A commodity study usually raises regular questions like: where do raw materials come from? How are they transformed? What is their final application once they are manufactured? Thanks to current data availability and knowledge today it is not difficult to gain information about minerals containing aluminium, extraction processes and aluminium final applications. It is still more difficult to quantify the amount of aluminium contained in single commodities. The availability of this information would allow an analysis of aluminium volumes and its circulation within an economic system. In the present study, we will analyse aluminium distribution in different commodities in order to create an Italian aluminium flow chart; in other words, the outlining of aluminium industrial metabolism. The results of this type of analysis can be useful in detecting “hidden” aluminium in final products. For example, if we know that an average-size car contains a definite amount of aluminium, we can then calculate the amount of aluminium circulating throughout Italy contained in both domestic and imported cars. Moreover, all information gained with these analyses will be successfully used to improve scrap management.
Aluminium Industrial Metabolism, a Commodity Science contribution
AMICARELLI, Vera;LAGIOIA, Giovanni;
2004-01-01
Abstract
A commodity study usually raises regular questions like: where do raw materials come from? How are they transformed? What is their final application once they are manufactured? Thanks to current data availability and knowledge today it is not difficult to gain information about minerals containing aluminium, extraction processes and aluminium final applications. It is still more difficult to quantify the amount of aluminium contained in single commodities. The availability of this information would allow an analysis of aluminium volumes and its circulation within an economic system. In the present study, we will analyse aluminium distribution in different commodities in order to create an Italian aluminium flow chart; in other words, the outlining of aluminium industrial metabolism. The results of this type of analysis can be useful in detecting “hidden” aluminium in final products. For example, if we know that an average-size car contains a definite amount of aluminium, we can then calculate the amount of aluminium circulating throughout Italy contained in both domestic and imported cars. Moreover, all information gained with these analyses will be successfully used to improve scrap management.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
