See a plant producing the most important metal in the world 

Wishing this video wasn't cut short. I was really into it.

I'm foreman at a recycling facility in Western Canada. We ship aluminum to Russellville. It was awesome to see the facility and what the process of recycling it actually involves.

Love Mike showing what it takes to make what we use. Connection vs Assumptions ~ it's just there. Gives you appreciation. I'm not in a hot factory 12 hours a day. Someone is.

As a German living in the US, I encounter many snobby US Porsche owners that correct others how their beloved brand is pronounced and that is when I remind them, that someone from Boston pronounce "Water" different that someone from North Carolina. It is OK to Say "Porche" and not Por-sch-e. Bosterners don't go around and say "WAATER" is the correct way. Don't be a Snob

The man understands the importance Of WORK and the people who do it . Work is doing something that others Will not do and get paid.

I have huge respect for the "doers" in this world. Planners can plan, engineers can design but nothing happens until these folks put their hands on it.

Happy to see that aluminum is being recycled & supporting American trade jobs!!! 👍🇺🇲👍

Takes 8 times less energy to recycle aluminum than it does to mine it.

Aluminum does oxidize. Almost instantly. It's that layer of Al oxide that makes it appear that it does not rust

Great to see an important product not made in China 🙏😁

Nice to see that the US still has some manufacturing capability left!

“This isn’t another episode of how things work in jolly old England. This is America” B-B-B-B-B-BASED!

The thing I remember being told at the Bauxite mine in Arkansas 50 years ago was the enormous amount of electricity needed to make aluminum from ore.

So crazy seeing this, I was one of the pipefitter welders that worked on phase 1 (right half as you are looking from the shredders towards the furnace). It was my first welding job. Alot of memories.Did some maintenance work as well as some underground plumbing near the reversing mill as well.

Mike Rowe…You are sooo awesome! 😎👍

“England and America are two countries divided by a common language.” George Bernard Shaw

Mike Rowe is a true patriot. This day and age we need more and more people in the technical fields to manufacture things and repair machinery.

"It doesn't rust" - Actually, aluminum is more reactive than iron. The reason it doesn't corrode is that pure aluminum, when exposed to air, instantly forms a layer of aluminum oxide that protects the rest of the metal.

Why this man should be president! Gives facts, motive and use of knowledge. Not seeking power... nor wormwood.

Good to see mike row again doing his thing jest love dirty jobs . Thank mike

This plant has it going on as they do remelt to produce new products. I spent 6 years working at the Kaiser aluminum smelter in Spokane and we averaged over a million pounds of aluminum daily. The plant closed around 2000 because they couldn’t complete with the global industry. Aluminum is produced through an electrical process from a mineral called Bauxite. There is little to none found in North America so we had to import it all the way from Australia. Eventually this got too expensive and few American aluminum smelters survive today.

I agree with Mike Rowe, we need to rebuild trade colleges all around America oh, I don't know why we did away with them in the eighties it has it has affected the workforce and people getting knowledge for a trade.

Now this puts all of those darn cans I crushed as a kid with a sledge hammer.

These are the coolest people, doing real awesome work. very impressed.

I remember reading as a little boy that Napoleon III sent aluminium knives and forks to the Chinese Emperor as a gift. At that time aluminium was worth more than gold because it was so rare and required electricity to create. The Washington Monument has a pyramid at the top made of solid aluminium, the biggest single piece of aluminium ever created at that time.

Great SEGMENT-- thanks Mr. ROE

Ty Mike Rowe for the documentary on aluminum! Good job, keep up the good work!

Mike Rowe is the effing man! God Bless America!

Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view !" Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam." Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment ?🐨

Mike Rowe is a national treasure, like Elvis he shouldn’t have to pay taxes anymore…

Thank you for all of the work you do Mr. Rowe

Thank you Mike for all you do.

I wonder how many years of collective knowledge it took to make that plant.

Iron is by far, the most important metal of all . BY FAR. Thanks to iron we have all the different steels and basically, the modern world.

People of both UK and USA can still understand each other most of the time.

Thanks Mike for showing us the good people who keep the world running!!!!

