Cradle to Gate
Identity ID
23b6610c-3e87-408d-a5bc-2c81b7337b3f
Materials
Associated ID
4d1eb532-393e-4058-8732-3b48ba68b3a2
Included activities starts
Included activities ends
Description
Aluminium hydroxide is widely used in fields such as chemicals, ceramics, glass, flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, water purification and papermaking; Aluminium hydroxide is modelled as a pure substance; when modelling this substance, the user is required to add a solvent of their choice in the model. The dataset includes the main raw and auxiliary materials, energy and pollutant emissions of the production process, while infrastructure such as the manufacture of production equipment and plant construction is not included within the dataset boundary; the data inventory is formed by merging data from multiple sources; the production activities of this product include digestion, settling, decomposition and dehydration and other process steps.
Activity Description
The production activities of this product include dissolution, sedimentation, decomposition and dehydration processes.
Process Description
Aluminum hydroxide has the chemical formula Al(OH)3, CAS number 21645-51-2, and is usually a white, odorless and tasteless powder or gel-like solid. It is insoluble in water, insoluble in ethanol and ether, and soluble in strong acid (such as hydrochloric acid) and strong alkali (such as sodium hydroxide) solutions. It is an amphoteric hydroxide and easily decomposes when heated (decomposes into alumina and water at around 200°C). It has adsorption properties and can adsorb impurities and pigments in water, and its chemical properties are relatively stable. Industrially, aluminum hydroxide is the core raw material for preparing alumina, and is also used to make ceramics, glass, and flame retardants; in the medical field, it can be used as an antacid to neutralize gastric acid and relieve symptoms such as stomach pain and heartburn caused by excessive gastric acid; it can also be used in water purification and as a filler in the papermaking industry.
Time period
2024
2026
Geography
China
Macroeconomic value
Business-as-Usual
Data validation
Yes
Technology
Current Technology
Technology comment
The mainstream production process of aluminum hydroxide is the Bayer process, which is suitable for high-purity bauxite. The process is mature and highly scalable, accounting for more than 95% of the domestic aluminum hydroxide market, and is the front-end core technology for the alumina and electrolytic aluminum industries. Specifically, liquid caustic soda is used to dissolve bauxite under certain temperature and pressure to obtain a sodium aluminate solution. Under the conditions of adding seed crystals and constant stirring, aluminum hydroxide precipitates from the solution, and then the finished aluminum hydroxide is obtained after separation, washing, and drying. The main chemical reaction equations involved are: Al2O3·H2O + 2NaOH → 2NaAlO2 + 2H2O; NaAlO2 + 2H2O → Al(OH)3↓ + NaOH.