Aluminium International Today July/August 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

GREENER ALUMINIUM

USA FOCUS

FURNACE TECHNOLOGY

The benefits offered

by TotalEnergies www.aluminiumtoday.com July/August 2021—Vol.34 No.4

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

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TotalEnergies Industry Solutions

• Noa and Tandemol series are hot rolling oils from TotalEnergies sold to aluminum rolling companies for more than 30 years.

Specialty products dedicated to the Aluminum Industry: • Compatible hydraulic oils: Vital fluids series, Noalubric series • Low-Stain oils • Air-wash scrubber oils

ROLLING COMPETENCE CENTER (RCC) The RCC is composed of TotalEnergies’ international team of metal rolling experts, working together to: • Provide a unified, consistent and superior platform of rolling fluid technologies to customers worldwide, including product development of tailor made formulations.

• Deliver high level on-site technical support and problem solving • Drive and create value for TotalEnergies customers through integration of best product with best practice for each process

General maintenance lubricants and greases.

07/2021 - TotalEnergies 552 006 454 RCS Nanterre - France.

Design:

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09/07/2021 14:14:50

INDUSTRY NEWS

GREENER ALUMINIUM

USA FOCUS

FURNACE TECHNOLOGY

The benefits offered

by TotalEnergies www.aluminiumtoday.com July/August 2021—Vol.34 No.4

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

ANAC INDUS

A L U M I N I U M I N T E R N A T I O N A L T O D A Y J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 V O L . 3 4 N O 4

This service provides you a full range of lube oil analysis, to allow you to anticipate and diagnose anomalies in the equipment.

This solution is both preventive and corrective.

Renowned rolling oils:

Thanks to Anac Indus, you:

• Lubrilam series are premium cold rolling oils produced and sold by TotalEnergies to aluminum rolling companies.

Reduce your operating costs.

Anticipate and plan maintenance operations to perform them at the best time.

Optimize drain intervals and extend the lifetime of your equipment.

Improve the reliability and performance of your equipment.

lubricants.totalenergies.com

AIT july august with silver logo A.indd 1

ms.metalworking@totalenergies.com

TotalEnergies Industry Solutions

• Noa and Tandemol series are hot rolling oils from TotalEnergies sold to aluminum rolling companies for more than 30 years.

Specialty products dedicated to the Aluminum Industry: • Compatible hydraulic oils: Vital fluids series, Noalubric series • Low-Stain oils • Air-wash scrubber oils

ROLLING COMPETENCE CENTER (RCC) The RCC is composed of TotalEnergies’ international team of metal rolling experts, working together to: • Provide a unified, consistent and superior platform of rolling fluid technologies to customers worldwide, including product development of tailor made formulations.

• Deliver high level on-site technical support and problem solving • Drive and create value for TotalEnergies customers through integration of best product with best practice for each process

General maintenance lubricants and greases.

07/2021 - TotalEnergies 552 006 454 RCS Nanterre - France.

Design:

Aluminum Processing Fluids

A UNIQUE PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

09/07/2021 14:14:50

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Zero Outsourced Engineering and Service From concept to completion, all mechanical and controls engineering is completed in-house. Our trained service engineers and technicians use the most advanced tools to keep your equipment performing at peak efficiencies.

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Our industry knowledge and experience are superior and proven, with our custom-engineered equipment delivering the solutions and performance you expect from Granco Clark.

Being a full-service company means we are with you from system ordering and startup…through the times you need unmatched industry service, support and parts. Our global team of trained service technicians are available to keep your production facility running smoothly at all times and provide on-site service (in most cases, within 24 hours).

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CONTENTS 1

www.aluminiumtoday.com

2

LEADER

2

NEWS GREENER ALUMINIUM

Volume 34 No. 4 – July/August 2021

COVER

Editorial Editor: Nadine Bloxsome Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855115 nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

INDUSTRY NEWS

USA FOCUS

Editorial Assistant: Zahra Awan Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855038 zahraawan@quartzltd.com

www.aluminiumtoday.com July/August 2021—Vol.34 No.4

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

20

Thanks to Anac Indus, you:

• Lubrilam series are premium cold rolling oils produced and sold by TotalEnergies to aluminum rolling companies.

23

Optimize drain intervals and extend the lifetime of your equipment.

Improve the reliability and performance of your equipment.

Managing Director: Tony Crinion CEO: Steve Diprose

Circulation/subscriptions lubricants.totalenergies.com

ms.metalworking@totalenergies.com

TotalEnergies Industry Solutions

07/2021 - TotalEnergies 552 006 454 RCS Nanterre - France.

Design:

Aluminum Processing Fluids

Aluminium - please decorate responsibly!

Renowned rolling oils:

Anticipate and plan maintenance operations to perform them at the best time.

Production Executive: Martin Lawrence

China aluminium industry’s

This service provides you a full range of lube oil analysis, to allow you to anticipate and diagnose anomalies in the equipment.

This solution is both preventive and corrective.

Reduce your operating costs.

Advertisement Production

Elizabeth Barford Tel +44 (0) 1737 855028 Fax +44 (0) 1737 855034 email subscriptions@quartzltd.com Annual subscription: UK £245, all other countries £265. For two year subscription: UK £440, all other countries £480. Airmail prices on request.

Single copies £45

When possibility meets reality

ANAC A UNIQUE ROLLING 18 Under pressure INDUS PRODUCT COMPETENCE PORTFOLIO CENTER (RCC)

A L U M I N I U M I N T E R N A T I O N A L T O D A Y J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 V O L . 3 4 N O 4

Sales Director: Ken Clark kenclark@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117

8

decarbonisation drivers and pathways The benefits offered 16by TotalEnergies Upgrade of aluminium scrap and its quality potential

FURNACE TECHNOLOGY

Sales Sales Manager: Nathan Jupp nathanjupp@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0)1737 855027

New event gets the green light

12

GREENER ALUMINIUM

Production Editor: Annie Baker

6

30

• Noa and Tandemol series are hot rolling oils from TotalEnergies sold to aluminum rolling companies for more than 30 years.

The RCC is composed of TotalEnergies’ international team of metal rolling experts, working together to:

• Provide a unified, consistent and superior platform of rolling fluid technologies to customers worldwide, including product development of tailor made formulations.

USA FOCUS Specialty products dedicated to the Aluminum Industry: • Compatible hydraulic oils: Vital fluids series, Noalubric series

• Deliver high level on-site technical support and problem solving • Drive and create value for TotalEnergies customers through integration of best product with best practice for each process

Aluminium industry in the United States • Low-Stain oils

• Air-wash scrubber oils General maintenance lubricants and greases.

DIGITAL ALUMINIUM Digital State of Aluminium

FURNACES

AIT july august with silver logo A.indd 1

09/07/2021 14:14:50

Cover picture courtesy of TotalEnergies Lubrifiants

18

36

20

The untapped potential of oxyfuel in the aluminium industry

38

GHI Smart Furnaces supplies key equipment to Almexa casthouse

Supporters of Aluminium International Today

APPLICATIONS 36

40

40

Aluminium Foil: a material for the ages

42

Grand designs, great expectations, aluminium is shaking up the window market

ALUMINIUM INTERNATIONAL TODAY is published six times a year by Quartz Business Media Ltd, Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QX, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855000 Fax: +44 (0) 1737 855034 Email: aluminium@quartzltd.com Aluminium International Today (USO No; 022-344) is published bi-monthly

by Quartz Business Ltd and distributed in the US

by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.

Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Aluminium International c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.

Printed in the UK by: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood, Gwent, NP12 2YA, UK © Quartz Business Media Ltd 2021

47

The electric revolution

50

Anchor Harvey leading the way, from aviation to electric vehicles

42

54

LUBRICANT SOLUTIONS 54

large die casting machines

ANNIVERSARY SEARCH FOR ALUMINIUM INTERNATIONAL TODAY

58

Aluminium International Today

Contents Template.indd 1

TALSAD celebrates its 50th anniversary

HEATING & WELDING 64

ISSN1475-455X

Die lubricant solutions for next-generation

GIA Clecim press selects Banyard for new zero-friction billet heater July/August 2021

12/07/2021 14:38:17

2 COMMENT

TOP STORIES

ELYSIS: Commercial-scale inert anode cells construction begins

Virtual vs Reality I’m writing this month’s news column surrounded by the hustle and bustle and distractions of my work colleagues, as we have all started a gradual return back into the office.

I have already had to write some of the sentences in this column more than once and my concentration is all over the place, as conversations are held across the office and the general excitement of interacting with real humans hasn’t worn off yet, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

There are elements of working from home that I love (especially when it comes to trying to focus!) and I will enjoy savouring those moments from now on, with a more flexible ‘work/life’ balance going forward, but I have also really enjoyed getting back to the company of my colleagues.

And on that note, we have a new face on the Editorial team to introduce! Zahra Awan has joined us in the role of Editorial Assistant, to help support our growing content online and in print. Zahra comes to us bursting with ideas for new digital offerings, an enthusiasm to meet with the industry and learn all about aluminium, so I hope you will all join me in welcoming her! (I’ve told her you’re a nice bunch.)

Onto this issue now and you can find out all about the Greener Aluminium Online Summit if you weren’t able to attend and we have a number of articles from speakers who joined us at the event. This is alongside the usual technical articles and industry updates...enjoy! nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com July/August 2021

Nadine july aug.indd 1

ELYSIS is a joint venture company led by Alcoa and Rio Tinto that is developing a new breakthrough technology, known as inert anode, that eliminates all direct greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the traditional smelting process and instead produces oxygen.

The technology has the potential to transform the aluminium industry, with a significant reduction in its carbon footprint.

The inert anode prototype cells will operate on a commercial scale typical for large modern aluminium smelters, using an electrical current of 450 kiloamperes (kA).

The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry joined representatives from

ELYSIS, Alcoa and Rio Tinto to mark the start of construction and announce a further $20 million financial contribution from the Government of Canada to support the project.

The federal government’s financial support will enable the creation of a unique commercial size inert anode technology showroom for future customers and will help develop the supply chain by involving local and regional equipment manufacturers and suppliers in the project.

Vincent Christ, CEO of ELYSIS said: “This is a great day for ELYSIS. It means that we are becoming the first technology company in the world to build commercial-size inert anode cells. While

we refine the technology in our R&D Centre, we start the construction of our prototype cells. This shows our confidence in our process and in the know-how of our team. The combination of ELYSIS’ zero CO2 technology and Quebec’s renewable energy will be great competitive advantage for the future. I would like to thank the government for its support and all the partners for their commitment.”

Alcoa and Rio Tinto will continue to support the ELYSIS development program alongside the Governments of Canada and Quebec.

ELYSIS is working closely with Alcoa’s Technical Center, where the zero-carbon smelting technology was invented, and the Rio Tinto technology design team in France.

Hydro Husnes at full capacity Hydro’s CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim, the mayor of Kvinnherad Municipality and representatives from Industri Energi and Norsk Industri were present at Hydro Husnes, to mark that the aluminium plant in western Norway is now back in full operation for the first time in more than a decade.

“I have been looking forward to this. Finally, production is back in full swing at Hydro Husnes,” Aasheim said when she met employees at Hydro Husnes.

“Husnes is a symbol of new, greener industrial development in Norway – a modern cornerstone that expand and renews, that

plays an important role in the local community in terms of jobs, but also a producer of low-carbon aluminium that plays an important role on the road to a circular economy. A big salute to everyone who

has contributed, and to the 100 new employees here – welcome to Hydro,” said Aasheim.

One of two production lines, the B line, was closed in 2009 as a result of the financial crisis.

Rio Tinto partners with Schneider Electric Rio Tinto and Schneider Electric have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a first of its kind collaboration to develop a circular and sustainable market ecosystem for both companies and their customers.

This multi-product partnership will see Schneider Electric use responsibly sourced materials produced by Rio Tinto. These in-

clude low-carbon aluminium and copper produced with renewable power, iron ore, and borates.

Rio Tinto will utilise energy and industrial services from Schneider Electric, as the companies work together to develop digital platforms, technologies and solutions to be deployed across the metals and mining supply chain to drive further decarbonisation.

The partnership will draw on Schneider Electric’s Energy as a Service expertise to evaluate the use of innovative solutions, including microgrids, to supply energy from low-carbon sources, and artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to help meet sustainability goals at Rio Tinto sites and throughout its supply chain.

Aluminium International Today

09/07/2021 11:07:17

c

NEWS 3

Hydrogen to reduce carbon emissions in alumina refining Rio Tinto has partnered with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to study whether hydrogen can replace natural gas in alumina refineries to reduce emissions.

Rio Tinto will conduct a $1.2 million feasibility study, equally funded with ARENA through a $580,000 grant, into using clean hydrogen to replace natural gas in the calcination process of refining at the Yarwun aumina refinery in Gladstone.

The study program includes work to be done at Rio Tinto’s Bundoora Technical Development Centre in Melbourne, where Rio Tinto’s in-house development capability has now been extended to hydrogen.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said

engineering and design study conducted to understand the construction and operational requirements of a potential demonstration project at the Yarwun alumina refinery.

Simulating the calcination process using a lab scale reactor at the Bundoora Technical Development Centre.

Once complete, the study will inform the viability of a potential demonstration project. Rio Tinto has lodged patents for the hydrogen calcination process.

Rio Tinto is aiming to reach net zero emissions across its operations by 2050. Across the company, it is targeting a 15% reduction in absolute emissions and a 30% reduction in emissions intensity by 2030, from a 2018 baseline.

“If we can replace fossil fuels with clean hydrogen in the refining process for alumina, this will reduce emissions in the energy and emissions intensive refining stage of the aluminium supply chain.

Exploring these new clean energy technologies and methods is a crucial step towards producing green aluminium.

“This study will investigate a potential technology that can contribute to the decarbonisation of the Australian alumina industry.

If successful, the technical and commercial lessons from Rio Tinto’s study could lead to the implementation of hydrogen calcination technology, not only in Australia, but also internationally.”

The study comprises two distinct work packages: Preliminary

Ultra-low carbon aerosols The metal segment of the EN+ group partners up with Ball Corporation to produce ultra low carbon aerosols and other aluminium containers using new inert anode technology.

Steve Hodgson, Director of Sales and Marketing of En+’s Metal segment states: “Our partnership with Ball Corporation represents the future possibility of sustainable aluminium products that go beyond our current low carbon capabilities.”

The ultra-low inert anode carbon aluminium used is one of several levers found at Ball to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of its aluminium slugs, cans and bottles. To compliment, En+’s Metals segment announced that it successfully produced aluminium a carbon footprint less than 0.01 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of metal (Scope 1, Scope 2 – direct and indirect energy emissions). The purity of the aluminium produced is higher than 99%.

In response to the partnership, Ball Corporation Senior Director for Sustainability, Innovation and Business Development Jason Galley explains: “Aluminium is the perfect material for a circular economy because of its high value… we need to focus on mitigating any environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts related to that supply. This is why we collaborate closely with suppliers such as En+ Metals segment to achieve responsible sourcing.”

ALUMINIUM: Trade fair will be back in 2022 In the context of the current situation and with the current travel restrictions impacting a number of exhibitors, sponsors and speakers, organiser RX (Reed Exhibitions) have made the difficult but appropriate decision to postpone ALUMINIUM 2021 to next year.

ALUMINIUM trade fair has been replaced with a congress: The ALUMINIUM Business Summit which will take place in Düsseldorf from 28 to 29 September.

Aluminium International Today

Nadine july aug.indd 2

It should have been the long-awaited restart event for the aluminium industry. But due to the after-effects of the Corona pandemic, the ALUMINIUM trade fair in Düsseldorf cannot take place as planned from 28 to 30 September 2021. Instead, organiser RX and the German Aluminium Association

(Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie, GDA), together with the CRU Group, are planning a two-day hybrid congress format.

On 28 and 29 September the ALUMINIUM Business Summit will bring experts together live and digitally for an exchange of ideas.

The next edition of the world trade fair ALUMINIUM will take place as planned from 27 - 29 September 2022.

APPOINTMENTS European Aluminium welcomes new Chair European Aluminium has announced that Ingrid Jörg, President Aerospace and Transportation at Constellium, has been appointed as Chair of the association starting on 1 July.

Ingrid Jörg will take over from Emilio Braghi, Senior Vice President and President at Novelis Europe, who chaired the association from January 2019 to June 2021.

Mechatherm appoints new Business Development Representative Mechatherm board of Directors have appointed Terri-ann Bethell as Business Development Representative.

This role will be Terri-ann Bethell the first of its kind for the company allowing them to strengthen Client relationships and build on their future within the aluminium industry.

Husnes plant manager appointed Chief Operations Officer in Qatalum Husnes plant manager Johan Berg appointed Chief Operations Officer in Qatalum.

Berg has been four years at Johan Berg Husnes, that has included the upgrade and restart of the B-line and returning the plant to full capacity.

IAI Appointments The International A l u m i n i u m Institute has recently welcomed two new members to the team.

Dr Paul Marsh joins as Health, Safety Dr Paul & Environment Marsh Program Manager, while Lavinya Kugaswaran will take on the role of Environment (Bauxite & Alumina) Program Lavinya Kugaswaran Manager.

July/August 2021

09/07/2021 11:07:24

4 NEWS

www.aluminiumtoday.com

Hydro intends to build U.S. recycling plant Hydro Aluminium Metal has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to build an up-to-date Aluminium Extrusion Ingot recycling plant in Cassopolis, Michigan in the U.S. As a step forward in its aim to double its recycling of post-consumer aluminium by 2025, the Aluminium Extrusion Ingot is critical to automotive applications as well as other transportation and building systems.

The LoI between Hydro Aluminium Metal and Landowner Midwest Energy and Communications (MEC) is founded on Hydro’s facility in Cassopolis producing 120,000 metric tonnes per year from 2023

with around 70 direct employees.

The total project investment is currently estimated to be around $120 million, which is dependent on final facility design, market conditions and macroeconomic development.

The expansion of The Cassopolis Greenfield Development will also mark North Americas first largescale production of Hydro CIRCAL® extrusion ingot. Unique to Hydro CIRCAL® Extrusion Ingot, it contains at least 75% post-consumer scrap certified by third party auditors DNV GL, and has a CO2 footprint of only 2.3kg, CO2e/kg aluminium.

Hydro’s products will be produced based on technology developed in

Clervaux, Luxembourg and Azuqueca, Spain.

