Environmental Impacts of Aluminum Dross After Metal Extraction

Aluminum metal is highly demanded for industrial and commercial use, and this demand is met by the ever growing aluminum industry. This paper explores the different environmental impacts of aluminum waste, specifically on the effects of landfilling salt cakes within ground water and soil from landfills. Previous research papers have demonstrated that toxic and hazardous compounds were released, such as hydrogen cyanide, ammonia gas, methane, hydrogen sulfide and phosphine. The purpose of this research is to quantify the concentrations of those byproducts and their sources (aluminum: -carbide, -nitride, -sulfide and -phosphide). This current experiment is completed using X-Ray Fluoresce [XRF], X-Ray Diffraction [XRD] and Total Organic Carbon [TOC] to find elemental composition before and after dissolving salt cakes in distilled water, to see how much of the elements and compounds of interest reacted with the water. Most of the elements except phosphorus were present in the sample taken from an aluminum industry, and many more harmful heavy metals and excessive salt concentrations were also found. The results prove that the effects of salt cakes are detrimental to the environment and pose a threat to human health.