Dross presses
The treatment of the aluminum slag coming from the melting and holding furnaces by means of these special presses makes it possible to directly recover the part of metal that is still in it, as well as to have a slag, after the pressing process, with less environmental impact since it is less dusty and smaller in volume. Also, however, the aluminum slag will have a significantly higher commercial value as it is purer.
In addition to the direct recovery of aluminum obtained in the ingot mold, the action of the slag press also ensures important advantages in terms of the cooling cycle: the fraction of aluminum still contained in the slag reaches a “safe” temperature much more quickly so that no phenomena occur of oxidation which would lead to further metal losses.
Furthermore, again thanks to the pressing of the slag, we can avoid the triggering of thermitization processes. Usually during the natural cooling process of the slag, which can last up to 20 hours depending on the circumstances, a large amount of metal is lost due to the oxidation process; the slag blocks obtained with the press are instead sufficiently cold after about 45 minutes and can be stored in suitable boxes or containers.
Another benefit deriving from the use of slag presses is given by the “aggregation action” of the residual aluminum particles. The metal particles of smaller dimensions contained in the slag that is pressed, after the treatment, are aggregated together while those that are more on the surface form a sort of “cap” of aluminum that covers the pressed block and makes it is more easily recoverable.