The facility will also be the first manufacturing plant located in MEC’s Smart Park, a planned industrial and commercial development located in Cassopolis. To further reduce the overall carbon footprint of company, Hydro will utilise Cassopolis’ direct rail services to bring supplies to the plant and plans to partner with MEC to source renewable electrical power for the facility.

The final investment decision on the planned Greenfield Development in Cassopolis is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2021.

HAI invests in extrusion expansion Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI) sends a strong signal for the Ranshofen site and thus strengthens its pioneering role regarding sustainability and technology. 38 million euros are invested in expanding the capacity of the Extrusion site in Ranshofen. 80 % of this investment sum is assigned to contractors in Austria and Germany.

The investment in a highly auto-

Rob van Gils, CEO HAI Gruppe

mated 6,000 ton (60 MN) extrusion press as well as upstream and downstream production plants at the Extrusion site in Ranshofen is necessary due to the great demand for lightweight components in the automotive industry. This is a strategically important step forward and at the same time a strong commitment to the location in Austria.

New ownership, new name - Speira Norsk Hydro ASA has entered into an agreement to sell its Rolling business to KPS Capital Partners Einar Glomnes, CEO of Speira.

(“KPS”). The acquisition has now closed and, as of today, Hydro’s Rolling business becomes a standalone company under KPS ownership. The name of the new company is Speira.

Speira operates seven manufacturing facilities and an R&D center across Germany and Norway, including Alunorf, the world´s largest aluminium rolling mill, and Grevenbroich, the world´s largest rolled aluminium finishing mill. Speira employs around 5,000 people principally in Germany and Norway.

Einar Glomnes, who led Hydro’s Rolling business as Executive Vice President, continues to lead Speira as the new CEO with the support of the existing senior management team.

“I am very pleased about this milestone and the beginning of this new chapter for our company.

We have an exciting transformation journey ahead and the clear ambition to be a highly profitable, leading player and the industry benchmark in sustainability,” says Einar Glomnes, CEO of Speira.

“We have everything we need to achieve our ambitions. We have the assets and we have the best people. We will use our best-inclass rolling and recycling capabilities to serve our customers with high-quality low-carbon products and solutions.”

2021 DIARY September 1st - 2nd ALUMINUM USA ALUMINUM USA is a weeklong leading industry event covering the entire value chain from upstream (mining, smelting) via midstream (casting, rolling, extrusions) to downstream (finishing, fabrication).

Held in Louisville, KY, USA www.aluminum-us.com

8th - 10th HARBOR’s 13th Aluminium Summit HARBOR is the world’s largest and most strategic aluminium gathering where those who attend meet to network, get industry knowledge and the latest aluminium market intelligence and outlook.

Held in Chicago, USA www.harboraluminum.com

14th - 15th Future of Furnaces * VIRTUAL * This online event will unite the glass, aluminium and steel sectors to discuss overcoming heat treatment challenges and present a collaborative approach to bring the Furnace of the Future to life. www. aluminiumtoday.com/ furnaces/future-of-furnaces

October 14th - 16th ALUEXPO At the Istanbul Expo Center, leading local aluminum producers and global supplier companies will showcase their products and technologies to the visitors. www.aluexpo.com

22nd - 24th 6th GLAFCO The most important worldwide gathering of the aluminium foil production sector.

Held in Istanbul, Turkey www.global-alufoil.org

For a full listing visit www. aluminiumtoday.com and click on Events Diary Aluminium International Today

Nadine july aug.indd 3

09/07/2021 11:07:33

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New event gets the green light Greener Aluminium Online Summit invites the industry to discuss the next steps to Net Zero. Nadine Bloxsome* covers the event and highlights a selection of the papers that were presented. * Editor, Aluminium International Today

The first ever Greener Aluminium Summit was hosted online on 2nd – 3rd June to more than 350 delegates.

Due to the on-going situation with COVID-19 and the continued restrictions on international travel, the organisers, Quartz Business Media (QBM), made the decision to host this new event in a virtual format.

It is hoped that this Summit will provide a platform for the sector to build a collaborative approach towards sustainable aluminium production and will help drive these efforts across the supply chain over the coming years.

Lord Gregory Barker of Battle, Dr Fiona Solomon, CEO, Executive Chairman, Aluminium Stewardship EN+ Group Initiative

Edgardo Gelsomino, Head of Aluminium Research Wood Mackenzie

Why Greener Aluminium?

The idea for this online Summit developed because of the increase in editorial content that was being submitted for Aluminium International Today, most of which related to new sustainable technologies, low carbon aluminium products and general future decarbonisation plans and targets for manufacturers.

There has been a significant shift in the way we look at sustainable manufacturing and so, the organisers wanted this event to best present the work that has already been done in this area and encourage the sector to form a joint effort towards actually achieving these targets.

Pernelle Nunez,Deputy Secretary General, Director - Sustainability, International Aluminium Institute

The Summit set out to address these issues and discuss what areas still need the most attention as we work towards building a sustainable supply chain.

“As an industry, we are all working to the same goal – to produce the lowest carbon product we can and protect our environment for generations to come.

We all need to be accountable for our impact and also to secure aluminium as a true metal for a cleaner future,” said Nadine Bloxsome, Editor of Aluminium International Today and Programme Director for the Greener Aluminium Online Summit.

“Congratulations on the summit. I personally found it very encouraging to hear such strong and universal commitment to decarbonising the industry. It is clear that many of us are pursuing common goals,

”

I guess now is the time for action and results!

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Sharon Mustri, Analyst, Bloomberg

Hugo Brodie, Vice President – Sustainability London Metal Exchange

THE CONFERENCE The conference agenda was packed full of interesting presentations, covering topics from technologies and costs of decarbonisation, what it takes to reach Net Zero, and how we can make circularity happen.

The Opening Keynote Session saw attendees invited to join Lord Gregory Barker, Executive Chairman of EN+ Group, for a live Q&A and there were some great questions submitted by the audience for him to answer.

Lord Barker supports the idea of creating a united front across the sector and presented the fact that however ambitious, Net Zero from the leaders in industry will not be enough if decarbonisation stalls across the sector as a whole.

This opening session set the scene for the next couple of days and delegates were invited to join in with live discussion panels, ask questions directly to speakers via a chat box and also watch any of the presentations on demand, as soon as they had concluded in the conference area.

Jerome Lucaes, Marketing Director, Sustainability, RUSAL

Andy Doran, Senior Manager Sustainability & Recycling Development, Novelis

THE EXHIBITION Alongside the conference, participants were also able to visit the virtual exhibition hall and stop by any of the 20 booths.

Solution providers and sustainability technology specialists were waiting on the booths to answer any questions and provide downloadable resources on their services. While virtual exhibitions are still a very strange concept, each of the exhibitors was able to receive a notification when they had a visitor to their stand and interact via a messaging function to arrange video meetings to follow up with any leads.

TOPICS COVERED We would like to thank all of the delegates who attended the event and also all of our speakers and exhibitors. The next few pages of this issue present a selection of some of the topics we covered and bring together sustainability experts, as well as solution providers to demonstrate all areas in which we need to focus on collectively, in order to see real changes made.

“Our team was really impressed with the conference and level of discussion,” Elise Ray, Senior Strategic Marketing Advisor, Advisian

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When possibility meets reality

By Edgardo Gelsomino*

The aluminium sector, at present, faces unique opportunities and risks. In a world that is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the metal’s physical, chemical and mechanical properties make it a crucial cog in many environmentally friendly applications. However, if the industry is going to have an increasing role in the world’s decarbonisation, it first needs to get its own house in order.

There is currently a wide range of emission intensities among primary producers – 5 to 20t of CO2e / tonne of aluminium - and a large dependency on fossil fuels. In fact, only one third of current primary aluminium production uses non-fossil fuels for energy, with their carbon emissions being among the lowest.

In its current state, the aluminium industry is responsible for 2.6% of global manmade emissions, and 70% of those come from China. This is, to a large extent, because China produces around 60% of global primary aluminium but also because 81% of the metal produced in the country uses coal as the source of energy.

(Fig 1).

The industry also generates greenhouse gases beyond the smelter. While electricity generation is responsible for 60% of the industry’s total emissions, electrolysis and anode production represent around 15% and 4% respectively, around 22% can be attributed to the combined emissions from bauxite mining, alumina production, and transportation of raw materials.

Emissions from the aluminium industry will rise before falling. To make a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions the industry needs to move away from fossil fuels, but this is not going to be easy nor quick.

One of the main problems is that smelters running on fossil fuels are relatively new and have little-to-no choice in alternative sources of power.

Edgardo Gelsomino

Not too long ago, hydropower was the dominant source of energy in the aluminium industry. That started to change with the surge in aluminium production in China in the mid-1990s. More than 35% of operating primary aluminium capacity today is less than 10-years old and run on fossil fuels. If we look at China, the majority of new aluminium capacity, built in the past decade, operates dedicated coal power plants. While the Chinese government has imposed restrictions on energy consumption and a capacity cap

for the aluminium industry, we know that existing smelters will not be forced to shut their dedicated power plants, at least during the remainder of this decade. There is a limit to how much capacity can be supported by hydropower in the country, so it will not be feasible for China to abandon its coal based aluminium capacity all together. Some of those smelters may be able to take power from the grid in the future, but for this to result in lower carbon emissions China’s electricity grids need to further decarbonise. (Fig 2).

Moreover, the 6 Mt of smelter capacity in the Middle East that use gas and 4 Mt in India that use coal as a source of power will also find it difficult to move away from fossil fuels.

There is little scope to reduce CO2 emissions from electrolysis… This stage of the production chain is responsible for 15% of aluminium carbon emissions. Carbon anodes are consumed in electrolytic cells, generating CO2 as a byproduct. Emissions from this process range between 1.8 and 3.8 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of aluminium

Fig 1

*Head of Aluminium Research, Wood Mackenzie July/August 2021

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Fig 2

produced and are unavoidable with the current technology. Capturing those emissions may be a solution in the future, but it requires a complete redesign of cells and pot rooms. This is not possible today.

The development of non-carbon anode technologies may be a solution in the future, but these are yet to be proven on a commercial scale. Producers have been trying to develop inert anode technologies for decades, with little success. One argument for being optimistic about the rapid development of these technologies is that there has never been so much urgency to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions from the smelter process as there is today… or from the rest of the value chain.

22% of aluminium emissions are generated before raw materials reach smelters. Refineries use fossil fuels to generate heat for boilers and calciners and it is through them that they generate 80% of their greenhouse gas emissions.

Coal represents 75% of fossil fuels used at alumina refineries. The rest is mostly gas but some refineries consume heavy oil.

There may be scope for some refineries to switch from coal to gas and this would reduce some of the CO2 emissions generated at this stage of the aluminium value chain, but not by much. In theory, if all refineries that use coal switch to gas, cradle-to-gate emissions, which include those from the entire value chain up to smelters, would fall by 26%. Given that emissions before the smelter represent 22%, this reduction would equate to less than 6%.

Mine emissions are generated by fuels used by mine equipment and vehicles.

Some mines consume energy in ore beneficiation. Similar to refineries, there is little scope for mines to reduce carbon July/August 2021

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emissions. They may be able to reduce some of them through mine logistic improvements and by electrification of equipment, but the scope is limited.

Overall, emissions from bauxite mines and bauxite transportation represent 3% of total emissions by the aluminium industry.

We forecast aluminium demand to increase by 27% this decade, driven by existing and new environmentally friendly applications. Considering known projects and taking into consideration decarbonisation of grids around the world, we estimate that the carbon intensity of the aluminium industry will decline at a much slower pace than the increase in demand, resulting in higher total emissions through this decade.

Wood Mackenzie estimates that emissions from the aluminium industry could rise by 13% by 2030 before entering a period of

steady decline. Key to the decarbonisation of the aluminium industry, post 2030 will be the retirement of dedicated coal power plants in China and the decarbonisation of power grids around the world.

How to make aluminium part of the solution? For this metal to be a true enabler of the world’s decarbonisation, the industry needs to move away from fossil fuels, develop non-carbon smelter technologies, optimise logistics and set up circular economies to maximise recycling of process and post-consumer scrap. (Fig 3).

Consumer preference and government policies can produce the right price and regulatory environment to support decarbonisation of the industry.

The bridge between now and a truly decarbonised aluminium industry in the future is scrap and recycling. The first step will be to improve scrap collection and sorting systems and to develop circular economies. There is no need to develop new technologies to do this, however, government intervention and further technology improvements will be needed to widen recycling possibilities. To improve recyclability, products and materials (alloys) need to be designed to facilitate collection, separation and recycling.

Recycling could help to reduce aluminium emissions by up to 15 tonnes of CO2e/t of aluminium replaced in the short term, while the industry continues to work in the development of novel technologies (inert anode, carbon capture, alternative fuels, etc.). Towards the end of the current decade, if governments honor their energy transition commitments, new and existing smelters, including those in China will benefit from greener electricity grids, consolidating the path to a net zero aluminium industry. �

Fig 3

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China aluminium industry’s decarbonisation drivers and pathways Dr Yanchen Wang

By Dr Yanchen Wang* China is the world’s largest carbon emitter, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme.

In 2019, China’s total carbon emissions stood at about 14 billion mt, much higher than other countries. In the past two decades, the growth of China’s carbon emissions has coincided with its rapid economic increase and its economic structure. In September 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China will reach its peak carbon emissions in 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The goal has been set up. The question is how China will achieve this green economy transition.

THE CONSISTENT POLICIES AND CLIENTS REQUIREMENT ARE CONDUCIVE TO THE ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY’S CARBON PEAK IN ADVANCE. 1. Supply-side reforms have laid a solid foundation for decarbonisation of aluminium industry In November 2015, China issued the supply side reform policies to curb overcapacity in coal, steel, cement and aluminium industries. Following the steel and coal industries, this policy forced the closure of 4.2 million mt of aluminium illegal production capacity in 2017. Supplyside reforms have curbed the rapid and disorderly growth of aluminium capacity.

Taking into account factors such as China’s economic transformation, carbon reduction and demographic changes, supply-side reforms will be a long-term policy. It not only limits the rapid growth of aluminium smelting capacity, but also lays a solid foundation for the industry to achieve carbon peaks.

SMM predicts China will produce 39.8 million mt and 41.5 million mt of primary aluminium in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

There will be no capacity increments after

Fig 1. Aluminium rolled products dominate Chinese aluminium products exports. Data source: SMM, China Customs

the legal capacity reaches the ceiling.

Therefore, SMM believes that carbon emissions of China’s aluminium industry will reach its peak before 2030.

2. The establishment of the emissions trading system (ETS) China’s power industry’s ETS is expected to start trading by the end of June 2021.

The ETS also includes the captive power stations of aluminium/alumina plants.

The benchmark methodology is currently adopted for coal/gas power plants.

SMM believes that after the power industry, the aluminium industry will soon be included by the ETS, and the benchmark methodology is likely to be adopted. The benchmark will cover scope 1 and scope 2 emissions of aluminium smelters. In the discussion draft of the carbon emission allowance allocation plan for the aluminium industry in 2017, the emission benchmark of aluminium is 9.1132 mt of carbon dioxide per mt of molten aluminium. Although we still need to wait for the final regulations to determine the impact of carbon emissions

on aluminium smelting costs, based on the current carbon price of 10-40 yuan per mt of carbon dioxide in the 8 carbon emissions trading pilot zones, we believe that the cost of carbon emissions at the initial stage may not have a significant impact on aluminium smelters, but with the higher standard emission benchmarks and the rise of carbon prices, the cost should gradually increase. In the long run, it can encourage producers to more actively reduce carbon emissions.

3. Consistency of energy consumption dual control policy The Chinese government has begun to implement a dual control policy for energy intensity and energy consumption since 2005. This policy continued in the 14th Five-Year Plan, reflecting the consistency of China’s dual control of energy consumption. The central government usually sets the goal of dual energy consumption control in the five-year plan, and gives a breakdown of targets for each province. China has successfully achieved the set goal of dual energy consumption

*Managing Director, SMM Global, UK July/August 2021

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control during the Eleventh and Twelfth Five-Year Plan.

However, individual regions failed to achieve the dual energy consumption control targets at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. This is why the Inner Mongolia government forcibly shut down some energy-intensive enterprises (including aluminium) in March this year.

The local government is doing its best to achieve its set goal of dual control of energy consumption this year. As far as SMM knows, the shutdown affected about 310,000 mt of aluminium capacity, which has pushed prices up. It remains to be seen whether other regions will adopt this measure, while SMM believes that local governments are determined to achieve dual energy consumption control.

The dual energy consumption control policy can also strengthen the energy saving and emission reduction of the aluminium industry.

4. Downstream customer requirement will encourage carbon reduction In addition to policy factors, the requirement of end-users is another driving factor, especially high-end customers and overseas customers. At present, aluminium product exporters are showing more interest in green and lowcarbon raw materials. SMM believes that more and more international and domestic customers will have specific requirements for carbon footprint, which may prompt Chinese suppliers to pay more attention on carbon emission of their raw materials.

(Fig 1).

The aluminium slab casthouse project by a joint venture between Xiamen Xiashun and Yunnan Aluminium was put into production in December 2019. The project provided low-carbon slabs for Xiamen Xiashun, a major aluminium foil producer in China. Mingtai Aluminium Company and UC Rusal signed an agreement in January 2021 to cooperate in the production of low-carbon products.

In order to reduce the carbon footprint, Mingtai Aluminium will also increase its aluminium scrap recycling capacity from the current 300,000 mt to 680,000 mt.

At present, aluminium rolled products (including foil) have accounted for more than 70% of China’s total aluminium products exports. Many aluminium rolling mills in China have obtained the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certification, such as Xiamen Xiashun, Chinalco Ruimin, Shandong Nanshan, Luoyang Wanji, Jiangsu Dingsheng, Tianjin Zhongwang, Shanghai Shenhuo, etc. While international aluminium giants have launched their own low-carbon brand products, China’s aluminium and July/August 2021

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Fig 2. Aluminium scrap imports are expected to increase in the future.

Data source: SMM, China Customs

downstream companies need to establish their own low-carbon brands to secure international market share and better participate in international competition.

