Fused Alumina Production from Non-metallic Residue of Aluminum White Dross

Aluminum dross occurs while production of aluminum. Depending on the aluminum process such as primer or seconder, chemical composition varies. White dross occurs from primer aluminum production and it contains 20-80 wt% Al. Black dross occurs from seconder aluminum production and it contains 5-25 wt% Al. White dross is ground, so metallic part and non-metallic residue (NMR) can be separated. Since oxides are brittle and aluminum is ductile, they can be separated from each other due to their particle size. Metallic part is used to produce aluminum ingots and NMR is landfilled and when it reacts with groundwater or humidity, it has several hazardous effects to nature. In this study NMR was used to produce fused alumina in an electrical arc furnace. Direct smelting and calcination of dross conditions before smelting are investigated. Products were investigated with XRF and XRD techniques. 90-95 wt% Al2O3 containing fused alumina was produced.