Carbon Particles in Aluminium Reduction Electrolyte – Origin and Distribution

Carbon anodes are still an important component of molten salt electrolysis in aluminium primary production. While the raw materials for anode production are suffering a reduction in quality and aluminium production faces competition from lithium-ion batteries, knowledge and improved process control has increased. This means that anodes can now be manufactured to a better quality than 40 years ago. Despite the improved quality of the anodes, the problem of „carbon dust“, carbon particles that contaminate the electrolyte, is notoriously known as a nuisance, but has not been researched nearly satisfactorily. A common response to this is: „Improve the quality of the anodes and the problem will take care of itself“.