THE EMISSION REDUCTION PATHWAYS OF THE ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY 1. Greener power will help decarbonisation of China’s aluminium industry The Chinese aluminium industry is carrying out a huge relocation plan to pursue green energy, which is unprecedented in the history of the global aluminium industry. China Hongqiao is transferring 2.03 million mt of aluminium production capacity from Shandong to Yunnan, while Shenhuo Group and Qiya Group are transferring 900,000 mt and 350,000 mt of production capacity respectively to Yunnan, and Zhongfu Industrial has transferred 500,000 mt of production capacity from Henan to Sichuan. All these projects are intended to use hydropower resources in Yunnan and Sichuan.

Following the 2.03 million mt of relocation project, China Hongqiao Group will likely relocate more capacity to Yunnan.

Therefore, more low-carbon primary aluminium will be produced in China over the next few years. The Yunnan Provincial Government will step up investment in renewable energy in the future to meet the increasing demand for electricity, especially during the dry season.

In some provinces with abundant renewable energy, local governments have implemented power generation rights trading policies to encourage aluminium smelters to close their own coal-fired power stations and purchase renewable energy instead. For example, aluminium smelters and renewable energy companies in Gansu Province are actively participating this policy. Aluminium

smelters can reduce their electricity costs through power generation rights trading and direct power purchase policies for large users, which can also reduce their carbon emissions. Renewable energy companies can increase their operation rate and revenue through these policies.

After the aluminium industry is included by the ETS, the expected high carbon prices and increasingly stringent emission standards in the future will most likely drive aluminium smelters with coalfired power stations to switch to the purchase of grid power so as to reduce the costs arising from carbon emissions.

Decarbonisation of the power industry can provide favourable support for the carbon reduction of aluminium smelters in China.

2. Aluminium scrap recycling will play an important role in the carbon reduction process The new aluminium scrap import policy took effect in November 2020, which made 2020 a turning point for China’s aluminium scrap imports. Prior to this, aluminium scrap importers needed quotas to be able to import aluminium scrap, which affected the total amount of aluminium scrap imports. China imported large amounts of secondary aluminium alloy ingots from other parts of the world, mainly Malaysia, in order to meet demand.

The new policy allows traders to import high-quality scrap as raw materials for casting aluminium alloy products without any quota requirement. SMM learnt that the government is considering issuing more policies to allow traders to import other types of aluminium scrap to meet demand. (Fig 2).

More scrap recycling projects are under construction in China. One of the drivers is the relocation of aluminium capacity, and downstream factories must use more scrap as raw materials. At the same time, downstream companies also hope Aluminium International Today

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to use more aluminium scrap to reduce operating costs and carbon footprint.

Chinese aluminium rolling mills, especially can stock manufacturers, are cooperating with professional aluminium recycling companies to use more used beverage cans (UBC) for can stock production. This could also serve as a good example for the recycling of automotive body sheet (ABS) in the future.

The current key bottleneck is the supply of domestic aluminium scrap. As more domestic aluminium-containing products enter the recycling field in the future, China need increase investment in scrap collection and sorting to improve the supply and quality of aluminium scrap.

SMM expects more domestic and imported scrap would make huge contribution to reduce carbon emissions in the long run.

3. Overseas aluminium project is conducive to China’s green economic transition Due to the smelting capacity ceiling, China’s primary aluminium production is unlikely to continue to increase substantially in the long run, so China may have to import more primary aluminium to meet demand in the future. Recently,

Tsingshan Group and Huafon Aluminium announced a joint venture to build a 1.0 million mt aluminium project in Indonesia. This project could become the first overseas aluminium project invested

by Chinese companies. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese companies have invested heavily in overseas infrastructure projects, including mining and hydropower projects. These investments have laid a solid foundation for future aluminium projects. Overseas aluminium projects not only can secure metal supply, but can also reduce carbon emissions from China’s aluminium industry.

4. Development of new technologies Inert anode is not a new technology in the aluminium industry. However, as carbon reduction has become more and more important, major international aluminium companies have also enhanced their R&D in this field. Except for Alcoa, Rio Tinto and UC Rusal, Chinalco has also done a lot of research in this field. The development and application of new technologies play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions. In addition, Chinese aluminium companies can also use carbon sink from afforestation, carbon capture and storage

(CCS) to reduce their carbon emissions in the future.

Overall, China has set a clear carbon reduction target. Although this is not easy to achieve for the whole country, China’s aluminium industry should be able to achieve carbon peak before 2030. SMM believes that the government will issue more policies before 2030 to encourage aluminium companies to reduce carbon emissions. Recently, China has revised the import and export taxes and value-added tax rebates of 146 steel products. The Chinese government expects to encourage imports of steel products instead of exports, which can help limit output in the industry and reduce carbon emissions.

SMM does not rule out the possibility that similar policies may be introduced for aluminium products in the future. The decarbonisation of the Chinese aluminium industry will not only have a significant impact on the domestic aluminium industry, but also have a profound impact on the global aluminium industry and market. The global market balance will be greatly affected, and the trade flows of primary aluminium, aluminium scrap and aluminium products may be reshaped again. �

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STEINERT X-ray transmission creates pure aluminium

Upgrade of aluminium scrap and its quality potential Aluminium can be 100% recycled. Secondary aluminium from recycled material, also known as green aluminium, cuts energy use in production by up to 90% compared with virgin material. If recovered aluminium (recycled aluminium) is being used to produce new products, aluminium manufacturers need their secondary raw materials to display consistently high levels of purity. This challenge can often be met through sorting. By Jörg Schunicht* Not all aluminium is the same Aluminium scrap has a wide range of material compositions and fractions.

It comes from a wide variety of builtin products and components. As alloy components, silicon, manganese, copper, zinc and magnesium increase the strength of the aluminium and determine the primary and secondary uses of plates, rods and tubes, etc. The composition of alloys also determines the ‘castability’ - which is an advantage for complex components such as alternators. The best castability is that of AlSi compounds (4000 class). In some cases, these also contain elements of Mg and Cu to increase strength.

Profiles, cans, plates etc. in wrought aluminium are normally low in alloy components and can be used in almost all secondary processes. In the mechanical recovery of wrought aluminium, the main task is separation of heavy metal

components, which are exposed during shredding, e.g. by hammer mill or rotary shear.

Separating out iron Firstly, magnets often separate the iron content out of the material flow. Magnets such as STEINERT BR and STEINERT UME overhead suspension magnets are often used for this purpose.

Dry-mechanical sorting using XRT (x-ray transmission) For fractions of profiles, light aluminium scrap, wet mechanical separation of the free heavy metals and higher-alloy Al components (cast components) are generally not worthwhile in economic terms. In this case, our dry mechanical sorting by atomic density using the STEINERT XSS T EVO 5.0 X-ray sorting system is a reliable alternative or addition

to sink/float separation for sorting higheralloy aluminium and free heavy metals, thereby enabling aluminium purity levels of >99.5% to be obtained.

Recovering non-ferrous metals and aluminium In the case of scrap aluminium from the auto shredder, this is often higher-alloyed material containing 4 to 12% silicon plus primarily copper and zinc. The greater the Si content, the less ductile the component, which will break up during shredding into many smaller pieces. We use this property in our solution and sort the non-ferrous product flow of the shredder in grain sizes e.g. 10 - 30 mm, 30 - 70 mm and 70 - 150 mm using a non-ferrous metal separator (STEINERT EddyC®) into the “ZORBA fraction”.

*Product Management & Key Account, Steinert July/August 2021

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Recycling aluminium and sorting heavy metals This mixture of light and heavy metals (separated by grain size) is now separated using x-ray technology (STEINERT XSS® T EVO 5.0) into aluminium and the mixed fraction of copper, brass, zinc, etc. This achieves a maximum yield and purity of aluminium and the material can be marketed in a defined quality, e.g. Al 224, or coarse grain sizes as Taint Tabor (mainly clean sheet goods) as well as premium fractions. Against a background of increasingly difficult export conditions and growing demand for qualities which can replace and supplement virgin material wherever possible, it is important to generate consistently high purities across all products.

Using LIBS technology to separate alloys High-quality aluminium from product cycles and material recovery facilities with low alloy components, filler metals or light element content such as magnesium can be upgraded into very pure products using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Our STEINERT LSS | LIBS sorts the

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objects by chemical composition with high isolation to meet your requirements by means of material separation and product discharge within the system.

STEINERT input material

This solution gives secondary smelters the opportunity to use more secondary material and charge the smelt on the basis of alloys. The need to sort within alloy classes, e.g. between the 5000 and 6000 classes of wrought alloy commonly used in automotive engineering, places particularly stringent demands on the depth of analysis of detection. Here the main difference is in the magnesium and silicon content in the alloys, which determine the material properties relevant to the components. These days, the quantitative determination needed for these alloy components can be performed with the LIBS method and is already being used in industry. In principle, this can also be used to quantitatively determine all the alloy components of significance for the aluminium alloy groups 1000 to 7000.

A particular feature is the detection and separation of painted aluminium plates before smelting in order to remove traces of titanium dioxide or even lead and cadmium from the paint and coatings.

Here our STEINERT KSS | NR CL analyses the material surface by colour, laser or infrared detection. The relevant items are separated off for separate treatment. �

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Under pressure The aluminium sector is under intense scrutiny to reduce emissions, particularly when it comes to energy supply. Combined heat and power (CHP) may provide the solution, says Tim Broadhurst* According to the International Aluminium Institute (March, 2021), the global aluminium industry must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 77% to meet 2050 climate change goals. Accountable for 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, the sector generates an estimated two per cent of worldwide emissions each year.* It is therefore vital for heavy industries, such as aluminium, to decarbonise their operations. However, the sector is uniquely challenged because it must do so while increasing production to meet rising demand. Experts believe that a netzero future is achievable, but only through collective action. As manufacturing evolves to meet demand for more environmentally-friendly production, CHP presents a solution when it comes to energy supply – the sector’s biggest source of emissions.

Is it possible for the aluminium sector to achieve zero-carbon status? Yes, providing the industry puts the right technologies in place to achieve this goal.

Deployed quickly and cost-effectively Decentralised generation, such as combined heat and power (CHP), is a low-carbon solution to this timely issue which offers on-site power generation.

Effectively a gas power station but more than twice as efficient, CHP combusts natural gas to generate electricity and thermal energy. The electricity can be used in place of mains supply, while the heat can be used for space heating or to provide a continuous supply of hot water.

CHP technology can be deployed quickly, cost-effectively, and with few geographic limitations – perfect for industrial locations. The most appropriate application is when there is a significant and continuous energy demand, making the aluminium manufacturing supply chain a primary target.

The benefits of CHP are substantial.

Across the UK, businesses are paying an estimated £60 million in wasted energy costs.** In producing heat and power from the same fuel, CHP can see managers save 20% on their energy bills, while

reducing their carbon emissions by 30%, helping each business on its journey to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Gas prices are lower and more stable than mains electricity supply, which means that businesses can achieve significant cost savings by self-generating power, and in a payback period of generally less than five years. CHP can also help managers to meet Part L of the building regulations.

Planning for success While moving from a centralised to a decentralised energy model may seem daunting, success is simple if you plan ahead. For anyone looking to embrace decentralised energy, the following five points are important considerations.

1. Suitability While using CHP as an alternative to more traditional grid connectivity can save money on your utility bills, maximising efficiency relies on equipment running at full capacity, 24-hours a day. As such, it’s essential to undertake a feasibility study

*CCO at CooperOstlund July/August 2021

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*World Economic Forum, 2020 **Green Alliance, 2020

Tim Broadhurst

well in advance. By doing so, you’ll be able to specify the perfect solution for your energy requirements – precisely matching engine size, dimensions, location and generation outputs to site demands. The greater your energy consumption, the more you could save!

2. Sizing When it comes to specifying your engine, there is no one size fits all solution.

Instead, it’s important to take facility size and energy requirements into close consideration.

While an oversized engine will shut down during periods of low demand, an undersized engine will restrict generation capacity. In both situations, incorrect sizing will limit the financial benefits of choosing CHP over grid connectivity. Identifying the perfect balance is therefore a tricky, yet important task.

3. Installation When it comes to the physical installation of your engine, precision is key. Unlike more standard engines, CHP technology is highly sensitive and must be fitted by

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an expert. We’ve previously visited sites where poor installations – everything from unlevel floors to inadequate housing – is significantly impacting on engine performance. Alongside correctly planning your project, working in partnership with an installation expert is essential to prevent issues in the long-term.

4. Calibration In the same way that a racing car must be professionally tuned to deliver optimum performance, correct calibration of a CHP engine is essential to ensure best possible running efficiencies. In our experience, rushed calibration can impact on outputs considerably. As such, getting it right from the outset is essential to ensure long-term financial savings.

5. Maintenance Working at full capability, 24 hours a day, inevitably takes its toll on the performance of any CHP engine. Poorly maintained engines can see efficiencies fall by as much as 20%. While there are number of simple daily checks you can make, it’s important to work with an established

CHP maintenance provider to action the servicing intervals outlined by your manufacturer (typically 2,000, 10,000, 20,000, 40,000 and 60,000 running hours).

A zero-carbon future As the aluminium industry moves towards a zero-carbon future, a rethinking of its energy requirements and carbon usage is essential to meeting its global obligations to reduce emissions. CHP is a cost-effective, reliable and secure solution that can also stand up to the rigours of continuous energy demand, within a payback period of less than five years. All in all, a great solution to help to decarbonise aluminium manufacturing.

At CooperOstlund, we pride ourselves on impartial consultancy and first-hand experience across almost every make of CHP engine. We offer bespoke solutions to our clients, taking their engine and site requirements into careful consideration. � Contact www.cooperostlund.com

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Rob Day

Aluminium – please decorate responsibly!

Aluminium is an infinitely recyclable material, with over 75% of all the aluminium ever produced still in use today. And yet craft brewers often feel they have no choice but to contaminate aluminium beverage cans with plastic labels or shrink sleeves. Here, Rob Day*, looks at beverage can decoration, the damage caused by the use of plastic labels and sleeves on cans and why alternative digital technologies are the sustainable solution.

Did you know? � Used aluminium drink cans can be recycled and back on supermarket shelves as new drink cans in as little as 60 days. � Recycling aluminium takes 95% less energy than producing it from its raw materials.

The low-weight, shelf-presence and freshness benefits of the aluminium can mean that it has fast become the container of choice for beverage brands.

This is especially true in the booming craft beverage market, which now extends beyond beer to hard seltzer, water and cocktails. Aluminium is also one of the most sustainable packaging materials, being infinitely recyclable: the reclamation and smelting process does not alter its properties (as it can with other materials) and it can be re-used again and again.

With the increased popularity of craft beverages comes an increased need to stand out to the consumer, leaving many smaller artisan producers looking for

affordable short run decoration methods.

This, more often than not, results in aluminium cans being labelled or sleeved using plastic materials and adhesives.

Plastic must be used as it will survive the can filling and washing process, but it has a detrimental effect on the recyclability of the can. PVC is still the most popular material for labels and shrink sleeves: its use creates additional steps in the recycling process and increases the number of cans which are rejected at the recycling centre and end up in landfill.

The desire to be carbon-neutral and a growing awareness of sustainable digital packaging technology is driving the adoption of new direct decoration technologies for some, but the majority of craft beverage producers remain unaware that the use of plastic label materials compromises the sustainability of the otherwise 100% recyclable aluminium can. To wrap a material that can be indefinitely recycled in any kind of plastic seems illogical.

Organisations like The Aluminium Association are helping to drive awareness and recently produced a container design guide aimed at maximising full circular recycling of aluminium. The guide explains that in the United States, an increased use of plastic labels and ringpulls, shrink sleeves, adhesives and other unrecyclable components is diluting the value of aluminium causing operational and compliance problems for recyclers and safety issues for workers.

As a result, authorities are beginning to

*CEO at Tonejet July/August 2021

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GREENER ALUMINIUM 21

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legislate against the use of shrink sleeves and labels. In Quebec, for example, beverage cans must not carry labels or sleeves that represent more than 1% of the package total weight. Since aluminium is so light, a label will typically add 10% to its weight, so cannot be used. A total ban on the use of plastic shrink sleeves on beverage cans is predicted later this year.

As we have seen in other packaging markets, digital innovations will revolutionise this industry. Mass-market beverage cans are offset-printed directly when the can is manufactured, but this analogue approach in uneconomical for shorter runs. It is now possible using inkjet technology to print directly onto the aluminium can with no setup costs, making short runs possible. For craft brewers, this removes the recycling headaches associated with plastics, is lower in cost and provides a higher quality result than labelling or sleeving, indistinguishable from that of a traditionally printed can.

Direct-to-can digital decoration has moved from technology conference topic to commercial reality in the last two years and continues to grow. Both craft beverage producers and global brands should understand the opportunity

Aluminium International Today

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afforded by digital packaging for beverage can decoration.

Two digital approaches are currently available: piezo drop-on-demand inkjet (using UV curing inks) and Tonejet, which deposits food safe pigments digitally before over-coating with standard

beverage can varnishes. UV curing inkjet inks suffer emissions problems when burned off in the can recycling process and should therefore be used with care.

At Tonejet we have tried to design a system which combines the best aspects of traditional can printing processes – low-cost materials which can be handled and recycled without damaging the environment, and which are tough enough to survive the supply chain – with the classic digital printing benefit of lowcost short runs and lead times measured in days not months. � Contact www.tonejet.com

The Aluminum Association container design guide makes it clear just how harmful the use of plastic labels and sleeves on beverage cans is to the can recycling process.

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09/07/2021 11:39:45

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THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES 23

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Aluminium industry in the United States In a letter to the US Congress on May 6, 2021, the Aluminum Association detailed that “The United States (U S) aluminium industry supports nearly 660,000 total jobs (166,000 direct) and nearly $172 billion in total economic output ($70 billion direct). Aluminium is a key element of any comprehensive strategy to enhance the nation’s infrastructure whilst conserving energy, improving environmental quality and mitigating climate change.

Aluminium is a key component in making vehicles more efficient, buildings greener and packaging more recyclable.”

The Aluminum Association represents businesses that produce 70 percent of the aluminium and aluminium products shipped in North America, according to the trade organisation.

The letter to Congress noted that aluminium “…is one of only eight mineral commodities designated by the US Geological Survey as critical to the US economy and has been recognised by the Departments of Commerce and Defense as ‘vital’ to national security…

The US government recognises aluminium among a handful of materials critical to US economic and national security.”

