46 ◾ Lean Management System LMS:2012
the waste to somebody who knew how to recognize it. A material balance
would have worked equally well, as less iron came out of the steel mill than
went in as iron ore. The discrepancy would have led to examination of the
slag and discovery of the problem.
Energy balances also come into play in all processes that involve chemi-
cal reactions, and this includes the reduction of ores. Shreve and Brink
(1977, 227) calculate that it requires 2.56 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to produce
one pound of aluminum from alumina (Al
2
O
3
) at 1,000°C.
In actual practice, however, some energy is used to bring reactants
up to temperature and is lost in the sensible heat of the products.
Some carbon monoxide is formed in the reaction ...