Aluminum Aluminum is the third most abun- dant element in the Earth’s crust after oxygen and silicon. De- spite this, it hasn’t been known to science for that long, having been first described some 200 years ago – after which it became even more valuable than gold for a while. Although aluminum production is very energy intensive, it is still used almost everywhere. This is be- cause the metal boasts numerous attractive properties. For one, it is fully recyclable as it can be melted down for reuse over and over again without any loss of quality. It is easily formed, doesn’t corrode and is also extremely light: a product made of steel is around three times heavier than an aluminum product with the same dimensions. This all makes aluminum a great choice for air craft and vehicle manufacture – and for logistics. The air freight industry uses unit load device (ULD) containers made from aluminum that are usually angled on one or two sides to fit the shape of the aircraft hold. Some of these ULD containers are fitted with temperature control devices to keep them cooled, venti- lated or airtight.
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