Heat treated aluminum alloy's tensile strength can approach mild steel (30,000 psi). Also is used for flash powder, thermite, and a deoxidizer, because of it's affinity for O2.

There was a company in Alexandria LA that had a mostly outdoor facility that did this. Their furnace was covered with a super tall 3 sided building, same process. They shipped ingots of Aluminum to their customers that looked like the old school barbers booster seat for kids. When they had more cans coming in than ingots going out, they poured giant ingots that looked like old style ice cubes and set them off to the side for extra "ready to go" material. They were supposed to go around and check the top of them when they cooled down for cracks, and if found, melt them closed with a hand held torch. Every once in a while they would miss one. I was there the day they put one of these giant, 4 foot tall, 5 foot wide "ice cubes" in the furnace. I was inside their control room when the steam pressure from the water that was trapped in the "cube" over came its weakening structure, it exploded and blew molten aluminum all over one poor guy who died instantly. When I and others came running outside, the roof was coated with aluminum, the guy was laying curled up looking like the tin man on wizard of oz. Very dangerous work.

Man I'm glad to see you back God bless you

Mike, I recycled all my Beer 🍺 cans. I am saving the environment. Saving the world, one beer at a time.

I grew up on a bauxite farm in Australia. As I remember it, the British stormtroopers would beat us with sticks if we said "aloominum".

Wow! Impressive!

THANK YOU!! AS ALWAYS YOU ARE SPOT ON.

I attended an English Jesuit run high school in the Caribbean; the priest who taught my class chemistry always dumped on us when one would say Aluminum and not saying Aluminium. You brought back that memory as I am now 81. The raw material from open pit mining is bauxite that is processed into alumina then smelted into Aluminium.

ill be honest, from the title i thought someone found a plant(vegetation) that made a new kind of metal. lol

Man, as something of a botanist, I came here to see the miracle plant that produces aluminum. I must say I am severely disappointed

Fascinating! Love seeing America work.

LOVE YOUR LOGIC ON THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! 🤗🤗😄😃

Mike row is awesome. Liked 15 seconds into the intro explanation.

USA: A country if well managed and with good policies can surpass others and in 50 years maybe can be a first world class nation. I have high expectations.

The opening sold me. Put them in their place.

Love this guy !

Also, it should be pointed out that this is aluminum recycling (still very important), not manufacture. Actual manufacture consists of melting aluminum oxide (bauxite) and cryolite (lowers the melt temperature) in an electric furnace with carbon electrodes and a massive amount of electricity.

Okay, so let's talk about Worcestershire sauce...

Mike Rowe is Awesome... Every time he's on.

LOL the introduction is brilliant. I never seen anyone stick it to the British before.

As much as I like aluminum, I can't imagine how screwed we would be without steel or copper. Since metals make up so much of the periodic table, let's just agree we are blessed to have them all.

One of the easiest materials to recycle, along with glass and paper. We've been doing it at least since the 40's. But, an Alcoa plant near here shut down about a decade ago.

YESSSSS! ITS ABOUT FREAKING TIME! Thanks for having balls Mike,

Amazing. And we’re gonna be doing this with virtual all metals. Mining will be a relic.

I LOVE that they put their education level. This proves that you don't need a college education and degree to be successful. Many of those workers had tenure. If you have tenure it most likely means the job has favorable conditions to retain then for so long.

I do know that generally speaking, different alloys of AL are used for different purposes, and so, if the target result is to make cans, then it's best to start with cans. Same goes for AL window frames, etc. "Start with the end in mind"

Gosh I just love Mike Rowe. Funny and a great American

Love this, I'll be watching this.

Another great show. Thanks Mike!

Removing dross via. a person driving a forklift with an extended scraper arm seems WAY out of date. That should be done via. controls in a remote room or be entirely automated rather than have a person using a forklift right next to a furnace filled with molten aluminum. Also, based on aluminum's reaction with atmospheric gasses (e.g. oxidation and hydrogen embrittlement), the molten aluminum might be krpt in a higher state of purity is there wasn't a Diesel or propane forklift right next to it. Given the heat, an electric (lithium) forklift is probably too dangerous.

Amazing! Thanks for the video!

amazing how this plant works.