The customers of the primary aluminium industry in the US include, among others “…semi-fabricators of aluminium products,” stated Matt Meenan, Senior Director of External Affairs at the Aluminum Association. He explained that a company that manufactures “can sheet will use a mix of primary and secondary

By Richard McDonough*

Novelis operates its largest, wholly-owned fabrication facility in North America in Oswego, New York. “This site in Oswego produces more than a billion pounds of high-quality aluminium sheet each year serving the automotive, beverage can, and specialty markets,” according to Tom Boney, SVP and President of Novelis North America. (Photo is provided courtesy of Novelis.)

(recycled) aluminium. So, that company might buy from both a primary and secondary producer to make the semifabricated can sheet that is then sold to a canmaking company who makes the final

can.”

“We have seen some improvement in the sector in recent years though obviously 2020 was dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Mr. Meenan

*Do you have questions about the aluminium industry? Governmental regulations? Company operations? Your questions may be used in a future news column. Richard McDonough at aluminachronicles@gmail.com.© 2021 Richard McDonough Aluminium International Today

Richard.indd 1

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24 THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES

continued. “Certainly, the COVID-19 Pandemic and resulting economic shutdowns had a major impact on all US aluminium operations. Demand dipped by about 12 percent year-over-year from 2019 to 2020. The good news is we have largely recovered and are back near prepandemic demand levels…We are hearing from our members that order books are more than full and we seem to be coming back full steam ahead.”

Key statistics confirm some of the challenges and opportunities facing the aluminium industry in the US. In 2020, the Aluminum Association reported that there were 1,026,617 metric tonnes of primary aluminium produced in the U S. That amount is less than the primary aluminium produced in 2019 (1,126,032 metric tonnes), but more than the amount manufactured in 2018 (896,652 metric tonnes). All of these amounts, though, are substantially less than the amount of primary aluminium produced in 2008 (2,659,053 metric tonnes) and in 1999 (3,778,602 metric tonnes).

Imports of aluminium from Canada into the US have long been part of the aluminium industry in these North American countries. In recent years, imports of aluminium and aluminium products from China – as well as other nations – have become a substantial aspect of the aluminium market in the US. Increased tariffs have become part and parcel of the trade relations between the U S and other countries.

In 2019, the International Trade Centre reported that the US imported aluminium and aluminium products valued at $22,290,706,000.

Canada was the source of about one-third of these imports; the US imported $7,033,518,000 of aluminium and aluminium products from that country in 2019. The US imported $2,500,060,000 worth of aluminium and aluminium products from China.

Other large suppliers of aluminium and aluminium products to the U S in 2019 were the United Arab Emirates, $1,382,686,000; Mexico, $1,041,758,000; Germany, $844,433,000,000; and Bahrain, $757,128,000,000.

Demographic changes – an increase in millennials active in the marketplace – as well as market changes already in process – but expediated because of the COVID-19

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Tom Boney is SVP and President of Novelis North America.

(Photo is provided courtesy of Novelis.)

Pandemic – have influenced the demand for aluminium products.

This news column highlights some of the businesses that have completed expansions as well as those that are in process of expanding in 2021.

Novelis North America Novelis North America (Novelis), a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, is part of Aditya Birla Group (ABG).

Novelis supplies aluminium sheet and foil products to transportation, packaging, construction, industrial and consumer electronics markets around the world.

“We are the only company producing flat-rolled aluminium products on four major continents – North America, South America, Europe, and Asia,” stated Tom Boney, SVP & President, Novelis North America. “Our North America region includes 16 manufacturing facilities in the US and one site in Canada serving the automotive, beverage can, and specialty markets.”

“Our customers include some of the largest and best-known automotive, beverage can, packaging, and industrial brands in the world,” Mr. Boney continued.

“They include Coca-Cola, ABInBev, Ball Corporation, Crown, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, DENSO, Trane, Pella, and many others.”

According to Mr. Boney, the majority of the aluminium Novelis produces in North America is used by its customers in North America.

Novelis reports annual results by its fiscal year, which is April 1 – March 31.

In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, Novelis North America reported that it delivered 1,381 Kt in shipments (up from 1,155 in FY20) and $4.6B in net sales (up from $4.1B in FY20). These results followed the acquisition of Aleris in April of 2020. This acquisition added eight manufacturing facilities to the North America operations of Novelis. Mr. Boney noted that this acquisition also added “…a significant contribution to our Building and Construction and specialty business.”

Aluminium production continued at Novelis during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“Novelis successfully operated throughout the pandemic, supplying essential aluminium to customers in all the markets we serve,” said Mr. Boney.

“In terms of net sales and shipments, we outperformed prior years thanks to the acquisition of Aleris, strong beverage can sheet demand driven by increasing consumer preference for sustainable packaging, and higher automotive shipments due to a faster pandemic recovery.”

“Novelis’ primary focus remains the health and well-being of its employees,” Mr. Boney continued. “The company continues to closely monitor the changing landscape with respect to the COVID-19 Pandemic and is taking actions to manage its business and support customers.

Novelis has bolstered its Environmental Health and Safety protocols to align with guidance from global health authorities and government agencies across company operations to help ensure the safety of its employees, customers, suppliers, communities and other stakeholders.

Customer demand has recovered to preCOVID-19 levels in most end markets, and Novelis will continue to work closely with customers to leverage its global manufacturing footprint and adjust production levels to meet their needs.”

Novelis recently began operations at its newest facility located in Guthrie, Kentucky. According to the company, this facility has pre-treat and heat-treat lines that prepare aluminium for use in vehicle parts such as body-in-white, hoods, doors, lift gates, and fenders. (Photo is provided courtesy of Novelis.)

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Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina (seen here with the scissors) and Jesse Gary, the incoming Chief Executive Officer and President of Century Aluminum Company (second from the left) joined with local workers at the ribbon cutting for expansion at an aluminium smelter in America’s South.

(Photo was provided courtesy of the American Primary Aluminum Association, June 3, 2021.)

Growth is anticipated to continue to be a focus of Novelis.

“Looking forward, we will continue to pursue growth opportunities through organic investment,” explained Mr. Boney.

“For example, our greenfield automotive finishing plant in Guthrie, Kentucky, was commissioned in late 2020, and customer qualifications will continue to ramp up to meet strong demand for lightweight, automotive aluminium sheet.”

Century Aluminum Company In June of 2021, political leaders, business executives, and workers joined together in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the planned fifty percent increase in production capacity at the smelter operated by Century Aluminum Company in Mount Holly, South Carolina.

Four hundred employees already work at this smelter, according to the firm. It is estimated that more than $60 million in capital investments will be spent at this facility. The expansion is expected to include adding 100 smelter employees and is anticipated to be completed prior to the end of 2021.

Century Aluminum reported that it casts molten aluminium into standardgrade ingot, horizontal direct chilled (HDC) ingot, extrusion billet and other primary aluminium products at its smelter in Mount Holly.

“Thanks to the Section 232 programme and the leadership of Governor McMaster, Majority Whip Clyburn, and Secretary Hitt, Century Aluminum is proud to be July/August 2021

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At the announcement of the expansion of the aluminium smelter in South Carolina were (from left) Michael Bless, the current President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Century Aluminum; Governor Henry McMaster of the State of South Carolina; and Jesse Gary, the incoming Chief Executive Officer and President of Century Aluminum Company. (Photo was provided courtesy of the American Primary Aluminum Association, June 3, 2021.)

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increasing production capacity at Mount Holly by fifty percent,” stated Jesse Gary, the incoming Chief Executive Officer and President of Century Aluminum Company.

Mr. Gary has been with the company since 2010.

According to the firm, Century Aluminum Company is the largest primary aluminium producer in the United States, with three operating aluminium smelters in Kentucky and South Carolina. Founded in 1995, Century Aluminum produces standard-grade, high-purity and valueadded primary aluminium products, with operations in the United States and Iceland.

Leaders in South Carolina welcomed the expansion of the aluminium industry in this American state.

“Century Aluminum’s Mount Holly plant has long served as a unique economic driver for Berkeley County and their success is a win for South Carolina,” noted Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina. “Companies like Century Aluminum continue to help strengthen our state’s manufacturing sector,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce of South Carolina. “The company’s decision to expand in South Carolina shows that our state’s advantageous economic environment and talented workforce not only attract business, but also help them grow.” US House of Representatives Majority Whip James Clyburn concurred: “Let me congratulate the leadership and all the teamworkers at Century on this great relaunch” The company indicated in a news statement that “the Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved job development credits related to this project…[the] Mount Holly smelter is the newest and most efficient smelter in the United States…and produces aluminium that is a critical component for many sectors of the economy, including automotive, electrical, construction and aerospace industries as well as our military. The aluminium produced at

Aluminium can production facility planned in Muncie, Indiana. (Image provided courtesy of CANPACK.)

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AUTONOMOUS CHARGING & SKIMMING MACHINES

28 THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES

Plant operation is slated to commence in the fourth quarter of 2022.”

Peter Giorgi, President and CEO of Giorgi Global Holdings explained that the location in Indiana was chosen for the new plant “…because of Indiana’s strong economy and very business-friendly environment.”

This development in Indiana is the second for CANPACK in the US. Its first facility built in the US went into operation a year ago in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, noted the company in its news statement: “As part of its overall U S expansion, CANPACK will further increase its investment in Olyphant by $10 million to increase its end-making capacity. CANPACK, over the past 30-plus years, has grown from a single steel food can manufacturing site in Poland to a true multinational packaging manufacturer with nearly 8,000 employees and 28 manufacturing sites located in Europe, South America, India, the Middle East, Africa, and now also the United States.”

makers such as Ardagh Group, CANPACK, and CROWN Holdings, Inc. as well as aluminium suppliers such as Constellium, Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, Novelis, and Tri-Arrows Aluminum Inc. “Beverage cans have seen significant increases in sales over the past several years, in part due to sustainability attributes,” said Mr. Budway. “Most new beverages that have been introduced in recent years have been packaged in aluminium cans.

The aluminium beverage can has taken market share in beer, wine, kombucha, hard seltzer, ready-to-go cocktails, still waters and other emerging beverage categories. According to the latest data new beverage product introduction, 70 percent were introduced in aluminium cans.”

According to the CMI, there was a growth rate of more than six percent in aluminium beverage cans in 2020 from 2019. “The aluminium beverage can manufacturing industry saw unprecedented demand for this environmentally-friendly container,” explained Mr. Budway. Approximately, 8.5 billion cans were imported in 2020 from US can maker’s overseas facilities to meet customer needs. And can manufacturers expect to add the capacity to produce 12 billion more cans by the end of 2021.”

The COVID-19 Pandemic had a dramatic effect on the aluminium can business.

“COVID-19 saw unprecedented demand for aluminium beverage cans,” noted Mr. Budway. “As consumers were asked to stay at home and restaurants and bars closed, at home consumption increased and many bars pivoted to filling aluminium cans from their beer kegs for consumer to take away and consume at home. To meet this demand, aluminium can manufacturers worked 24/7 to fill their customer’s needs…”

Mr. Budway explained that the CMI expects “…strong demand to continue for many years to come as can makers are investing considerable capital in additional capacity to increase supply. We continue to see more and a wider variety of beverages that are selecting cans as their packaging choice. We expect this to increase as other packaging types face sustainability and performance hurdles that the aluminium can does not face.”

Can Manufacturers Institute “Most US aluminium can manufacturers produce a variety of aluminium beverage cans, among other items, that are sold to large, medium and small beverage filling companies,” stated Robert Budway, President of the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI). The CMI is a trade association of manufacturers and suppliers of metal cans in the US. Among its members are aluminium can

Summary Regulatory aspects will continue to impact the aluminium industry – both in terms of supply and demand – in the US. Trade relations – including tariffs – will continue to influence the operation and expansion of aluminium manufacturing in the US. Supply and demand are in flux because of the COVID-19 Pandemic as well as demographic changes underway in the US. �

Aluminium cans are a major component of the aluminium industry in the U S. (Photo was provided courtesy of the Can Manufactures Institute.)

Mount Holly is a key input for renewable energy components that are essential to a low-carbon future in the United States.”

CANPACK In late May of 2021, CANPACK announced it will build its second aluminium beverage can body manufacturing plant in the U S in the country’s Midwest. According to a news statement from the company, this new facility in Monroe Township, adjacent to Muncie, Indiana, will include “…over time, approximately 345 high-paying, local jobs by 2023.”

CANPACK is headquartered in Kraków, Poland. This company is owned by Giorgi Global Holdings, Inc. With its headquarters in the US, Giorgi Global Holdings describes itself as “…a privatelyheld and diversified agricultural, food manufacturing and food packaging company with a long-term focus.”

The new facility, estimated to include $380 million in investments in the State of Indiana, has “…the potential to expand to 425 jobs and $490 million by 2025,” the news statement continued. “Officials from CANPACK and its owner Giorgi Global Holdings, Inc. jointly announced the new facility…following the [local governmental entity of] Delaware County Council’s approval of the project, with economic development incentives provided by both the state and local governments.

Construction of the 862,000-square-foot facility is expected to begin in mid-2021.

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Aluminium International Today

09/07/2021 14:08:21

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30 DIGITAL ALUMINIUM

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Digital State of Aluminium

By Sergey Belskiy* Sometimes grandiose changes happen imperceptibly. Everything seems to remain the same, while in reality, things are developing at a rapid speed. It is especially applicable now that humanity has created a new space, which is actively reshaping our standard notions of creation and ownership.

The name of this space is Blockchain.

Developed at the dawn of the 21st century, Blockchain has been called the main technological breakthrough of humanity since the invention of the Internet. Society now has two habitats physical and digital.

We cannot touch and see objects in Blockchain. But they exist and are just as real as the physical world around us.

Like discovering a new land, exploring the potential of Blockchain and its fascinating cryptography can pave the road for yet unrealized potential. It applies to all aspects of our life and industries that we operate in, including the aluminium market. I’d like to invite you for this exploration together, but before we dive into the visualization, let’s get clear on

the basics to ensure smooth sailing on our voyage.

What is Blockchain?

Let’s see how this new crypto land works for us. Blockchain was first used in 2009 for Bitcoin cryptocurrency to record transactions in the system and prevent double-spending without any regulatory authority. Its concept was proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto. But even today, it is still unknown who is standing behind this name: Was it one person or a group of developers? The only thing we can say for sure is that the Blockchain has forever changed our understanding of information storage and transaction security.

In a way, the name itself - Blockchain - explains the tasks and mechanics of this technology. Blockchain is a distributed database with no storage devices connected to a shared server. This database stores an ever-growing list of ordered records called blocks.

All blocks in a blockchain registry are interconnected, and each subsequent block contains information about the

previous ones. Thus, data is accumulated and forms a constantly updated database.

One of the key features of Blockchain is decentralisation. Information about blocks is simultaneously stored by all network users, is constantly updated, and refers to previous blocks. Therefore, if someone tries to change, delete or replace information in the blockchain registry, the system will compare the data in the table with thousands of other versions of the registry and find inconsistencies.

Another important advantage is cryptographic encryption, which ensures that the information held within the system is secure and contains a timestamp and link to the previous block. Encryption validates user access and allows them to modify only those parts of the chain blocks that they “own”. This is done through private keys, without which file overwriting is impossible. Additionally, encryption ensures that copies of the distributed Blockchain are synchronized for all users.

This base is secure and virtually unlimited, making it possible to create an

*Founder and director at Cybercomm.trade Ltd. and partner at Metal Supply Experts GmbH and VAREYE Chain of Custody System, guiding multiple organisations across various industries.

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CREATING THE FUTURE THROUGH SUSTAINABILITY

Our sustainability vision has been globally recognized We have been entitled to receive the provisional Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Performance Standard Certificate which sets the global sustainability framework for the aluminium industry. We are proud that the importance we give to our value of sustainability has been recognized on a global scale. We continue to create value in order to further advance our sustainability.

32 DIGITAL ALUMINIUM

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Source: https://bitnodes.io/nodes/network-map/

infinite amount of information, which can take numerous shapes: from transactions with cryptocurrencies to the creation of digital analogues of physical world values – for example, aluminium.

The Double-Spending Problem Let’s try to figure out how Blockchain works and take any object from our physical world. It could be a coffee mug on your table, or an apple in your hand, or whatever you can touch and see. But since we are looking at the possibilities of Blockchain in relation to aluminium, let’s take aluminium. So imagine that I have 1 mt of aluminium, and I am selling it to you.

Now you have 1 mt of aluminium, and I have 0. An elementary example, but now let’s take a closer look at what happened and compare it with the possibilities within a blockchain.

The aluminium was physically delivered to your warehouse, for example, in Rotterdam, and this fact of transfer does not require proof. We have all the needed evidence in the physical delivery. Now you own the aluminium and have complete control over it, but I don’t. This is how the transfer of physical metal looks. And as you might guess, it works not only with aluminium but, for example, with fiat currencies.

Now, let’s pretend my aluminium was digital. The situation is getting more complicated. How can you be sure that this aluminium is now really yours and only yours? Maybe I sent this aluminium to my friend by email first? Or, perhaps, I multiplied this lot of aluminium, and thousands of copies are stored on my computer? Or I might have uploaded it to a website, and millions of people have already downloaded it?

The exchange of digital assets has its complexities, and it is much more complex than the transfer of physical aluminium.

For a long time, leading IT specialists July/August 2021

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have been looking for a solution to this problem and even gave it their name - the double-spending problem.

The answer was Blockchain technology.

The Double-Spending Solution As we have already understood, to make sure that digital aluminium has been transferred, we need a system that can confirm the transfer. For example, we can create an Excel spreadsheet where each transaction with aluminium will be recorded. Such a table would be similar to a notary or ledger.

In this table, one can note all the required data: who sold the aluminium, who was the buyer, when the transaction took place and what quantities were involved. Here several problems immediately appear. If this table is stored only on my computer, what prevents me from editing existing transactions or writing off a few extra tons of aluminium for myself?

The solution is to hand out the spreadsheet to everyone. In this case, I will not be able to give you more aluminium, or change the transaction history, because then my record will not correspond with the other tables in the system, and everyone will notice the substitution.

Deception would be very difficult since one person does not control the system.

And the more people connect to the network, the harder it gets.

Everyone can download the spreadsheet for themselves, check everything that is written by other participants, and even receive a reward for checking and maintaining the network. We have just created our own antediluvian Blockchain!

It is important to note that the identities of the blockchain participants are not disclosed, which makes the Blockchain absolutely anonymous.

