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2 answers

Processing aluminum uses a LOT of energy, usually electricity. To answer your question, you also have to ask where the electricity will come from and what impacts will result from generating that electricity.

You also need to know the smelter's feedstock. It might be bauxite ore (a "virgin" source), or it might be recycled aluminum cans or other aluminum sources. The smelter's operations will involve moving feedstock to the facility and product (aluminum ingots?) away from the facility. With a virgin aluminum source, you can have large effects from moving all the material - trucks, trains, or boats? with big unloading facilities, and possibly a lot of dust, noise, and sediment in storm water runoff.

Building a smelter takes land, and there are clearly environmental impacts of displacing the activities (agriculture?) and people that currently use that land.

Finally, aluminum smelters cause emissions of hydrogen fluoride and other air pollutants.

2007-01-22 00:42:30 · answer #1 · answered by Observer in MD 5 · 0 0

I lived and worked for some years near to Alcan's biggest smelter in the UK. I am not aware of there being any environmental issues arising from that smelter.

2007-01-22 00:26:03 · answer #2 · answered by rdenig_male 7 · 0 0

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