possible.
Most companies that manufacture aluminium are usually rewarded with the concept of recycling because about nineteen million barrels of oil are saved. This in itself can provide energy that is enough to supply electricity to approximately 18 million houses for a period that can last up to one year. Every person should spot hisher own duties and practices the concept of recycling. Moreover, job opportunities for many individuals are created through recycling, which is all for our own good. The benefits of aluminium-can recycling can be categorized as community and environmental benefits to individuals environmental industries companies and organizations.
Environmental Benefits Reprocessing of aluminium cans usually saves energy, money, natural resources that are precious and time this is of benefit to helping the local communities as well as the economy. The uniqueness of aluminium cans is that they can be recycled within 60 days and turned into a brand new can that can be put back on the shelves. Aluminium can be reprocessed over and over due to its sustainability. 54 billion cans were reprocessed in 2003 and this saved energy that was corresponding to 15 million barrels of crude-oil that can sustain entire gas consumption for a period of up to two days in America. Using materials that are reprocessed in the process of manufacturing reduces pollution, saves energy and conserves natural resources. When reprocessed materials are used as raw-materials to manufacture products that are new, saves energy in an amount that is significant. When one is using materials that have been reprocessed, heshe can drill for less oil, log fewer forests, and mine fewer metals, thus saving the natural resources. About 5 percent of carbon dioxide is emitted during the process of recycling as compared to producing a brand new product. During the extraction of aluminium ore, one uses open cut mining that destroys the worlds large sections of natural land. About 80 percent of energy that is needed to manufacture new aluminium cans is saved through recycling of aluminium.
Economic Benefits The most precious container to reprocess is the Aluminium can, which is the most reprocessed customer product in the United States. Aluminium industries usually purchase empty aluminium cans every year. Money that is earned from cans that are recycled assists individuals to help their communities and themselves. Furthermore, recycling assists to sponsor a project, sponsor a group trip, buy a lunch or build new homes. Nowadays, it is more-energy efficient, cheaper and faster to reprocess aluminium than it was ever before. The can that is made of aluminium can be reprocessed indefinitely because it is 100 percent recyclable. This makes it the most recyclable material with comparison to all materials. For instance, in the United States, the most recycled item is the used beverage cans that are usually made of aluminium. Other types of aluminium such as lawn furniture, car components, siding, storm window frames and gutters can also be reprocessed. The market value for aluminium is high and continues to give an economic inducement to reprocess. Aluminium cans assist to pay societal services when they are recycled. Nevertheless, recycled materials that are valuable can be supplied to a manufacturing industry that accounts for its annual sales. The recycling industry has an economic effect through provision of jobs as well as annual wages.
Community Benefits Recycling of aluminium cans enables groups and organizations that are charitable to earn funds and sponsor local projects. The cash earned enhances communities and programs, as well as improves the quality of individuals life. Money raised from an aluminium can, can be used for improvements of a school, to a Girl or Boy Scout troop Cans into cash rivalry to pay for a camp. All over the nation, recycling is used to assist others. The Cans for Habitat program is a perfect example for this. From a national-partnership that exists between the Habitat for Humanity International and Aluminium Association, aluminium cans are reprocessed by means of a drop-off locations network to generate income to be used by the Habitat for Human to build a housing that is affordable and decent to families with low income.
The reprocessing of aluminium is less costly with comparison to manufacturing of brand new aluminium even when the cost of recycling, collection and separation are accounted.
How much waste is produced when aluminium is neither disposed of properly nor recycled
Aluminium is found in many aspects of our day to day lives such as transportation, construction, health and living and transportation. White dross from an aluminium metal contains aluminium that can be obtained industrially, leading to the production of aluminium billets as well as other highly-complex waste materials. This waste is not easy to manage and will react with water to release a mixture of gases such as ammonia, hydrogen and acetylene, which ignites impulsively on contact with damp air. This results to the emission of ammonia gas in quantities that are abundant. The waste can be used as filler in concrete and asphalt.
If aluminium is not recycled, mineral resources will not be conserved, energy consumption from transportation and mining will increase and wastes to landfill will increase. More energy will be required by alloys to extract and melt. When aluminium cans are disposed in the land fill they can take up to 700 years to decompose and they can energy that is equivalent to six ounces of gasoline. If Americans had not reprocessed 54.8 million cans that are made of aluminium in 2000, an energy that is equivalent to 2.59 billion of gasoline could have been lost. Furthermore, if other 46 billions cans could have been recycled by the Americans in that year, they could have saved another energy that is equivalent to 2.16 billion of gallon gas. Pollution can as well be increased by increasing energy consumption and not using raw materials that are virgin. The energy lost by not reprocessing one aluminium can is sufficient enough to run a television for at least 3 hours.