Of course, this is a significantly simplified explanation, but this is how Blockchain works if you do not go into the technical

details. Blockchain is a similar database that is constantly updated and open to all, like an Excel spreadsheet. All transactions on the network take place in public. All users know how much aluminium was available originally, to which digital address and when it was transferred.

Blockchain verifies all transactions in the system. It makes digital asset transactions as easy and secure as the actual transfer.

Now, even without the physical transfer of aluminium, you can still be sure that it is yours - after all, thousands of people can confirm this.

It means that we can carry out digital transmission to each other from 1 kilogram to thousands, millions of tons of aluminium. And, all this can be done literally with one click, even if I am in New Zealand, and you are in Europe or anywhere else in the world.

Blockchain and Miners Now let’s dive a little deeper into the technical details. As you remember, Blockchain is nothing more than a chain of blocks of information. Each block has its own title, its key, and the key to the previous block. The block will be included in the main chain only if users, using computational operations, were able to find a cryptographic signature for the block key (hash). By doing so, they will confirm that all operations written to the new block do not contradict that have already been included in the chain.

This process essentially keeps our Blockchain in check, just like hundreds of people were verifying the data in our imaginary spreadsheet from the previous example. In the crypto world this process is called mining, which is hard work but this time done by unbiased computers. It results in a slow accumulation of resources – just like mining for precious minerals.

Miners (people behind this process) create new blocks on Blockchain using computing technology, for example, powerful processors or video cards. They form a large P2P network supported by computers around the world. The computers that support the network are called communication nodes.

An impressive online 3D visualisation of all the Bitcoin nodes and the node density presented by Addy Yeow from “Bitnodes”: https://bitnodes.io/nodes/network-map/ Miners perform an essential function in the Blockchain - they fill each new information block of the network with recent transactions and get reward for each block found. How this happens in practice in real-time on the Ethereum network can be seen at: http://ethviewer. live/

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DIGITAL ALUMINIUM 33

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Transaction Fees Transactions on the blockchain network are conditionally free; however, demanddriven and some amounts will have to be deducted for transfers. These amounts go as a reward to miners participating in the network, and the sender pays for the size that his blockchain transaction takes in one block.

Here you can see the average commissions in Ethereum blockchain by day: https://ycharts.com/indicators/ ethereum_average_transaction_fee Digital Aluminium Tokens and Smart Contracts But let’s get back to aluminium.

The revolutionary nature of Blockchain technology allows it to represent value and get rid of the “extra link” of intermediate logistics, create an ecosystem of tools available to everyone in the market, and increase the privacy and security of market participants.

Such tools in the Blockchain are tokens, or in other words, entries in the register distributed in Blockchain. There are different types of tokens, but we are interested in an Aluminium token, which represents the value of aluminium.

Now that we have clarified our ask for the token design, we need to decide on token management and its regulations.

Token management is usually implemented using Smart Contracts.

Tokens are getting transferred from one account to the other, thanks to the continuous recording of values and balances in each involved account. The bulk of the tokens that exist today are formed in Blockchain protocol from Ethereum following the ERC-20 standard.

Ethereum was created and launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin, a 21 years old Canadian-Russian programmer.

Ethereum became one of the global blockchain networks with the broad participation of exchanges, traders, and investors. Ethereum and the ERC-20 standard provide security guarantees that are virtually unattainable in the physical world. But the main advantage of Ethereum, like the entire Blockchain, is accessibility. Anyone with an Internet connection can become a user of the Ethereum blockchain.

The legal support of smart contracts is not yet clear around the world. Still, more and more countries worldwide understand the need to regulate cryptocurrencies and various crypto and token instruments. The tokenisation market is developing very fast. This development can be accelerated by government regulation, attracting prominent market participants, and providing vast competitive advantages and new incentives for further developing Aluminium International Today

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the technology.

Digital Aluminum Now we have decided on the concept of a token and its habitat.

So, in a nutshell, here is our refined vision for Digital Aluminum: � It should be the universal digital meaning of value, tied to aluminium market price and equivalent to one metric ton of primary aluminium. � It should be a digital instrument for payment and storage of aluminium value and should be considered only if it will be possible to convert it to metal. � The Digital Aluminum market will act on a par with the physical metal market. � Digital Aluminum holders should have the right to exchange, sell or store Digital Aluminum at their discretion and personal choice.

Opportunities for Digital Aluminium Holders New “State of Matter” Aluminium is a unique product due to its distinctive properties, continuous production cycle, and exceptional importance in the development of human civilisation. The consumption of aluminium and its prices could be considered the “breath of civilisation”, reflected in the relentless striving of humankind for innovation and perfection.

Crises can sometimes hamper aluminium market development, but such painful conditions quickly disappear (in comparison with other commodities and oil) and do not affect the sustainable growth trend as a whole.

Global consumption and aluminium prices are less susceptible to subjective and speculative non-market factors than many other commodities. Aluminium engulfs, perhaps, the broadest range of markers, which are instrumental for the

civilizational development of humanity.

Digital Aluminum will actually be the new “State of Matter”. Digital Aluminum will be subject to the same market laws as aluminium, composed of atoms and located somewhere in a warehouse or the hold of a ship. That is, Digital Aluminum will have its own value on a par with material aluminium and will not be a “digital reflection”, a subject of pledge or any obligations concerning physical metal.

As you understand, such a “Digital State of Matter” is equally applicable to any other object. With the help of blockchain technology, we can have a digital coffee mug or digital apple. Only we will not be able to touch and see them since they will not consist of atoms but electrons in the blockchain network.

No Intermediate Storage and Logistics The holder of Digital Aluminium will not pay for the intermediate storage and logistics of aluminium but will pay for the “blockchain logistics” only, which will significantly reduce costs and make them more competitive. Thanks to this structure, the holders will need to store only Digital Aluminium in their accounts, not Aluminium stocks in warehouses, which will significantly reduce the costs for the holders when buying aluminium products.

Digital Aluminium Trading in the Market The increase of aluminium market participants may lead to an increase in market liquidity. However, an increase in market participants will require a transition from bilateral to multilateral transactions. While this is burdensome in the traditional world, Digital Aluminium, built on the Ethereum Blockchain and the ERC-20 standard that supports smart contracts, will allow even complex multi-

Source: http://ethviewer.live/

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34 DIGITAL ALUMINIUM

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aluminium in case of long-term storage of aluminium products in warehouses. It also helps to reduce the number of transport operations and associated inevitable damage to aluminium products and their packaging. The problem of sewage treatment, replacing and recycling wornout plastic and polyethylene packaging of aluminium will be primarily solved with the help of Digital Aluminium.

Source: https://ycharts.com/indicators/ethereum_average_transaction_fee

party transactions to be settled safely and almost instantly.

Entire Aluminium Market Access The high entry barriers of the aluminium market restrict access to the need for many participants. Digital Aluminium will allow for fractionation, reducing entry barriers, and expanding access to new markets for smaller players.

Digital Aluminium should be divisible (for example, the smallest part into which Bitcoin is divided is called a satoshi, after its creator Satoshi Nakamoto. There are 100 million satoshis in one Bitcoin).

In such a case, it can become a Digital Aluminium token for all types of aluminium products - primary aluminium, slabs, primary foundry alloys, billets, wire rods, foil, etc. Digital Aluminium holders can use their Digital Aluminium for purchases of physical aluminium products.

Any Goods or Services may have their value in Digital Aluminium The divisible nature of Digital Aluminium may be used in payments not only for aluminium products but also for service operations related to aluminium.

Almost any goods or services without restrictions can have value in Digital Aluminum.

Each Digital Aluminum token will eventually go through the entire payment chain until it is converted to physical metal directly for its user.

Digital Aluminium and Environmental Protection When we are speaking about the developments of the new age, it is important to keep in mind sustainable growth. Digital Aluminium will create a unique opportunity to achieve two reasonable goals at once - to significantly July/August 2021

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reduce environmental issues and, at the same time, to substantially optimize and reduce the supply chain and costs for the aluminium market participants.

Digital Aluminium Eliminates the Intermediate Logistics Issues: Digital Aluminium will allow supplying aluminium products directly to end-users.

Digital Aluminium makes intermediate operations and costs unnecessary, making business turnover cheaper and faster, saving and protecting the environment.

Intermediate aluminium logistics annually leads to a colossal lengthening of logistics routes and unnecessary reloading of aluminium products, which costs humanity hundreds of thousands of kilometres of sea and land freight and hundreds of thousands of tons of burned marine and truck fuel. Thousands of cubic meters of pine forest are cut down and fumigated with pesticides solely for fastening such additional shipments in the holds of sea vessels and containers.

Digital Aluminium Eliminates the Internal Logistics Issues: Eliminating internal logistics in intermediate warehouses and storage areas will significantly reduce energy costs for lighting, security, accounting, and logistics of the aluminium products inside the warehouses. It will allow more rational use of huge areas previously allocated exclusively for long-term aluminium storage.

Digital Aluminium Eliminates Wastes Disposal Issues: Digital Aluminium will reduce contamination of the aluminium products surface during open storage and movement, eliminating the problem of wastewater disposal when washing

Digital Aluminium Meets Low Energy Consumption and Heat Dissipation Demand: Cryptocurrency mining is known to cause significant damage to the environment due to high energy consumption and heat dissipation.

The nature of Digital Aluminium as a blockchain token will exclude the possibility of mining it. Digital Aluminium will be exchanged and sold in the market, ultimately buying aluminium, but will not be mined.

Digital Aluminium holders will pay a transaction fee to the blockchain miners, but Digital Aluminium nature can’t be a mining tool.

It is appropriate to compare Digital Aluminium with an electric car - an electric vehicle does not harm nature with its emissions and does not have a carbon footprint. Still, it drives on roads made of asphalt. Therefore, Digital Aluminium directly will not harm the environment, being a “green token.”

Conclusion Digital Aluminium is likely to play a crucial role in the aluminium market’s long-term development, transparency, and competitiveness. While the creation of international regulatory mechanisms may take some time, it is important to recognise that cyber development is an inexhaustible source of progress for humanity as a whole. Though impossible to touch, Digital Aluminum will exist and represent aluminium’s value until the holder is ready to exchange it for the fruits (or metal) of the physical world.

Digital Aluminium’s colossal impact on the global aluminium market in the future is hard to overestimate, and any new developments in this sphere will surely revolutionise the way we see our business as a whole.

This article contains the author’s thoughts solely on the potential digital opportunities in the aluminium market and is not a description of any specific project (existing or planned). The opinions and judgments of the author are his personal opinions and judgments and should not be interpreted as the official position of the persons with whom he is professionally connected. � Aluminium International Today

09/07/2021 12:14:40

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36 FURNACES

The untapped potential of oxyfuel in the aluminium industry

By Dr Martin Lawrence* It’s only a few months until the UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, bringing global leaders together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In preparation, even more attention will be focused towards tackling the climate emergency, as the Government publishes additional decarbonisation strategies, and an increasing number of businesses reevaluate their operations following the wakeup call of the Covid-19 pandemic and commit to net zero.

According to World Aluminium data, the sector is responsible for 1.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per annum. More than 90 per cent of this footprint is from primary production processes, while primary aluminium currently makes up around 70 per cent of annual metal demand. In the UK, there is a better picture, with aluminium production producing 545,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2019 – a significant reduction since 2005, where 3.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) were emitted – but there is still more that can be done to reduce this further.

At all stages of production, industrial firms are coming under more pressure to bring improvements to their work – both in terms of environmental impact and cost.

No element of the supply chain is

exempt, with increasing scrutiny given to every element of production. Rather than just improving their own processes, companies are making more effort to carefully select the materials they use and ensure they perform well from a sustainability perspective.

At Air Products, we’ve seen this through our recent work in the aluminium industry.

The importance of aluminium to a range of industries is no secret – particularly in industries such as transport where its sustainability and lightweight properties make it a valuable asset. As such, with companies facing increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact, aluminium will only become more popular.

However, manufacturers must also consider the carbon footprint of the aluminium itself, and this is being examined to ensure it is as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.

Recycling aluminium uses 95 per cent less energy than producing primary aluminium, making this ‘secondary aluminium’ an increasingly popular option.

We work closely with the secondary aluminium industry to improve the aluminium remelting process and have developed a range of oxygen enhanced combustion technologies aimed at improving efficiency and reducing environmental impact. As part of this work, we have found that using an oxy-fuel combustion method rather than the traditional air-fuel, is bringing

significant improvements, giving a further sustainability boost to engineering processes which require the use of aluminium.

As the technology used in the aluminium industry is typically less-advanced than the systems adopted across the steel industry, oxy-fuel isn’t as widely used in comparison, so businesses are missing out on the potential to improve their processes and reduce their environmental impact.

Oxy-fuel vs air-fuel combustion Oxy-fuel combustion is more efficient than air-fuel combustion due to the lack of nitrogen in the reactant mixture – the oxygen can react much faster with the fuel, increasing flame temperature by almost 1000oC. The higher temperature flame in turn improves the heat transfer rate from the flame to the metal inside the furnace. Compared to standard air-fuel burners, this results in significant energy savings of up to 50 per cent.

Additionally, the increased heat transfer to the metal substantially reduces the melt rate of the furnace, which can double productivity.

Fuel savings have an additional knock-on effect by reducing CO2 emissions, as less fuel is being converted to CO2 per tonne of aluminium processed. Furthermore, the fuel and oxygen react more completely in oxy-fuel flames, producing considerably fewer intermediate products of combustion such as carbon monoxide

*Combustion Development Specialist at Air Products July/August 2021

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and particulates including soot, VOCs and unburned hydrocarbons. The lack of nitrogen in the reactants also eliminates the generation of nitrogen oxides, as well as significantly reducing flue gas volumes. Therefore, oxy-fuel combustion is considerably cleaner than air-fuel combustion, minimising emissions and saving energy.

Improving efficiency and emissions in rotary furnaces The benefits can also be seen in rotary furnaces. By combining with oxy-fuel combustion systems, rotary furnaces can be particularly efficient, as they take advantage of the increased flame radiation to heat up the refractory lining, which comes into direct contact with the metal as the furnace rotates.

The performance can be significantly improved by simply installing the ideal burner for the furnace design and configuration, including developing burners for rotary furnaces which are aimed to maximise melt rate and yield, in a dynamic and aggressive environment.

For example, burners can be designed to maximise heat transfer to the charge material and minimise the amount of free oxygen escaping the flame, which will improve aluminium yield by considering nozzle configuration.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has also provided further opportunities for improvement. The introduction of smart technology such as smart burners and smart furnaces makes a significant amount of data available which can boost efficiency and productivity.

Continuous monitoring of furnace, operation, process and control data in this way can be used in conjunction with the smart control aspects of burner technology to optimise furnace efficiency – helping to monitor usage and plan for further improvements. Data is collected at regular time intervals and logged using cloud data storage technology, giving access to real time and historical data.

Daily reports are configured and sent via Aluminium International Today

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email, containing key equipment, process and operational data and summarised performance metrics.

In line with this, we’ve recently worked with Tandom Metallurgical Group to help the team achieve greater efficiencies and savings on a tilt rotary furnace (TRF) used to remelt aluminium dross materials.

The patented Air Products Process Intelligence (APPI) Process Advisor system was used to better predict when the material inside the furnace is ready to be tapped, thereby reducing tapping temperature and improving aluminium yield.

The overall average tapping temperature was successfully reduced by 44°C – where some materials improved more than others – and the average reduction in temperature corresponds to a yield improvement of 0.5 per cent.

As a knock-on effect to reducing the metal tapping temperature, there was a dramatic reduction in energy consumption, with an average reduction of 15 per cent. Energy usage goes handin-hand with carbon dioxide emissions and 15 per cent energy savings is equal to the same percentage reduction in CO2 emissions. Furthermore, an average time saving of 5.7 per cent was also achieved, where it was found that some materials performed better than others.

Improving productivity and yield in reverberatory furnaces Reverb furnaces are inherently less efficient than rotary furnaces in transferring available energy to the metal. In reverb furnaces, conventional air-fuel sidewallfired and regen burners direct energy into open spaces within a furnace and radiate energy in all directions, which focuses a significant amount of heat to the furnace roof, which can affect refractory life. The rate of overall energy input is determined and limited by the maximum allowable surface temperature of the refractory.

One method to take further advantage of oxygen enhanced combustion, aiming to boost productivity, yield and environmental sustainability, is by using

Air Products’ Transient Heating Burner (THB) technology. This smart burner is designed to be positioned in the roof of a reverberatory-type furnace, where the flame is directed towards the aluminium.

This configuration provides a significantly higher heat transfer rate when compared with wall mounted burners, as the energy is focused onto the metal rather than across it. Moreover, the transient nature of the THB design allows for direct flame impingement without overheating the metal, further increasing heat transfer.

The THB produces four flames that are aimed at four different quadrants of the furnace and are operated independently, allowing heat to be distributed where it is needed.

Looking ahead The use of oxy-fuel in itself provides tangible benefits to aluminium recycling, delivering clear results above and beyond traditional air-fuel methods. However, scratching below the surface has allowed us to significantly increase the impact of this – implementing changes which have been made possible through the switch to oxy-fuel. This is further enhanced by Industry 4.0 and the benefits it brings, which are continually providing ways to help us manage gas usage, further improve efficiency and double the productivity.

Most notably, the switch can also provide significant environmental benefits and help to achieve up to 50 per cent energy savings and the same percentage reduction in CO2 emissions, simply by moving away from traditional airfuel burners. With time ticking by and getting ever closer to our climate change targets, the aluminium industry has an opportunity to take greater advantage of the untapped potential of oxy-fuel and experience the benefits for itself – which will not only help businesses across the sector, but also contribute towards the united effort against tackling the climate emergency. There’s never been a better time to re-evaluate current operations and make the switch. � July/August 2021

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GHI Smart Furnaces supplies key equipment to Almexa casthouse Almexa’s new casthouse will be the newest and most efficient in all America and will be inaugurated in the second semester of 2021. The key process equipment will be supplied by GHI Smart Furnaces.

The plant will have the most advanced equipment for aluminium processing aimed to achieve a circular economy.

With a production capacity of more than 90.000 t/year, the plant will have the America’s largest tilting rotary furnace of 65 tons capacity, one of the for existing in the world and all supplied for GHI. It is specifically designed for aluminium recovery.

