ʻO Aluminum (Al) ka mea metala nui loa i loko o ka ʻōpala o ka Honua. Hoʻohui ʻia me ka oxygen a me ka hydrogen, hana ia i ka bauxite, ʻo ia ka alumini maʻamau i hoʻohana ʻia i ka mining ore. ʻO ka hoʻokaʻawale mua ʻana o ka alumini chloride mai ka alumini metala i ka makahiki 1829, akā ʻaʻole i hoʻomaka ka hana ʻoihana a hiki i 1886. ʻO ka alumini he kala keʻokeʻo, paʻakikī, metala māmā me ka umekaumaha kikoʻī o 2.7. He mea lawe uila maikaʻi a kūpaʻa loa i ka corrosion. Ma muli o kēia mau hiʻohiʻona, ua lilo ia i mea metala koʻikoʻi.Aluminum huilaloaʻa i ka ikaika paʻa māmā a no laila hoʻohana ʻia i nā ʻano ʻoihana like ʻole.

 
Hoʻopau ka hana ʻana o ka alumina i ka 90% o ka hana bauxite honua. Hoʻohana ʻia ke koena i nā ʻoihana e like me nā abrasives, nā mea refractory, a me nā kemika. Hoʻohana pū ʻia ʻo Bauxite i ka hana ʻana i ka sima alumina kiʻekiʻe, ma ke ʻano he mea mālama wai a i ʻole he mea hoʻoikaika i ka ʻoihana ʻaila no ka uhi ʻana i nā koʻokoʻo a me nā fluxes, a ma ke ʻano he flux no ka hana kila a me nā ferroalloys.

ʻO ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka alumini nā lako uila, nā kaʻa, nā moku, ka hana mokulele, ka metallurgical a me nā kaʻina hana kemika, ka hale a me ka hana ʻoihana, ka pahu (aluminium foil, nā kini), nā lako kīhini (pākaukau, ipu).

 
Ua hoʻomaka ka ʻoihana alumini i ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ka ʻenehana no ka hana hou ʻana i nā mea me nā mea alumini a hoʻokumu i kāna kikowaena hōʻiliʻili ponoʻī. ʻO kekahi o nā mea hoʻoikaika nui no kēia ʻoihana ʻo ia ka hoʻemi ʻana i ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka ikehu, e hana ana i hoʻokahi ton o ka alumini ma mua o hoʻokahi ton o ka alumini mua. Hoʻopili kēia i ka hōʻike ʻana i ka wai alumini 95% mai ka bauxite e mālama i ka ikehu. ʻO kēlā me kēia tona o ka alumini recycled ʻo ia hoʻi ka mālama ʻana i ʻehiku mau tona o ka bauxite. Ma Australia, 10% o ka hana alumini mai nā mea hana hou.