Aluminium that was enough to rebuild an air fleet that is commercial was thrown away by the Americans in a period of three months. In 2008, 500 thousand tons of aluminium was thrown away by the Americans. The energy that was required to replace the aluminium cans that were disposed in the United States every year could power Atlanta City for a period of one year. One pound of aluminium will power a 60-watt bulb for at least two days, so when not recycled, that energy is lost. About 19 million barrels of oil that can give energy that is sufficient to supply electricity to at least 18 million households is wasted if most aluminium companies do not apply the concept of recycling.
Moreover, recycling 1 kilogram of aluminium can produce up 14 kWh of electricity, 6 kilograms of bauxite and 4 kilograms of chemical products. Reprocessing of aluminium produces only 5 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and requires 5 percent of the energy as compares with primary manufacture. This minimizes wastes going to the landfill. If all aluminium can in the United Kingdom were reprocessed, there would be fourteen-million fewer that are full of dustbins each year. Every year, the United Kingdom uses approximately 600 million aerosols. This is equivalent to around 10 cans per an individual this further represents about thirty-thousand tonnes of a high grade metal that is reclaimable, and that could be reprocessed every year. Moreover, approximately 86 percent of aerosols are manufactured a high-grade aluminium. United Kingdom has been recycling aluminium since twentieth century without loss of quality. Prices are kept high basing on the quality of recycling aluminium. This usually maintains end-markets that are strong for recycled aluminium. 95 percent of energy can be saved by reprocessing one-aluminium required to produce one can from raw-materials. Furthermore, reprocessing reduces the need to extract aluminium bauxite. This saves raw material that is valuable.
Natural processes and rate of Aluminium consumption by humans
Over recent decades, global manufacture of aluminium increases. There has also been an increase on recycling thus reducing the growth rate in the manufacture of aluminium. This has further made mining technologies to advance despite the fluctuating metal prices. Sustainable improvement issues relate to environmental and health impacts, energy consumption and reduction in revenues for exporting nations. Production of both recycled and primary aluminium has increased significantly over the last 2-decades, that is, primary aluminium manufacture from bauxite increases from less than thirteen million metric tonnes in 1976 to approximately 22 million metric tonnes in 1998.
Production of secondary aluminium increased from 2.8 million metric tonnes to in 1976 to 7.3 million tonnes in 1997. The United States accounts for approximately 50 percent of the total world production. The rate of recycling aluminium cans is more than 66 percent in the United States, and 70 percent in Japan, and 31 percent in the United Kingdom in 1966. Other types of old scraps can be reprocessed from alloys that are used in die casts. The incentives for reprocessing aluminium are presently more important than their environmental thoughts. The energy savings in the manufacture of aluminium from scrap can increase up to 90 percent in comparison to with primary production.
The benefits of recycling are many but for one to actually use these concepts in hisher day to day life would need responsiveness, and also advise to spread this message. So wherever we are, let us spread the word, because recycling will reward everyone in the world. One should have in mind that, by recycling aluminium can, heshe is keeping hisher environment clean, providing a resource that is required by an aluminium recycling process, and assisting the needy through provision of local-housing. It is a won to win for the environment, community, individual, industry and business. The production of secondary aluminium production grew from 17 percent in 1996 to more than 30 percent in 1997. Aluminium recycling was two and a half times more in 1997 with comparison to 2 decades ago. About twice the post-customer aluminium that is reprocessed in United States is obtained from beverage cans that are used. Aluminium beverage cans recycling is above 60 percent, and their post-customer recycled content can average to approximately 50 percent, which is a higher-percentage as compared to other packaging materials. As per the latest data, the trend that is towards increasing the recycling of UBCs (Used Beverage Cans) persists.
The overview of trends in production and consumption of aluminum confirms that there is no immediate threat related to the depletion of these metals. In general, economic indicators do not provide evidence that these or other non-renewable resources are becoming significantly scarcer. Other factors, such as the discovery of new deposits, advances in extraction technology, and the development of resource substitutes, have mitigated the effect of depleting existing deposits. However, there are other issues that may be of concern with regards to further development of related industries.