Additionally, a salt slag cooling system will be installed to achieve higher levels of metal recovery with low environmental impact. Furthermore, a high efficiency July/August 2021

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melting and holding furnace of 50 tons capacity with regenerative burners will be installed.

The new casthouse will be a world reference for the production of canstock, it is carefully designed to obtain high quality aluminium with an environmentally friendly process with full automation and smartisation. The key equipment is completely sensorised, and the gathered data is analysed with Big data and Artificial

intelligence technological solutions leveraged in the Beyond Alea platform to improve the process productivity and control of the Smart Plant.

The tilting rotary furnace will work as the main melting equipment of the plant, the resulting aluminum will be transferred to a new melting and holding furnace where, additional melting capacity is installed and the alloy will be adjusted and then, it will be transferred to the vertical Aluminium International Today

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casting machine.

The 50-ton melting/ holding furnace has an open front which allows a fast and efficient loading of the raw material and enables the deslagging process to be carried out efficiently. The combustion equipment with regenerative burners reduces energy consumption and environmental impact, which is one of our customer’s main objectives. The furnace is equipped with porous plugs that increase the temperature uniformity in the aluminium bath in order to achieve the optimal levels of homogeneity in the chemical alloy.

The supplied equipment has a high technological component as it is specifically designed for the recovery of aluminium, obtaining a high metallic yield.

All the equipment will provide high energy efficiency and very low CO2 emissions per ton produced.

4.0 Technology In addition, GHI Smart Furnaces will incorporate 4.0 technology into the supplied equipment through the BeyondAlea 4.0 Platform. This platform includes advanced sensorisation services,

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digitalization, technical assistance, process consulting and preventive maintenance.

As a result, the customer will have better control over the production process and a

greater reduction in the consumption of the plant and therefore in the production of CO2. �

July/August 2021

09/07/2021 14:23:04

40 APPLICATIONS

Aluminium Foil: a material for the ages Aluminium foil has been used extensively by the packaging sector, as well as others, for more than a century. While the current spotlight is on sustainability and recyclability of all packaging, foil has long had a strong case as an environmentally responsible choice. So here we take a look at some of the other reasons why foil is such an enduringly popular choice among packaging converters and users, as well as reminding readers of its excellent environmental credentials across the ages.

In recent times the agenda in the packaging sector has been dominated by the arguments around resource efficiency, waste collection, recycling and reuse.

Rightly, the industry as a whole takes its responsibilities in all these areas very seriously. But it is also vitally important that the packaging is fit for purpose, so does the primary job for which it is intended. Sometimes this point seems to get lost in the rush towards environmental acceptability.

Fortunately, from an aluminium foil perspective, these debates over resource efficiency and recyclability have a long history of successful resolution. These will be reviewed later in this article. The fact remains that there are many other reasons why aluminium foil continues to be one of the most adaptable and effective packaging materials, in both flexible and rigid formats.

Unique Properties The word ‘unique’ can be, and is, overused in modern ‘marketing speak’. But in the case of aluminium foil there is no doubt that it has many unique properties which, when combined, can make it the ideal choice for many packaging applications.

Its barrier properties are one of the main reasons foil is such a popular choice of packaging component with confectionery makers as well as many other food products, particularly perishables. Foil has been described as ‘the gatekeeper’ – it keeps the good things in and the bad things out and is as near as an absolute barrier material as you can get for packaged goods.

The foil can keep harmful light, heat, moisture, odours and the atmosphere out, which can help to extend the shelf life and preserve the nutritional values, texture and colour of the products over long periods.

This can in some cases be achieved without

adding coatings or laminating with other materials – although some characteristics can be improved with these combinations.

Aluminium foil stands out as a highly versatile material providing either monomaterial or multi-material structures with outstanding performance characteristics.

The heat conductivity of foil is also unique. While it can be heat resistant, reflecting heat away from the product, it can also be used as a heat conductor, to ensure food is properly cooked through.

Many ready meals, or meal kits as they are more commonly known now, benefit from alufoil trays which can be introduced directly to the oven (or even to the microwave) and are designed with easy-tohandle features or are compartmentalised to ensure different foods cook at the correct temperature.

Another attribute which helps to explain its uniqueness is its push-through characteristic that can be obtained by a

European Aluminium Foil Association, www.alufoil.org July/August 2021

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be used for more practical purposes, such as adding Braille lettering to the surface to help blind or partially sighted people get the information they need.

s specific production process and is valued for blister packs. At the opposite end of the spectrum, tear strength and puncture resistance can also be provided. These properties are usually enhanced with the addition of coatings or lacquers or by lamination, which can for example inhibit tearing of a yogurt lid.

It is the combination of all these factors in one material which makes aluminium foil truly unique.

Machinable and Foldable One of the reasons aluminium foil stands out for packaging applications is that it provides operation excellence during the conversion and filling functions. Its excellent machinability not only means it can be used in high speed applications, but also offers excellent seal strength. So it can be used in a number of different formats, pouches for example. This particular pack format is growing in popularity for everything from drinks to pet foods. Many of these pouches need retorting to maintain the quality and shelf life of the product. Here again foil stands out as retort pouches made with it can be sterilised easily and effectively.

The deadfold properties of foil enable it to be shaped and to fit the shape of the product it protects. This is certainly one of the main reasons why household foils are such a popular ‘home use’ Aluminium International Today

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packaging material, as it can be used to wrap almost anything and moved to the fridge, or even the freezer, securely. And, of course, where would the modern art of barbecuing be without foil to wrap the food prior to cooking – to keep it fresh and out of harm – and then after to keep the food juicy and warm.

But it is as a tray that the mechanical properties of foil really come into their own. These containers can be made in almost any shape and size to fit any application and to a depth to suit anything from a full roasting joint of meat to a shallow Quiche Lorraine. Modern drawing techniques also mean these can be smooth walled, to enable coating or decoration. In addition, much research of designs has been undertaken to ensure that the torsional stiffness of these trays makes product handling safe for the consumer, as well as those used as serving trays in foodservice applications.

Printable For all its technical merits, if it is to be used as a packaging material, aluminium foil needs to look good. Fortunately for foil its natural state is to shine on one side or sheen on the other, so it can add a dimension of quality and sophistication to almost any pack. So, by adding printing to what is already a great surface finish, can only enhance the pack further, which is why so many top-quality products are wrapped or decorated with it.

Different printing technologies can be applied and particularly today digital printing can be used to enhance and personalise packs or allow shorter runs of a particular design or image. Commonly the foil can be coated or lacquered to enable different effects or finishes and, when laminated with plastics film, the foil is often the base for the decoration to be printed over.

Another unique aspect of foil in this area is that it can be embossed to give an extra dimension to the decoration on the pack or component, for example a lid for dairy or dessert containers. This adds a tactile as well as visual experience but it can also

Resource Efficiency If all this were not already good enough to put aluminium foil in the pantheon as a world class packaging material, its environmental credentials surely do.

Research shows that the packaging to product ratio of foil containing packages are 5 to 10 times less than rigid alternatives. Simply put, it allows less material to be used to affect the same, or better, performance from an alternative barrier package. In addition, when aluminium foil is used with other materials, generally it enables the use of these to be minimised to achieve the required performance. Foil is the ultimate light-weight, high barrier packaging, with all the commensurate savings in energy for transportation and reduced waste.

Reuse and Recycle With waste, particularly packaging waste, being high on the agenda of just about every user, converter and consumer these days the case for aluminium foil gets stronger. Aluminium foil can generally be recycled in the usual aluminium recycling stream. Once separated and sorted it can easily be recycled. Even as part of a laminate the foil content can be recovered using pyrolysis. But, rightly, the main focus at present is to establish much stronger and broader collection regimes, as only by maximising the amount of material sent for recycling can we hope to achieve a circular economy.

Major advances are being made in all aspects of recycling technologies, for example, across Europe the aluminium industry has established a network of aluminium collection organisations.

Further work is being done in this area by the CEFLEX consortium which, as part of its work to improve the end-of-life performance of all flexible packaging, has included composite foil materials. To help with separation new techniques such as delamination and chemical recycling are coming on stream.

With 60% of all aluminium packaging used in Europe already recycled much has already been achieved. But there is still considerable ‘headroom’ between that figure and full circularity, so much work still to do.

With its unique benefits as a highly effective packaging material aluminium foil will be at the forefront of innovation, both in performance and as a sustainable resource, as it has been in several ages of packaging development. �

July/August 2021

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Grand designs, great expectations, aluminium is shaking up the window market Sheerline Prestige Garnalex CEO Roger Hartshorn

Roger Hartshorn* says innovative, aspirational product design is giving aluminium the edge in premium home improvement markets in the UK, sparking a renaissance in aluminium windows and doors.

There were many drivers behind the launch of Garnalex in 2018. After dedicating most of my working life to PVC-U windows and doors systems, I became a passionate convert to aluminium and its possibilities. In a changing climate, how could sustainability be anything but a top priority?

With the passion of a convert, I wanted people to know that aluminium is one of the most sustainable materials on the planet. It’s one of the most recycled, and most recyclable materials. Nearly 75% of all the aluminium produced is still in use today. That’s such a powerful statistic.

With higher levels of precision and greater structural strength it’s also ideal for slimmer windows and doors, driven by a desire for a more ‘architectural’ aesthetic from discerning homeowners.

Yet the design of aluminium windows and doors, and the way they’re assembled, has hardly changed since the 1980s.

PVC-U and timber window designers had innovated, and their product had evolved, leaving aluminium behind, suffering from what I describe as ‘design lethargy’.

Grasping the opportunity to reinvent aluminium windows for a new generation,

we established Garnalex to deliver a high specification, aspirational, sustainable portfolio, supported by unprecedented levels of service.

The home improvement market is growing rapidly, particularly at the top end of the market where demand for slimmer sightlines, more refined looks and colour has taken off. During lockdown, many homeowners saved more money than usual as spending on holidays, eating out and shopping was curtailed. The Bank of England says consumers had accumulated around £250bn in their bank accounts by mid year, and they’ve started to spend it on improving the comfort, convenience, energy efficiency, security, and appearance of their homes.

The effects of the pandemic impacted unequally on the population, as lockdown and Covid restrictions reinforced and amplified existing trends. Older homeowners particularly, and those who could work from home, saw their enforced savings growing rapidly.

Spending a great deal more time in their homes also highlighted their homes’ defects and inconveniences, triggering a nationally synchronised urge to improve

Sheerline Classic

and a powerful demand for premium product solutions. The demand for beautiful windows and doors is soaring, with aluminium the material of choice in many instances.

*Garnalex CEO July/August 2021

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bespoke colours within 10 days, the new service is also dramatically changing market expectations, and the service aluminium fabricators and installers can give their customers.

Garnalex extrusion factory

The Grand Designs effect The demand for high end windows and doors has also been driven by popular house building and renovation programmes like Grand Designs, which often feature properties with eye-catching doors and large span windows that flood rooms with natural light.

While there are alternative designs and materials, aluminium’s inherent strength lends itself to larger window spans, taller doors, slimmer sightlines, ‘cool’, beautiful design, and long lasting performance.

As we become more aware of the environmental impact of the products we choose, homeowners also see aluminium as a sustainable solution for their homes.

Aluminium windows – reimagined and reinvented The Garnalex design team considered every aspect of aluminium windows and doors when developing our new system, and we launched Sheerline in 2020. At the time, we badged it as #AluminiumButNotAsYouKnowIt because it was a departure from the tired designs of the 1980s and 90s. The new designs embraced homeowners’ appetite for stylish, aspirational, high performing windows and doors. They’re also designed to enable aluminium fabricators to make windows and doors faster and easier with perfect corners, while eliminating errors and producing considerably less waste.

With a range of 12 standard colours available in just 5 days from stock, and Aluminium International Today

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Sheerline offers two core systems – Classic and Prestige - that give consumers a whole new world of contemporary window and door possibilities. Designed without compromise or the restricting legacy of previous systems, Sheerline is built on the core principles of beautiful aesthetics and outstanding performance coupled with innovative fabricatorfriendly and installer-friendly features.

Sheerline Classic is a slimline, ultrasecure beadless aluminium system that combines high performance with beautiful aesthetics, that’s ideal for replacing traditional heritage-style windows and modern extensions.

Meanwhile, Sheerline Prestige is our most versatile and thermally efficient aluminium window and door range available in the widest range of styles and sizes including single and French doors.

Both systems feature our innovative Thermlock® multi-chamber thermal technology for energy efficiency.

Made in Britain If we were to change attitudes to aluminium windows and doors and put a serious dent in PVC-U’s market domination, we had also to focus on service, a long-standing blind spot in aluminium’s offer. We aimed to turn that weakness into a strength with a robust supply chain which installers and fabricators could rely on to help them grow.

That’s why all our products – Sheerline and trade extrusions - are made at our 100,000sqft extrusion factory in Nether Heage, Derbyshire, in the heart of the UK. The £9million state-of-the-art factory was designed to the highest specification,

and it’s the most technically advanced aluminium extrusion facility in the country. We’re proud to be a member of ‘Made in Britain’, an organisation that recognises excellence in manufacturing

S1 Roof Lantern

and promotes British-made products.

Since leaving the EU, it’s important we reduce the UK window industry’s reliance on imported aluminium systems and products. About 190,000 tons of extruded aluminium is consumed every year in the UK, but only 110,000 tons is made here. Garnalex’ raw aluminium comes from Wales, in the UK, so we’re not affected by EU imposed tariffs on systems extruded in China, or blockages in the Suez Canal, or soaring freight rates and other importing issues.

Consequently we have a much smaller carbon footprint than most of our competitors, making us one of the most sustainable aluminium systems available.

Only a handful of aluminium systems companies extrude their own profiles in the UK, and the fact that we are one of them has a lot of advantages for our trade and end user customers. The case for Made in Britain has never been stronger.

Firstly, it gives us greater control over our supply chain. We were largely unaffected by the (still ongoing) supply chain turmoil, caused by anti-dumping duties, Covid-19, Brexit, and massive congestion issues at Britain’s ports. As they fed through the supply chain, these importer headaches imposed delays, disruption, and unexpected freight and tariff surcharges on other systems suppliers and their fabricators, installers, and the homeowners they supply.

Extruding in Garnalex’ UK factory also enabled us to provide a transformative service to customers. It’s a very different service to the one they’re used to getting and it enables them to perform at a higher level for their customers.

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four-way options, this advanced roof lantern has the options to suit any project.

Sheerline’s S1 redefines security expectations, often a weakness in lantern roofs, with several unique innovations.

Overlapping cast end caps prevent the bar and top caps from being removed, and anti-tamper screws attach end caps to roof bars. High-security two and four way top caps are bolted through from the inside, preventing easy removal. The arrangement of the interlocking eaves beam also prevents the glass being removed from the outside, and the system features a unique, patent pending glass lock, reducing the risk of break-ins even further.

Designed with the same innovative Thermlock® multi-chambered thermal breaks as the Classic and Prestige systems, the S1 roof lantern offers maximum thermal performance throughout its design, from the eaves beam and ridge to each rafter assembly. Cold bridging is prevented by fully encapsulating the aluminium below the glass line with a unique co-extruded perimeter seal that creates a weathertight barrier for enhanced performance and energy efficiency.

Slim, consistent 50mm rafter, hip and

As all Sheerline products and components are extruded here, we can offer 12 standard colours available from stock, including dual options, in just five working days – the shortest aluminium lead time in the market. Bespoke colours are delivered in just 10 working days.

Phenomenal response to new innovations Business is going very well and the market response to Sheerline has been phenomenal. But we are not complacent: this is just the start of our journey. We aim to keep innovating in product and service to lead the aluminium renaissance in the window industry.

Following the same ‘clean-slate’ design approach to reinventing aluminium windows, we’ve extended the Sheerline range to include roof lanterns. Our new S1 roof lantern combines sleek, low-level styling with cutting-edge performance to create one of the most secure, thermally efficient, and beautiful lanterns on the market.

S1 is not only ultra-secure and energy efficient but stylish and modern, compared to chunky traditional systems. Supplied in three colours from stock in 10 different styles, with 28mm glazing, and two and

ridge sightlines are designed to maximise the light flooding into homes, creating bright and airy interiors. The S1 lantern also features ultra low line aesthetics, so rafter and hip top caps sit just 8mm above the glazing level on the exterior, creating a sleek minimalist look. Completing this refined architectural appearance, corner and rafter end caps run perfectly in line with its perimeter, so there are no unsightly jutting angles to spoil the perfect lines of this beautiful high-performance high-end lantern.

As with all Sheerline products, the roof lantern is made here in the UK. Keeping all the profiles and components in stock ensures that the lantern is available on the same short lead times that customers expect and appreciate from Garnalex.

In summary Demand for high end aluminium has never been stronger, and it’s ready to dominate the top spot in the premium home improvement market. Expertly designed, innovative products are pushing the boundaries, offering fabricators, installers and homeowners bold, aspirational alternatives with shorter lead times backed by exceptional service. �

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Incorporating the BIFCA Standards Seminar

ONLINE EVENT 14-15 SEPTEMBER REGISTER TODAY

The future is now when it comes to furnace technology

Manufacturing industries are already seeing the results of the ‘Furnace of the Future’ in reducing CO2 emissions and producing cleaner, more sustainable materials.

But how can energy-intensive manufacturers work towards making this future a reality?

Are we already seeing the benefits of adopting smarter and more sustainable technologies within furnaces? Could we be doing more?

This online event will unite the glass, aluminium and steel sectors to discuss overcoming heat treatment challenges and present a collaborative approach to bring the Furnace of the Future to life.

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FROM THE PRODUCERS OF

Topics will focus on: r Industry 4.0 (the Furnace of the Future) r Furnace Maintenance r Heat Treatment r Energy Efficiency r Testing & Measurement r Retrofitting r Emerging Technologies r Operations & Productivity Alongside the two-day virtual conference, participants will also be invited to join live discussions and will have the opportunity to network with new industry contacts, arrange video meetings and exchange resources and information.

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The electric revolution While electric vehicles, especially battery electric vehicles (BEVs), are still a small percent of total light vehicles being produced, their share is clearly on the upswing. In fact, it is widely believed that the global automotive industry will be transitioning to a largely electrified future over the next decade or two. By Myra Pinkam* This has extremely positive implications for the aluminium industry given that the push to lighten the weight of these vehicles is even greater than for traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles both to compensate for the weight of the batteries and to address consumers’ range anxiety.

