Electrolytic production of aluminium as a case study for linking engineering and fundamental concepts in industrial electrochemistry

Abstract

There is a large agreement in declaring that electrochemistry is one of the most difficult curricular domains to teach and learn. Applied or Industrial Electrochemistry is even less frequently found in Chemical Engineering curricula. The extremely few textbooks on Applied Electrochemistry put most of the effort in developing theoretical content while leaving for later learning stages the specific examples. Our proposal is about how to start an Industrial Electrochemistry course in order to make students enthusiastic while engaging them in the learning process. Production of a strategic metal is chosen as a case study to help students understand the importance of electrolytic production. A specific production facility in our country is chosen and students are asked to calculate the electricity consumption of the electrolysis with minimal input. An inquiry based learning strategy is developed where students are constantly asked to find information online in non-academic web sites about different variables that will make them realize how electrolytic production is an energy intensive industrial activity. The need to understand the origin of the enormous electricity costs helps to advance in lecturing the specificities of the Hall-Héroult process, while more fundamental general electrochemistry concepts are introduced, always in relation to the specific case study under consideration. Side topics that can be brought up in connection with this specific case study, such as process improvement and process design are introduced. The key message is that in order to decrease electrolytic production costs it is fundamental to understand electrochemistry and materials chemistry.