Reducing Raw Materials in Aluminium Can Production

Have you ever noticed that most beverage cans come in 2 types: steel and aluminium? But it seems that aluminium cans are becoming more popular nowadays because they are lighter and can be recycled indefinitely.

With this advantage, let’s see how the production of aluminium cans has changed from the past to the present. Can 1 kilogram of aluminium still produce the same number of cans?

First off, aluminium is a lot less dense than steel. Aluminium has a density of 2.7 grams per cubic centimeter, while steel’s density is about 7.78 grams per cubic centimeter. That’s why aluminium cans are lighter than steel cans.

In the past, 1 kilogram of aluminium could be made into 48 cans, but now it can produce about 70 cans. This is because the design has been adjusted to use less material and reduce the weight of the can.

Nowadays, cans are being made thinner, and the top of the can is shaped like a bottle neck so that the lid can be smaller. This reduces the use of materials significantly. And because of its properties of being lightweight yet strong, there’s no need to worry about the thinner aluminium cans getting easily crushed.

However, the price of aluminium cans hasn’t decreased due to the reduction in material use. Instead, it has been increasing over time. The price of aluminium itself fluctuates just like the price of gold, showing that aluminium is a valuable material with an increasing demand. (Read about aluminium prices here: https://aluminiumloop.com/aluminium-price/)

With the ability to recycle aluminium back into raw materials without changing its properties, there’s no need to mine new ores. Moreover, the energy needed to produce aluminium cans can be reduced by up to 95% if made from recycled cans.

Aluminium cans are truly sustainable and eco-friendly packaging. Coupled with the current trend of environmental conservation, aluminium cans are becoming an important choice in the global beverage market.

ที่มา

– บุญรักษ์ กาญจนวรวณิชย์ ศูนย์เทคโนโลยีโลหะและวัสดุแห่งชาติ, จากกระป๋องเหล็กสู่กระป๋องอลูมิเนียม และการนำกลับมาใช้ใหม่

https://www2.mtec.or.th/th/e-magazine/admin/upload/216_41-43.pdf

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Aluminium Loop ตราสัญลักษณ์ที่จะแสดงให้ผู้บริโภคได้ตระหนักถึงกระป๋องอลูมิเนียมบรรจุภัณฑ์รักษ์โลกที่สามารถรีไซเคิลได้อย่างไม่รู้จบ และทำได้อย่างครบวงจรในลักษณะวงจรปิด (Closed loop recycling) ในประเทศไทย