Book excerpt: The range of useful books and other publications on furnace engineering, thermodynamics and process engineering is vast. The specialized practitioner, however, is obliged, generally with some degree of effort, to filter out the information and processes for heat treatment of specific materials that are relevant to his or her needs. The "Handbook of Aluminium Recycling", published exclusively in English, guides the practitioner in the field of production, design or plant engineering in detail through the various technologies involved in aluminium recycling. An examination of aluminium as a material and of its recovery from natural raw materials sources, in the context of a brief introduction, is followed by discussion of the various processes and procedures. Melting and casting plants, and also metal treatment facilities, are described in detail, as are provisions and equipment for environmental and workforce safety. A separate chapter is devoted to plant planning, operation and control, in view of the fact that the arrangement of the individual plant elements has a significant influence on cost efficiency and dependable operation. The technologies used for remelting of aluminium are analyzed both for their particular potential uses in conjunction with the scrap charged and with the attainment of the target alloy. The illustration of design details enables the practitioner to judge whether, and how, the technology examined in each case might be used for any particular application. Thermodynamics and metallurgical facts required for understanding of the relevant processes are drawn from practice. The reader is thus provided with a detailed overview of the technology of aluminium recycling, and familiarized quickly and systematically with both long proven and new, innovative methods.