Sustainable Mining and Metallurgy

The production process of aluminum electrolysis emits harmful gases and dust, which pollutes the environment and endangers human health. Driven by national environmental protection policies, the transformation of aluminum electrolysis cells for pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction has become a research focus. The article reviews the current situations and problems in four key areas of aluminum electrolysis cells: sealing optimization, in-cell flue gas collection, inter-cell exhaust control, and residual electrode flue gas collection, and summarizes the transformation and optimization plans.In terms of sealing improvement, strengthening the sealing of anode guide rods and cell cover plates can enhance the gas collection efficiency. Regarding the optimization of in-cell flue gas collection, both online transformation and transformation during cell shutdown can improve the gas collection effect, and the online transformation has obvious advantages. In inter-cell exhaust control, by replacing valves with orifice plates or reducing pipes, the exhaust uniformity and efficiency are improved. For residual electrode flue gas collection, multiple methods are adopted, among which the residual electrode cooling system performs remarkably.These technological improvements and process optimizations are of great significance for improving the workshop environment, reducing fluoride emissions, enhancing energy utilization efficiency, and achieving the green and sustainable development of the aluminum electrolysis industry.