Evaluation of Aluminum White Dross

Aluminum secondary production demand is significantly risen due to high energy consumption and waste production of primary aluminum production. On the other hand, it is inevitable to have several harmful by-products during secondary aluminum production such as dross. In this study, the aim is to obtain high-purity alumina by pyrometallurgical methods in order to use it in ceramic and refractory industry. Within the scope, non-metallic residue of aluminum white dross (NMR of AWD) has been subjected three sets of experiments. In the first set, calcination experiments were done for elimination of nitrogen and fine metallic aluminum content of NMR. The effects of temperature and duration on the elimination were investigated at 1000, 1100, and 1150 °C for from 15 min to 2 h in a rotary furnace. It was determined that at 1150 °C and 2 h of duration, 5.21 wt% N was eliminated, and metallic aluminum content was decreased; thus, alumina purity has reached 94.67 wt%.