“One of the major things we have seen over the past year is a global push for an environmentally friendly future and EVs are key to meet the widespread goals for reducing carbon emissions,” Geordie Wilkes, head of research for Sucden Financial observed, although he admits that depends upon what resources are used to produce both the EVs and the batteries they use.

According to Jeffrey Lorch, global aluminium leader for McKinsey & Co., global EV sales increased about 43% in 2020 to about 3.2 million vehicles at a time that overall auto sales declined because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This brought the combined battery electric vehicle (BEV) and plug in electric hybrid (PHEV) share of total autos to 4.2%. Abey Abraham, managing director of automotive and materials for Ducker Worldwide, says that the global BEV share of total vehicles is expected to increase from 3% in 2020 to 6% by 2022 and 12% by 2025.

This momentum has outpaced what forecasts had been several years ago, Brad Peterson, Novelis Inc.’s interim vice president for automotive, observed noting

Novelis Battery Enclosure Solution

In addition to being aided by the that all indications are that electric vehicles (EVs) will continue to gain traction in the mere size of the Chinese market and by marketplace. In fact, he noted that Boston traditional financial incentives, Lorch Consulting Group (BCG) recently updated pointed out that the government has also its forecast to predict that by 2026 would imposed certain non-monetary incentives, account for more than a half of all the including faster registrations and no registration fee days for vehicles sold globally, which EVs. In addition, by far would be four years soon the most EV models are than what it had previously produced in China, where anticipated. there were 203 different “While it isn’t necessarily models in 2020 vs. 137 in a foregone conclusion, Germany and only 51 in the the automotive industry US. is getting more confident Also, Kajal Kumar, an that it will eventually have aluminium research analyst an all-electric future,” for CRU Group, noted that Nate Beavers, president Chinese automakers have of Automotive Aluminum been making a concerted Advisors LLC said, pointing effort to reduce the cost to the wave of new BEV premium of EVs vs. ICE models being launched vehicles, partly by bringing over the next 5-10 years, battery costs down given including several being that the batteries are the introduced this year.

Jack Pell, biggest cost factor for EVs. The speed of this Vice President of Automotive & Meanwhile, Europe has transition, however, varies Business Development, also been increasingly region to region. Brett Smith, Hydro North America embracing a transition to director of technology for electric vehicles over the past the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), pointed out that for the several years. In fact, for the first time ever, past three to six years China’s auto industry last year Europe overtook China to be the has been undergoing an electric top- largest EV market. That, Kumar said, came down revolution, driven by governmental with its combined BEV and PHEV sales policies, which, he said, are clearly an growing a massive 144% year on year, attempt to leapfrog the West, which, at even during the pandemic.

Novelis’ Peterson attributed a number least until past year, it had been doing. *US correspondent

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Novelis Guthrie Employees

of factors, including certain new emissions standard and purchase subsidies, as well as the introduction of several new EV models. Another big factor, CAR’s Smith pointed out, is the region’s socially driven industrial policies, maintaining that those in Europe are much more willing and able to push a social agenda aimed at addressing climate change. In fact, Wilkes noted some countries, such as the UK, have also stated plans to ban sales of new ICE vehicles by about 2030, although they haven’t put forth many concrete plans on how to achieve that. “I believe that will depend more upon the automakers than the country’s governments,” he said.

Meanwhile US EV demand has not only been lagging these other major regions, but, according to Devin Lindsay, IHS Markit’s principal analyst for powertrain forecasting, it is lower than had been anticipated when the Nissan Leaf was first introduced in 2009. But there are some indications of that starting to change due to the combination of certain US consumers showing interest in some of the newly introduced or soon to be introduced EV models and with the Biden administration embracing this transition.

Changes in the vehicles being offered has also played into this. Jack Pell, vice president, automotive and business development, at Hydro North America, pointed out that that 15-20 years ago the EVs were smaller, efficient, but poor performance, vehicles aimed at consumers looking to buy them solely for environmental and sustainability reasons.

“The big breakthrough, however, was with Tesla, which said that EVs should also look sexy, perform well and have a good range,” he said, calling that company the first pioneer to take EVs to a whole new level.

Wilkes said that one reason why the US July/August 2021

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is currently behind the curve with EVs is its consumers preference for larger vehicles.

“Also, under the Trump administration there was little appetite to increase EV sales,” he said, noting that in recent years China and Europe have been much more progressive about promoting EV growth.

“But under the Biden Administration we see the US catching up within the next two years,” Wilkes said.

This, Lorch pointed out, will come with more EVs, including light truck versions (SUVs, crossover vehicles and pickup trucks) are being introduced in the US. For example, the electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup, which, like the ICE Ford F-150, has an aluminium body, has already been rolled out. Ducker’s Abraham says that this is an indication that EVs aren’t just a niche second vehicle anymore but could also be a primary workhorse.

This comes as Ford’s newly introduced Mustang Mach-E is selling better than had been anticipated. Also, startup company Rivian has recently introduced an EV pickup truck and will shortly come out with a full sized EV sport utility vehicle, the Rivian R1S, which is to have body structures made from a combination of aluminium alloy, ultra-high-strength steel and carbon fiber.

As far as the US domestic automakers, CAR’s Smith called General Motors the leader, to the point that it has started to describe itself as more of Tesla-like technology company than a traditional automaker. In fact, Beavers pointed out GM plans to launch 30 new EV models globally by the end of 2025 – including an all-electric version of its full-sized Silverado pickup truck – and for its new light vehicle sales to be fully electric by 2035.

Ford, while also active in stepping up its conversion to producing electrified vehicles, has been doing so somewhat

more cautiously than GM, Smith said, with Stellantis (formerly FCA) lagging the other Detroit-based OEMs. Meanwhile, Novelis’ Peterson pointed out that several automakers are looking to electrify their vehicles in the coming years including Jaguar, Volvo, Volkswagen, BMW and Toyota with the timeframe for doing so varying from 2026-40.

“Before the pandemic we thought this would be a 20 year process with little momentum until about 2040,” Smith said. “But now that date is 2027-28, with many companies, particularly niche EV companies, accomplishing this transition by 2035,” although he said that will be a little harder for the mass market OEMs. There are, however, certain challenges that the auto industry need to overcome to achieve these targets, including the higher cost of EVs (largely due to the cost of their batteries), range anxiety and the availability of battery charging infrastructure.

However, Wilkes said that with automakers producing more EVs, that will not only result in greater availability vehicles that consumers want, but also a greater economy of scale, making EVs more competitive with ICE vehicles. At the same time, Lorch said that as result of new technologies battery costs have declined and their range has increased.

Also, he pointed out that the incentives that several countries have rolled out have effectively lower the price of BEVs – in some cases bringing their price in parity or even below the cost of ICE vehicles. For example, in some parts of Europe, where fuel prices are very high, that has resulted in a total cost of ownership advantage for BEVs. “There is no question that the EV market will drive greater aluminium demand, given the need to lighten the weight of the vehicles to compensate for their heavy batteries,” Hydro’s Pell said, although he points out that ICE vehicles have also been moving in that direction, using aluminium to lighten their weight as well to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to increase fuel efficiency.

“Lightweighting is the natural ally of automotive efficiency whether it is for an ICE, BEV, plug in hybrid (PHEV), or fuel cell vehicle,” Ducker’s Abraham, declared, calling it an important strategy to maximise the benefits of any powertrain.

He said that the average aluminium content in North American light vehicles is expected to increase from 459 lbs. in 2020 to 505 lbs. by 2025 and 570 lbs. by 2030 with the increased electrification of vehicles being a big contributing factor for that increase, although anticipated changes in US fuel efficiency standards, which are expected to occur by the end of Aluminium International Today

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this year, is another factor.

There, however, are two sets of environmental regulations for the auto industry in the US, Lindsay pointed out, with 13 states, led by California, accounting for about having stricter requirements than those imposed by the federal government. “It is in the best interest for the OEMs to design vehicles to meet the most stringent standard,” Abraham said, noting that the goal of those states is to reduce GHG emissions by about 50% from 2008 levels by 2030.

While that will require additional mass savings of on average 150 lbs. by 2030 coming from both ICE vehicles and EVs, Abraham said that goal can’t be achieved without increased electrification with, ideally, a 10-12% share of BEVs and 5-10% share of PHEVs. There, however, are some pluses and minuses when it comes to what this means for aluminium. Lorch observed that given that they were luxury vehicles, the first generation of EVs were very aluminium intensive – more so than some recently introduced mass market models, which are about 5-15% aluminium vs. 3040% aluminium for the previous luxury BEVs. But despite this, he said that he expects that their aluminium intensity will increase by 1.5-2% over the next four years, although where aluminium is used in the vehicles will change with less used in the powertrain and more in battery casings and the body in white and closures such as hoods and doors.

Abraham said that in 2020 the average BEV contained approximately 200 lbs. more aluminium content than nonBEVs even with about 150-190 lbs. of aluminium, mainly cast aluminium, being removed, largely from powertrain components that aren’t used in BEVs. He said that a big piece of the additional aluminium comes from the battery enclosure although also the motor housing, gearbox housing and the power electronics housing, including onboard chargers, inverters and converters, all require aluminium.

“It isn’t that aluminium castings aren’t being used in EVs,” Hydro’s Pell pointed out. “It is just being uses differently, including in some large node applications.” One possible offset, Novelis’ Peterson said, is high pressure die castings for shock towers.

Meanwhile, Beavers points out that the vast majority of new BEVs are utilising aluminium for many of its closures, including its hoods, doors, lift gates, fenders and rear quarter panels, and that some of their body-in-white structure is also going to aluminium sheet. Also, CRU’s Kumar pointed out that some of the wires and cables – both for the vehicle itself and for chargers – are being converted to aluminium given its large pricing differential vs. copper.

“It is also important to note that this isn’t just typical demand,” Pell said, noting that the designs, particularly for aluminium extrusions are very complex, using high strength alloys for complex profiles. some of the body in white structure is also going to aluminium sheet.

Beavers said that in light of these dynamics, aluminium producers are working closely with the OEMs to understand their needs in terms of alloys, grades, performance requirements, etc., to ensure that the products that are needed to support the needs of the new EV platforms are being produced.

In addition to the development of some higher strength alloys, some new production capacity is being considered. For example, Pell noted that the extrusions industry has been investing in super presses.

Also, some producers have collaborated with automakers on next generation vehicle designs. For example, Peterson said that Novelis’ customer solutions center has developed the first flatrolled aluminuim-intensive battery enclosure design, which was designed particularly for vehicles with larger battery packs, such as pickups. He said it is about 38% lighter than equivalent steel design at just a low price premium. � Aluminium International Today

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Anchor Harvey leading the way, from aviation to electric vehicles

Learn how Anchor Harvey’s industry-leading solutions will improve EV manufacturing in the next chapter of industrial forging. By Kerry Kubatzke*

Anchor Harvey holds a long track record of excellence in automotive and aerospace manufacturing. The 100-yearold forging company makes aluminum components for the automotive industry that touch every part of the car, from the drivetrain and suspension to the airflow systems. In recent years, Anchor Harvey’s explosive entrance into the aerospace market has put them at the head of the field for forging body and wing parts, airflow systems, control systems, and engine components.

Now, Anchor Harvey turns its attention to the emerging Electric Vehicle market with an eye for the future. This new market promises enormous returns to versatile companies that adapt to the ever-changing nature of automotive manufacturing, and Anchor Harvey plans to be on top.

The History of Innovation at Anchor Harvey Anchor Harvey has a long and welldecorated track record in the forging industry. In 1923, Harold B. Harvey

founded the Harvey Metal Corporation with a mission for excellence and accuracy. From their very beginning, the mission of this young company was to seize upon new opportunities in emerging industries.

Interest in aluminum forging increased following the end of World War I and the profound changes the airplane brought to the fields of transportation and defense.

Harvey Metal Corporation developed a new method of ordnance forging to eliminate porosity and common component defects and used the new approach to become a leader in the automotive forging industry known for its high-quality forged aluminum products.

This innovative spirit provided the company with continued growth during the years of World War II and beyond.

The Harvey Metal Corporation merged with Anchor Screw Products out of Addison, IL, in 1976. Anchor Screw Products, the parent company of Chicago Extruded Metals, was known for process innovation in a mature industry. This merger gave the newly christened “Anchor Harvey” an inroad into the defense industry and positioned it to become a

titan of the forging industry.

The new company soon moved to a much larger, 100,000 square foot facility in Freeport, IL, to expand operations. This state-of-the-art facility earned a corporate reputation of quality, innovation, and excellence that continues to this day. New presses, expanded facilities, and new personnel grew Anchor Harvey’s capacity year upon year. From the introduction of cellular workflows, data control processes, sophisticated supply-chain management software, cutting-edge engineering techniques, and the newest modeling software, Anchor Harvey positioned itself atop the industry.

Now, with a new AS9100 certification obtained in 2020 for Aviation, Space, and Defense Manufacturing, Anchor Harvey looks toward the future and the next challenge to conquer.

Recent Innovations Anchor Harvey has made a few key innovations in recent years to aid in Aviation forging manufacturing, which will also be vital in its expansion into the Electric Vehicle manufacturing sector:

*Kerry Kubatzke is the lead sales manager at Anchor Harvey, an aluminum forger, and has over 35 years of experience in engineering and precision forge manufacturing.

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minimal waste and mistakes.

Specialised Monitoring: In years past, forging was a hands-on job managed by master tradesmen and engineers who could only make educated guesses about what goes on inside their machines. Now, with monitoring technology that wasn’t available even 10 years ago, data can be controlled, collated, and monitored across multiple machines on a factory floor with minimal effort. Anchor Harvey has invested in these control systems to empower its engineering staff to push its product line and quality standards to the top of the industry.

Predictive Maintenance: Anchor Harvey prides itself on a consistent production schedule and predictable turnarounds. In pursuit of that, Anchor Harvey has implemented a system of predictive maintenance to prevent the sudden loss of critical manufacturing machines. Their system of maintenance monitors all forging and manufacturing equipment and tools with a historical understanding of their longevity and modes of failure. This, combined with constant condition monitoring of

control of sub-contractors. Their close communication, review standards, and quality relationship with a network of machining, heat-treatment, coating, and post-processing shops enable them to provide their client with more accurate turnaround timelines with consistent quality and minimal slowdowns.

Anchor Harveys AS9100 Certification Anchor Harvey has recently achieved an AS9100 certification for its aerospace and defense manufacturing business. AS9100 is the internationally standardized Quality Management System for the Aviation, Space, and Defense (AS&D) industry, created by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG).

Specifically, AS9100 requires adherence and implementation of strict aerospace standards in the following fields and more: � � �

� � � � � �

�

Supply Chain Risk Management Counterfeit Electronic Parts Work Transfer Supplier Self Verification Process QMS Audit Requirements Key Characteristics Non-Conformance Documentation Foreign Object Detection (FOD) Project Management Guidelines for Auditing Management Systems Quality Management Systems

The Aerospace Industry has specific requirements that need to be considered when it comes to documentation and quality management compared to other manufacturing industries. Anchor Harvey continues to advance in quality and look toward the future as it adopts a futurefocused risk assessment plan as part of the AS9100 certification processes.

Data Acquisition Systems: Data acquisition systems control the flow of information around an environment.

These systems enable better monitoring and control of presses, temperatures, work-time, forces, and deformation of components in the forging industry. This data is notoriously difficult to acquire, especially in high-impact presses, only allowing data gathering at the point of contact and release within the press.

Anchor Harvey has continually adopted new monitoring technologies that enable them to better manage and manipulate presses and other tools to produce parts faster, better, and more consistently with Aluminium International Today

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equipment, enables Anchor Harvey to accurately predict when equipment will experience an issue and repair or replace that equipment before it does, thus preventing costly downtime and expensive repair processes at inopportune moments.

Supply Chain Management: Amazon has shown the entire world what good supply chain management can do for customer satisfaction and the success of a business. Anchor Harvey has expanded and innovated its own supply chain management system to enable faster turnaround and better

Anchor Harvey Sees the Future in Electric Vehicles It’s no secret that the Electric Vehicle market is expanding and will continue to expand in the future. California has already implemented a plan to shift all new vehicle production and sales to Electric Vehicles by 2035, and multiple car manufacturing companies have made a similar pledge. The green energy investments by the Biden administration will only push further investment into EVs and the EV manufacturing market in the years to come.

Anchor Harvey sees this coming investment and intends to be at the forefront of the Electric Vehicle market just as it has established itself atop the regular automotive and aerospace forging markets through its constant innovation and quality manufacturing standards.

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itself in the EV manufacturing market is primed to capture more business in the coming years.

In pursuit of this new market, Anchor Harvey has established the Electric Vehicle Workgroup to focus on developing electric vehicle components and innovation within that space.

Manufacturing for Electric Vehicles Innovation is needed if forging companies are going to adapt to EV manufacturing.

There are a number of concerning initial forecasts that have had industry leaders concerned over the future of the automotive forging industry.

Reduced Drivetrain: The drivetrain of an electric vehicle is significantly reduced in complexity in comparison to a standard internal combustion engine. The power curve and a standard internal combustion engine require a significant and complicated set of gears arrayed in such a way as to keep the engine spinning within a narrow range of RPMs while allowing the wheels to spin at any desired speed. In an electric vehicle, the instant torque of an electric motor means that the motor’s power curve covers almost the entire range of possible RPMs. As such, many electric vehicles have a single gear transmission.

No Engine: The lack of an internal combustion engine, and the subsequent lack of complicated oil and coolant systems, means that there are no large manifolds or gaskets, assemblies, pipes, or housings to maintain combustion. Instead, electric motors are far more straightforward, using an electric current from the battery to induce the motor to spin. This significantly reduces the number of forging parts necessary to make a motor for electric vehicles.

engineered suspensions and frames that further reduce the weight and necessary components on electric vehicles.

However, there is room to be found in the upcoming electric vehicle component manufacturing market for those companies that are able to innovate and adapt.

Volume: The change-over to electric vehicle manufacturing is happening suddenly and simultaneously across the entire vehicle sales market in many countries around the world. Vehicle manufacturers will be looking to move new cars to market quickly to capture sales as the price of electric vehicles drop and demand rises in the following decades. Whatever sales may be lost per vehicle will quickly be made up in sales volume.

