MADE TO BE MADE AGAIN

CHEMISTRY FOR A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Metals in a circular economy, Part 1
Lesson objectives:
Give reasons for the
uses of aluminium,
titanium and their
alloys.
Explain the
importance of
materials recovery.
Discuss the
limitations of
aluminium recycling
and how product
design could be

What do you think this image means?

Aluminium and titanium

Extraction
Aluminium and titanium exist in the earth as
ores.
Most aluminium exists as aluminium oxide in
bauxite.
Most titanium exists as titanium dioxide
often in combination with other metals like
iron (ilmenite).
Unlike iron, they cannot be extracted from
their oxides by reduction with carbon. WHY
NOT?
Extraction from the ores by electrolysis is

Aluminium and titanium

Properties and uses

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Low density = light weight = soft

Commonly used as alloys to increase strength
Corrosion resistant
A thin layer of oxide on the surface stops
corrosion by H2O + O2
Uses:
Aluminium: aircraft, trains, overhead power
cables, saucepans, cooking foil and cans
Titanium: fighter aircraft, artificial hip
joints and pipes in nuclear power station

Aluminium and titanium

Alloys
Aluminium commonly used as an alloy of 93% Al
mixed with Si and Fe
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Task 1: Aluminium and titanium

Aluminium

Titanium

Name of ore
How it is
extracted
Physical
properties
Uses
Complete the table. How much can you remember?

Task 1: Aluminium and titanium

Aluminium

Titanium

Name of ore

Bauxite
(aluminium
oxide) (Al2O3)

How it is
extracted

Electrolysis
(many processes, uses a lot of
energy)

Physical
properties

Soft, low density, light,

corrosion resistant (used as
alloys)

Uses

Aircraft,
trains,
overhead power
cables,

Rutile (TiO2)
Ilmenite
(FeTiO3)

Fighter
aircraft,
artificial hip
joints and pipes

Task 2: The lifecycle of a can

Metals like aluminium can be viewed as technical

nutrients which we need to make the products we
use. We need to design out waste so that the
nutrients are recovered

Task 2: The current lifecycle of a can

Organise your cards around the wheel to

illustrate the lifecycle of an aluminium can.

Task 2: The current lifecycle of a can

Use
Extract

End of
life

Manufacture

Recycle

Task 3: Why recycle?

Turn over your cards. Sort them into two groups to

explain why recycling aluminium is better than
extracting it from its ore.
Recycling is a good idea but in a linear system it
simply slows down the loss of valuable materials.

Task 4

1) Look at the cards from the previous

exercise.
2) What would have to change to make
aluminium recovery work better?
3) Write a letter to a packaging company
describing the advantages to the
industry of adopting clean
technical and biological
materials flows.

Quiz time: question 1

1. Bauxite is an example of
A.An element
B.A compound
C.An ore
D.A solution

Quiz time: question 2

2. Aluminium is extracted by
A.Reduction
B.Distillation
C.Thermal decomposition
D.Combustion

Quiz time: question 3

3. Aluminium cannot be extracted from aluminium oxide

using carbon because
A.Aluminium is more reactive than carbon
B.The density of aluminium is too low
C.Carbon is higher in the reactivity series than
aluminium
D.Aluminium is covered in a layer of aluminium oxide

Quiz time: question 4

4. Aluminium is often recycled. Which answer(s)

are true and which indicate(s) that aluminium
production is still essentially take-makedispose
A.Recycling of short cycle products (cans,
packaging) is always wasteful even at high
recycling rates.
B.World aluminium production from bauxite is
increasing year on year.
C.Recycling reduces the amount of energy used to
make aluminium and makes it cheaper than
extracting from bauxite.
D.Recycled aluminium is not suitable for all uses

Homework

Coca-Cola is developing a bottle called

PlantBottle as an alternative to aluminium
cans. It is currently made from 30% plant
material and the companys aim is to make
a bottle from 100% plant-based waste.
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