If you’ve ever seen a flatbed going down the interstate with what looks like huge aluminum poles on it, those are actually huge rolls of “aluminum foil” rolled to look like solid poles.

Aluminium not only rusts (oxidises) in the presence of earths atmosphere but does so almost immediately. American engineers are a group of people who can design a disposable beer can that will last 1000 years yet are incapable of designing a motor car that will last 5 years :)

I loved the end 😃

These companies should have more employees

Good to see things such as this. I wished he went a bit further. Importation of aluminum (or wongly, aluminIUM). Actual application, meaning products making use of aluminum.

FYI, aluminium oxide is aluminum rust..!! Also I was expecting a tryphid or something eating sh*t and pooping out metal.

Right on Mike! You tell'm man. Aluminum baby!!

I loved that intro -- it was fantastic

Being a brit and using the correct word, before I realised that aluminum was aluminium, I thought Alumium was some sort of space age metal 🤣

Way to go Mike, I agree 100% , love your commentary, outlook, perspective and the facts and evidence your show generates, spot-on as the Brits would say of course no pun intended because as you know the best thing that has come out of Britain/England, ( or as the Brits like to call it, the UK with exception of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and other agreeing to the designation ), is America Anyway, always look forward to watching your shows videos and listening to your commentary keep up the great work and keep them coming they are very enjoyable

I freaking love this guy!

Thank you mike

I do not know where you got that part of The History of Aluminum from but if you go in and look at more social media you will find out H.C. Ørsted discovered aluminum. others say it an Englishman Sir Humphry Davy. another story Discovery of aluminum ears. In 1821 geologist Pierre Berthier discovered reddish clay rock deposits in France. The rock was named bauxite after Les Baux, the area where it was found. .one can always turn the story by which side of the dice with looking at Try to see things from several sides

I mean no disrespect to My British Cousins, but we don't tell them how to drive or that they're driving on the wrong side of the road. If the British Chemist that discovered "Aluminum" spelled it that way in the first place, then (as the Céline Dion song goes) "That's The Way It Is." It's "ALUMINUM!"

Well said mr. man of men! Love your shows mike!

Way to go, Fox. Something blessed for all people to enjoy. May God bless you to keep away from the destructive rivalry that American politicians are propagating for the sake of selfish gain and pride. Amen

amazing that you can't recycle most metals without the use of fossil fuels ,hydro electricity or nuclear . one thing about aluminum is that it is easily cast shaped and rolled into just about anything .

That's one Brit who got it wrong, although his generalization it accurate. I thought "aluminium" was a recent change, but had never looked into it. I don't have a problem with "aluminium" as it's consistent with sodium, calcium, potassium, etc.

One of the best Aluminum avaliable in the word is in Québec Canada. In a small factory in a close non accessible almost secret place. Those guys make military and space quality Aluminum.

I've been to that plant in kentucky. I haul aluminum recycled cans from Houston Texas all the way to that plant.

POTATOE POTATO. WHO F'N CARES?

Thank you, Mike, for pronouncing ALUMINUM as it’s spelled. In America we aren’t all that concerned with how things are done in England, at least not since 1776. Love all of your shows!!! The episode You did in the Snake Farm just up the road from me was good, but I REALLY REALLY REALLY do not like snakes, even on TV. LOL 🙃

Our ancestors are amazing!

Excellent video, Mr Rowe. Really enjoyed it. Learnt a lot, thank you (British scientist speaking)

Google it again my friend and you'll find aluminium is the spelling in most of the English speaking world (as is maths, by the way). Of course you are right about the discoverer being English and originally calling it alumium, he's the one who eventually changed it to Aluminium. His prerogative I think you'll agree.

Steel is the most important metal in the world-

Love your shows Mike. Great entertainment, education and humor. Than you Mike, keep them coming!

I wonder how many of these plants are in the country. I hope we build more of these to not waste aluminum resources.

We don't need to be "Classical". That is simply "putting on airs". Ain't nobody got time for that. IT IS ~`~ ~ A L U M I N U M. p e r i o d.

Very interesting video. Thank you.

Mike is the man.

Mike Rowe is the GOAT! Great vid.