This sounds good on the surface, but 100% of aluminum is refined by electrolytic means. Are they counting this in the equation or is this just another bandwagon for liberals to jump on?
I think the article mentions nuclear power as a source for producing the aluminum.
However, the cost of aluminum could be reduced by recycling it from the alumina using a process called fused salt electrolysis. The aluminum could be produced at competitive prices if the recycling process were carried out with electricity generated by a nuclear power plant or windmills. Because the electricity would not need to be distributed on the power grid, it would be less costly than power produced by plants connected to the grid, and the generators could be located in remote locations, which would be particularly important for a nuclear reactor to ease political and social concerns, Woodall said.
Liquid aluminum reacts very violently with oxygen, it's several times more explosive than TNT. The heat energy produced from that reaction might be tappable as well.
-Eric
Liberals wouldn't go near it. It might work.
What they're doing is un-refining aluminum and scavenging the energy.
That's legitimate...fuel is a an energy storage medium, after all...but it appears doubtful to me that this technology will ever become really competitive with fossil fuels. Not this century, anyway.
In the not too distant past, the aluminum industry consumed closed to 10% of the electric power produced in this country. Aluminum’s high chemical reactivity manifests itself by requiring more electric energy to produced its elemental form.