Individual Sustainable Development Assignment (ENGG107 2013-14) v1
Product or Process or System Selected (Friday 25 October submission)
The sustainability of aluminium
Brief description of the scope of product, process or system , its
market situation and your Sustainable Development concerns
(Friday 25 October submission)
This paper explains the element aluminium. It provides an overview of the existence of aluminium, its physical and chemical properties, the main uses and areas of application in the world and its sustainability as an airplan manufacturing material. the paper also covers the flow process of the manufacture of aluminium right from the ore to end use products and recycling. It provides details on the market situation of aluminium and its products and the amount of aluminium produced at the moment.
Overview of completed case study (Friday 29 November submission)
This case study explains that aluminium is the third most abundant material on the earth surface. Aluminium is used for various purposes including building of aeroplane body parts and some engines. Its sustainability for use as an aircraft building material is also brought out by the fact that it is light in weight, strong and highly recyclable which lowers re-manufacturing costs. The flowchart presented shows how aluminium is processed from ore form to the time it is used in production of various products and later recycled.
Background Technology of your Product, Process or System which is relevant to Sustainable Development Issues (Friday 25 October submission)(contains unlimited text box)
Aluminium and its Sustainability
Introduction
Aluminium is third most abundant element on the earth surface after oxygen and silicon. It is a light and a very strong material which is widely used in a number of day to day life applications especially in the construction industry. Aluminium is highly flexible, ductile and malleable, properties which make it easy to be changed to various forms for a variety of uses. Among other properties of aluminium is its ability to resist corrosion, high durability, recyclability, impermeability and its high thermal and electrical conductivity. The lifespans of most products made of aluminium are measured in terms of decades as opposed to years.
Aluminium exists in ore form called bauxite in many places all over the world. It is found about 4-6 m below the surface of the earth’s top soil. The topsoil is removed and safely stored before mining of aluminium is done. The soil is returned for site restoration. This is an indication that aluminium extraction has minimal long-term effects on the environment. Once bauxite is mined from the earth’s surface, it is converted into alumina, a compound that is converted to aluminium through smelting. It takes about four tonnes of bauxite to produce approximately two tonnes of pure aluminium metal.
Sustainability of aluminium
Aluminium Use
The use of aluminium in industry provides an opportunity for energy sustainability. To start with, its light weight accounts for the ever-increasing fuel efficiency for aircrafts and automobiles. The shiny nature of the metal with about 97 percent light-reflectivity ensures high cooling efficiencies and reduces the use of coolants hence achievement of green buildings. Its reflectivity is also applied in focussing of solar radiations to points of focus to improve efficiency of solar panels.
Aluminium Recycling
After many useful years of service, all aluminium parts can be easily recycled. It is approximated that more than 95% of the original material can be obtained through recycling without any changes in physical and chemical properties. It is also recorded that about 75 % of aluminium ever produced in the world is still in use. Recycling of aluminium ensures energy efficiency since only 5% of the original energy used in production is used in recycling thus it ensures a saving of 95% of green-house emissions.
Energy and greenhouse gases
The production of pure aluminium from its ore is electrical-energy intensive since it uses the electrolysis process. In the alumina refining stage, large amounts of energy are also required for recovery of caustic soda. Thus the production of aluminium leads to emissions through the processes used in generation of the electricity used in electrolysis and direct emissions during purification. It is important to reduce the energy needs in the process of manufacturing by using renewable sources of energy like electricity and by using energy sources that produce lower green-house gases. One other option of saving on energy used is by recycling old and used aluminium parts instead of mining more aluminium.
Aluminium in aeorplane manufacture
Aluminium accounts for about 80% of the aeroplane parts. Its choice as the ideal material stems from the fact that it is light and flexible. It can be formed into various shapes like sheets, foild, wires, rods and tubes. At the same time, it is very strong. Manufacturers testify that aluminium is non-flammable, i.e, it does not burn. It can only burn when in powder form. It also has excellent thermal properties. It can resist high temperatures and pressures without melting. The strength to weight ratio is small, making it the ideal body and engine material for over 65% of the available aircraft. It is also mixed with other elements like zinc and copper to improve its properties. These properties make it the most suitable material for manufacture of airplanes.
Framing of Product or System in a Sustainable Development Context
(Friday 25 October submission: Attitudes have drop-down menus)
Current Attitude of ‘’
Aluminium is durable and is used in the manufacture of a variety of beautiful household and industrial products. In terms of weight, durability and cost it stands out as the best.
Current Attitude of ‘’
Other than steel, aluminium is the most sold metal
Current Attitude of ‘’
It is expensive to manufacture aluminium in terms of energy used.
Current Attitude of ‘’
Environmental conservatists and regulators have enforced stringent rules on the manufacture of metals. However, the manufacture of aluminium does not produce many direct gree-house emissions.
Current Attitude of ‘’
Manufacture of aluminium is a major source of revenue to the government
Current Attitude of any other relevant parties
Without the discovery of aluminium, the aircraft industry could be paralysed or too expensive.
Process Flow Diagram of Life Cycle (Cradle to Grave) (Fri 25 October submission)
(Create flow diagram in separate Word file using Insert-Object-Create from File-Browse-Insert. No more than one side. If you need to upload or send to me by e-mail , be sure you put your surname into both that file name and on the actual diagram) (contains 1 drawing canvas)
\s
Text Matrix of Life Cycle Stages and Sustainable Development Impacts (Friday 8 November submission)
(Minimum font size Arial 9pt)
Scoring Matrix (Friday 8 November submission) (must contain same column and row headings as previous text matrix)
No effect = 0 to Serious effect = 4 : Improvement -ve
Design Opportunities Matrix (Friday 8 November submission)
Give A,B and C a short title .Describe each opportunity briefly, referring back to your scoring matrix..AT LEAST ONE OPPORTUNITY MUST INVOLVE MATERIALS INITIATIVES FOR WHICH YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. Position the letters A,B,C in the matrix.
Design Opportunity A
Design Opportunity B
Design Opportunity C
Materials information relevant to the Implementation Approach for your selected idea (Friday 28 November submission)(contains unlimited two text boxes and 1 fixed table)
Implementation Approach for ONE of your three Design Opportunities which must involve MATERIALS initiatives. (Friday 28 November submission)
Impact on Scoring Matrix
General Implementation Approach
REFERENCES (Update at every submission)
Give your key references, expressed as taught. Three minimum. Five preferred but can do more.
