Why Is Alumina Widely Used in The Metallurgical Industry?

Alumina is widely used in the metallurgical industry mainly because it plays a crucial role in the production of aluminum and in the steel industry. In terms of aluminum production, alumina is the primary raw material for producing metallic aluminum. Through the key process of electrolyzing alumina (with cryolite as the flux), aluminum ions obtain electrons at the cathode and are reduced to aluminum atoms, and finally metallic aluminum is formed. Since aluminum itself has many excellent properties such as being lightweight, having good electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, it is widely used in numerous industries like aerospace, automobile manufacturing, construction and so on, which makes alumina extremely important as the source material for aluminum production. In the steel industry, alumina can act as a deoxidizer, which can effectively remove the oxygen in molten steel, reduce the inclusions in steel products, and then improve the quality of steel. For example, when producing high-quality alloy steel, its effect on improving the properties such as the toughness, strength and wear resistance of steel is remarkable. Meanwhile, alumina is also an excellent refractory material used for the lining of steel smelting furnaces. It can withstand high-temperature environments, prevent the furnace body from being eroded by high-temperature molten steel and slag, and greatly extend the service life of the furnace body.