In a method for treating aluminum slags (41) in the form of dross or aluminum salt slags obtained in the preparation of aluminum, the aluminum slag (41) in the melting process is brought onto a cooling conveyor (16). A first section (18) of the cooling conveyor is flushed with an inert gas and a second section (29) serves for further cooling of the aluminum slag (41) with introduction of air. In the first section (18), the aluminum slag (41) is cooled to a temperature at which the aluminum slag (41) can no longer be chemically changed by exposure to atmospheric oxygen. In the second section (29), the slag is cooled to a temperature at which the cooled aluminum slag (41) can be processed further to recover the aluminum after leaving the cooling conveyor (16).