A Historical Perspective on Dross Processing

Abstract:

As long as aluminum has been manufactured and melted, various by-products with a mixture of aluminum and aluminum oxide have existed. The general name for this class of materials has historically been called “dross”. Within the larger family of drosses, there are a number of subclasses which we will explore. Unfortunately, the presence of even minor amounts of oxide in aluminum metal, render it useless for most structural applications. To be of value the aluminum metal must be free of oxides. Additionally, the inherently high value of the metal has driven innovation in methods to effectively and economically separate the metallic values from this mixture. This paper will present background information on the formation of drosses and the historical methods used to process the drosses.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 693)
• Pages: 13-23
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.693.13
• Online since: July 2011
• Authors: Ray D. Peterson

References

[1] Guidelines and Definitions By-Products of Aluminum Melting Processes, pamphlet by the Aluminum Association.

[2] United States Geological Service Website: http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/aluminum.pdf

[3] All patents are available at Espace patent website, http://worldwide.espacenet.com/

[4] R. Peterson & L. Newton, "Review of Aluminum Dross Processing," Light Metals, 2002, W. Schneider, Ed., TMS, Warrendale, PA p.1029.

[5] Inert Gas Dross Cooler, Light Metals, 1995.

[6] U Boin, et. al., Vessel for preventing or minimizing the melting loss of aluminum drosses and/or aluminum alloy drosses, WO 2005/106054 / A1.