Quality: As vehicle manufacturers switch their product lines over to electric vehicles, they will be looking to reinvent their supply chains and reevaluate their current vendors. Excellence in manufacturing ICE vehicle parts does not necessarily translate to excellence in EV manufacturing. The company that can establish a name for

Consistency: Since the 90s, lean manufacturing practices have prized fast and consistent manufacturing that provides parts at the correct time with minimal storage requirements and no delays. Such will be the same in the emerging electric vehicle market. Anchor Harvey already has a history of consistent quality and has been an industry leader in the forging supply chain for years. They will bring that consistency and dependability to the electric vehicle market.

Anchor Harvey is already developing ways to transition its business to capture more of the electric vehicle component market in the coming decade. The company’s forward-thinking mindset and constant innovation make them a prime contender in this space, and its history of such provides evidence as to its credibility.

It’s Not Just Cars Of course, it’s not just passenger vehicles that the coming EV revolution will affect.

There are multiple industries that electric vehicles will touch in the future: Public Transportation: Many large cities have used electric busses for years now, but they’ve always needed to be directly hooked into high-voltage electric lines that limit their movement and maneuverability. Now, with emerging battery technologies, truly electrified busses are a possibility.

Freight: The idea of autonomous trucks has been predicted for years at this point. Both selfdriven and autonomous trucks will likely be electrically powered in the future, drastically reducing transportation costs of goods across the country and around the world.

Frame Design: Engineers working on electric vehicle designs have adopted lightweight manufacturing practices and precisely July/August 2021

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creating a small regional aircraft with full electrical power in the coming decade.

This signals that the race for electric planes has already begun and could be a big industry in 20 years.

Locomotive: Both freight and passenger trains could become faster, cheaper, and more popular as the cost to run them is reduced through the near elimination of costly fuel expenses.

Smaller Vehicles: From lightweight aluminum bikes to urban scooters, electrically powered leisure and

small vehicle transportation may become the norm in dense urban environments and foreign countries.

Aerospace: Alaska Airlines is looking to achieve netzero emissions by 2040; this requires the adoption of electrically powered aircraft.

MagniX, a manufacturer of electric airplanes, is already looking toward

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The Electric Vehicle Workgroup Anchor Harvey has established its Electric Vehicle Workgroup as an industry-leading, innovative, and skilled team of engineers and operators dedicated to producing high-strength, lightweight components for the next generation of transportation technology.

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54 LUBRICANT SOLUTIONS

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Die lubricant solutions for nextgeneration large die casting machines As the automotive industry strives to meet the challenges of a changing marketplace, production processes are evolving to create lighter vehicles from larger and more complex die cast parts. Dr Mark Cross*, explores how unique lubricant technology is supporting the introduction of the latest generation of large, >4,500T die casting machines to deliver on these challenges.

Trends and challenges As nations around the world plan to reduce emissions and create greener, more sustainable transport solutions, the pressure is on for the automotive industry to do the same. One direct result of a desire to reduce emissions is the automotive industries’ focus on ‘lightweighting’ new

vehicles. The goal is to reduce overall vehicle weight to improve fuel economy, range and emissions from the growing number of hybrid and electric vehicles on our roads.

To achieve a reduction in overall vehicle weight, engineers are increasingly adopting a range of materials and

production techniques to create lighter components for powertrains, drivetrains, and structural systems. This use of new materials - which include aluminium, carbon-fibre composites, high-strength steel, magnesium, and titanium - bring with them a need to re-think traditional manufacturing and assembly processes

*Global Business Development Director for Die Casting at Quaker Houghton July/August 2021

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LUBRICANT SOLUTIONS 55

A shift towards larger die cast parts The automotive industry is no stranger to automation, with many production lines already embracing Industry 4.0. Physical and digital processes have become increasingly intertwined in a bid to create smarter, more efficient production lines.

Yet, with the pressure on to combine production efficiency with the use of lighter materials, there is change afoot.

Die casting has long been a key manufacturing process for the automotive industry. Traditionally used to cast parts such as engine blocks and transmission cases, the technique is now being used to cast one-piece structural parts such as shock towers and torque bars, aiding the ultimate goals of weight reduction.

California-based electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla, has recently announced a shift in production methods that favours the use of a single piece die cast underbody structure to replace a combination of multiple welded and stamped components. This requires use of the world’s largest die casting machine able to produce such a large one-piece casting - a change that could revolutionise the automotive industry.

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and embrace new technologies and techniques.

For die casting in particular, engineers must consider how to deliver improved quality and productivity for large and complex parts. Alongside this, production costs need to fall, the total cost of ownership needs to reduce, and the environmental impact of the die casting process must be lowered.

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Die casting: Weighing up the benefits The benefits of die casting in the automotive industry are well known. A quick and relatively economical process, die casting offers the repeatability required by mass production, allowing identical parts to be produced using one mold.

The move towards engineering a vehicle structure from a smaller number of large die cast parts rather than high volumes of smaller parts reduces production complexity and offers significantly reduced costs. Casting larger parts stands to remove as many as 70 steps from a

more traditional production process.

While the benefits are clear to see, the casting of larger parts brings complexity to the die casting process. This is where innovative lubricants that are paired with the right equipment is required.

Water free lubricants: A sustainable solution for large and complex cast parts To avoid compromising quality and increasing costs in the manufacture of large, complex components, specifying the correct die lubricant technology is essential to ensure an adequate release lubricant film is formed over the die surface.

As die tools increase in size and complexity, they become increasing difficult to lubricate using conventional water based lubricant systems. Ensuring lubricant reaches all parts of the complex tool, to prevent casting failure, is a significant challenge not easily overcome.

Lack of penetration of the lubricant spray into areas such as ribs, coupled with the low film forming capabilities of water-based lubricants is a real challenge faced by die casters. Additionally, the spray heads used to apply water-based lubricants are simply too large, bulky and inflexible to deploy lubricant to all areas of the die face successfully.

For an industry looking to cast larger components and also meet the challenges of maintaining product quality, improving productivity and reducing costs, waterfree electrostatic lubricant systems, like Lubrolene® from Quaker Houghton, provide the best solution. Such systems combine a high-power release agent, free from the drawback of conventional lubricants, coupled with a compact low weight spray system.

When Lubrolene® WFR-EC is applied through a unique electrostatic spray gun, the lubricant spray droplets carry an electrostatic charge which, when coupled with a grounded die leads to unsurpassed lubricant deposition in all areas of the die.

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56 LUBRICANT SOLUTIONS

features, which are very difficult to reach with other die lubricant technologies.

The low weight and small footprint of the spray head coupled with the control features of the application system mean that lubricant application can be readily adjusted across the die face to give an optimized lubricating film.

As the lubricant product is also water free, any Leidenfrost effect, which is a significant problem with water based lubricants, is all but eliminated leading to unmatched lubricant deposition and adhesion on the die surface. The very high adhesion performance offered by electrostatic spray reduces the amount of release agents required by up to 99.9% per cycle.

As well as reducing ongoing running costs, the volumes of lubricant is significantly lowered, which combined with wax free lubricant formulations result in much reduced build-up on equipment.

In turn, the need for cleaning of both spray head nozzles and dies is significantly lowered.

Added to the reliability, repeatability and preciseness of the system, the inherently lighter Lubrolene electrostatic spray head offers the only practical solution for producing ever larger structural parts in high pressure die casting machines that can range from 4,000 to 6,500 tonnes.

Once the practicalities of complex, onepiece die casting are resolved through the implementation of new technologies and solutions, the benefits for automotive manufacturers begin to emerge fully.

Reduced spray time, increased die life and a low reject rate all lead to enhanced benefits and cost savings for manufacturers. Combine that with zero wastewater from the process and reduced CO2 emissions (as a result of reduced air blow), and the environmental impacts of utilising an efficient die casting release lubricant cannot be ignored.

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Electrostatic spray: Increasing large die casting tool life by up to six times Along with quality, tool service life is a significant issue in die casting. This is particularly the case with water-based agents, which rapidly cool the die surface between shots, leading to extreme temperature fluctuations of the die tool.

These fluctuations can quickly lead to the formation of cracks on the die surface, as a result of repeated compressive and tensile stresses.

Cracks can typically start forming after several hundred shots and limits the tool’s service life before it needs to be repaired.

This issue can be eliminated almost entirely by adopting water free electrostatic lubricant technology.

As Lubrolene is water free, the rapid cooling effect on the dies is eliminated, as is the thermal and stress cycle normally

experienced with conventional waterbased die lubricants, dramatically reducing crack formation. Effectively, this means Lubrolene WFR-EC can greatly extend tool service life and contribute to cost savings of more than €500,000 per annum. With extended tool service life, there are also less costs in servicing and maintenance, which then delivers further savings by up to 20 per cent, while process uptime is increased, and cycle time is decreased.

The future of die casting For any industry that relies on metalworking, die casting has always been a popular choice. It owes its widespread use to the fact that it is versatile, reliable, accurate, and repeatable. However, as the automotive industry evolves towards using larger and more complex die cast parts, the latest die lubrication technology and equipment must be used. Only by doing so can processes be improved, the likelihood of porosity be reduced, overall costs and efficiency be maximised, and the impact on the planet lowered.

Switching from traditional water-based lubricants to a water-free electrostatic solution allows users to cast larger components with higher process temperatures, while also meeting the challenges of maintaining product quality, improving productivity, and reducing costs.

As a leader in industrial process fluids, Quaker Houghton offers a consultative approach to finding solutions that will optimise die casting processes, reduce costs, advance safety and drive sustainability. By embracing the latest technologies, die casters can meet current requirements to reduce the impact of their products and processes on the planet - at the same time as adding profit to their bottom line. � Find out more at www.iCasting.quakerhoughton.com

Aluminium International Today

09/07/2021 13:02:57

58 ANNIVERSARY

By Erol Metin Ph.D*

TALSAD celebrates its 50th anniversary The Turkish Aluminium Industrialists Association (TALSAD) established on March 15, 1971, by the initiative of thirteen leading aluminium industrialists now celebrating its 50th year as one of the oldest industry organisations of Turkey.

Following the establishment, in 1989, the Turkish Council of Ministers has authorised TALSAD, the usage right of articulation of “Turkey” in its title, which is an official authorization by the Turkish government as a national and international industry representation.

Today, TALSAD, with 79 member companies spreading to all business lines of the aluminium industry, represents the Turkish aluminium industry, both at home and abroad.

As the Turkish Aluminium Industrialists Association, we are excited to celebrate our 50th anniversary. During 50 years of serving the Turkish aluminium industry, TALSAD has successfully landmarked many critical achievements that have helped our industry to develop into a regional manufacturing base. These include the initiation for International Aluminium Fair, Aluexpo, International Aluminium Symposium, establishment

of aluminium industry workgroups and memberships at leading international aluminium organizations. In this special and important year, TALSAD is organising an aluminium-themed recycling project competition “Be a Part Of Recycling”, to emphasize the importance of research and development, technological progress in the area of aluminium recycling, circular economy and sustainability. The winners of the competition will be awarded at the 10th International Aluminium Symposium, which will be held in Istanbul on October 14-16.

TALSAD, in the 50th year of its establishment, continues to promote aluminium and assists the development of technology and markets for the aluminium industry. The new challenge of our industry is now to restructure itself to fit the net zero emissions targets by 2050. Therefore, one of our main goals is to help our local industries successfully adapt to this new target of decarbonisation. We are now aiming to be the regional organisation that promotes sustainability and low carbon aluminium production in Turkey, which has become a strong manufacturing base

for aluminium products, serving global markets. 2021, the 50th year of TALSAD’s establishment will be the start of a new period, where we support our sector in meeting these goals while continuing to grow. The Turkish aluminium industry with its dynamic, competitive, high quality and fast delivery abilities, can fulfil the global targets and standards.

The Turkish aluminium industry in 2020 Due to the COVID pandemic, 2020 has been a special year in the Turkish aluminium industry as in all of the global industrial sectors. Turkish Aluminium Industrialists Association exercised efforts to reduce the adverse effects of the pandemic and provide industry-wide guidelines in establishing safe manufacturing principles to avoid as much as possible the spread of the virus while being able to continue to produce products that are essential for the continuation of our basic economic life and products needed for the medical industries. Despite the heavy global challenges created by the COVID 19 pandemic, we can say that our Turkish

*Secretary General of TALSAD, www.talsad.org.tr/en/ July/August 2021

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aluminium industry has been successful in sustaining its operations when compared to several other sectors.

In this process, as TALSAD, we acted in unity and solidarity, taking strength from each other, in order not to interrupt the growth of our industry in international markets. TALSAD published “Covid-19 Workplace Prevention Advice Information Note” and “Covid-19 Post-Normalisation Process of Transition Information Note” by collaborating with its HSE Committee, which is established by the Health and Safety experts of member companies. In addition, using the technical opportunities of online meetings, TALSAD continued member meetings and technical committees with no interruptions and maintained the sense of unity of the industry through their involvement at TALSAD. The leadership role of national and international organisations is essential in achieving the global targets towards net-zero emissions In addition to COVID 19, the past years have marked important trade turbulences in the aluminium industry, due to trade wars, and large scale subsidies provided to Chinese manufacturers, coupled with overcapacity, as demonstrated by the OECD report published in 2019. Trade wars, section 232 measures, AD measures, customs tariffs have remained as hot topics of 2020. As TALSAD, has been a member of the European Aluminium (EA) since 1992, we tried to be an active Aluminium International Today

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supporter of the interests of the global aluminium industry, by acting as the key moderator of the Turkish aluminium industry, while our leading members maintained fair trade principles. TALSAD has been in close cooperation with EA and other important industry organisations to protect the principles of fair trade as well as the utmost interest of Turkish aluminium manufacturers against unfair trade barriers, quotas and subsidies.

As a deep-rooted non-governmental, not for a profit industry organisation, the positive relations with global industry organisations, active communication with member companies and closer links with all governmental institutions are key in maintaining the sustainable growth of our industry.

In that regard, 2020, as well as our ongoing year have proved the importance and the need for such a strong national and international cooperation. As a result, our industry was able to maintain its production levels in 2020, maintained its position in international markets and began 2021 with a strong growth indicator.

The new challenge towards decarbonisation and net-zero emissions will increase the value of well-functioning industry organisations since these goals are not achievable without strong cooperations on national and international levels. TALSAD will continue to play a critical role in the upcoming years to help Turkish Aluminium Industry successfully adopt these new global targets.

2021 will be the year of 10th International Symposium 10th International Aluminium Symposium (ALUS’10) will gather the aluminium industrialists, regulators and academicians in an environment, where technological advancements and new materials are exposed to the aluminium family members.

The Symposium aims to provide an opportunity to review the advancements in manufacturing, processing, research and development, new alloys and new market implementations of reviewing the recent market developments, manufacturing technologies with local and international participation. Sustainability and the pathway to the decarbonisation of the aluminium industry will be the key topic of this upcoming international event.

The international scientific committee of ALUS’10, representing recognised scientists from more than 10 countries, is working hard to provide the best technological discussion platforms for our industry.

Ultimately, the symposium will be one of the most important technological and scientific events of Eurasia and the Middle East.

AluExpo and the symposium jointly provides a high profile gathering for key players from all segments of the aluminium industry. The symposium represents a great opportunity for leading companies and international organisations to network and communicate their new ideas, products and developments. �

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60 ADVERTORIAL: SOLVAY

Breakthrough in Pretreatment of Aluminum Surfaces with Polymeric Additives Designed to Boost Paint Adhesion and Corrosion Resistance

By Dr. Marie-Pierre Labeau & Dr. Flora Fan & Julie Mollet, Solvay With a fast-growing potential of currently well over four billion square meters of aluminum surfaces to be treated prior to powder coating or painting, there is an increased need for enhancing paint adhesion and corrosion resistance to meet higher quality standards. At the same time, traditional pretreatment technologies are facing severe health, safety and environmental regulations (HSE) regulations ever harder to meet. Solvay has developed a range of new conversion and passivation solutions to address these needs and combine superior performance with enhanced sustainability.

Although discovered over 2,500 years ago, aluminum as we know it today was not industrialized until the 19th century.

Since then, it has become a preferred lightweight, durable and functional material in a steadily growing number of consumer and industrial applications, from chocolate foil, cans and kitchen utensils to bicycle frames and window profiles, boat hulls and computer cases. With only one third of the weight of steel (2.7 g/m³) and excellent crash energy absorption, it is at the forefront of automotive lightweighting. In addition, 120,000 aluminum cans recycled each minute are making a big contribution to an increasingly circular aluminum economy, which is already ensuring that 75 percent of the material ever produced remains in use.

The aluminum market can be divided into three main segments by process: extrusions, flat rolled coils for stamping or foil production, and aluminum castings. The extruded aluminum segment is expected to reach 40 million tons per year by 2023.

Almost two thirds of this volume is consumed by construction and infrastructure alone, followed by transportation and aerospace, mechanical engineering, consumer and electrical. FIG 1 This is also creating a growing demand for efficient surface treatment formulations to meet higher quality standards, such as QUALICOAT, while complying with increasingly strict HSE regulations. There is a clear need for improving the paint adhesion and corrosion resistance of typical bare aluminum-magnesium (5000 series) and aluminum-magnesium-silicon (6000 series) alloys. At a compound average growth rate of 3.8 percent, the market potential is expected to soon exceed 4.5 billion square meters of aluminum surfaces to be treated.

New-Generation Pretreatment Formulations Building on the proven performance and efficiency of Addikleen™ process additives for cleaning and etching, Solvay has developed a new generation of Addibond™ polymeric additives designed to change the game of aluminum surface pretreatment.

Addibond™ are multi-functional polymers offering several significant process advantages over incumbent solutions.

Compared to conventional polyacrylates, they can anchor on both inorganic surfaces and organic coatings, resulting in tight and durable substrate-coatings bonds. In contrast to silanes, they perform at much lower concentrations (typically 200 ppm) and the created bonds resist much more to hydrolysis in corrosive conditions.. In addition, baths are easier to manage, and there are no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released during the process.

The technology is well known for demanding metal-to-metal bonded automotive chassis applications and has been adapted specifically for enhancing the adhesion of epoxy or polyester paints on surfaces of aluminum alloys such as 6063 or 5005, new Addibond™ 106 and 829 grades can be used as boosters in surface pre- and post-treatment formulations, i.e. in conversion as well as passivation, sealing and rinsing steps prior to coating.

Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GD-OES) before powder coating illustrate that when Addibond™ is added to the conversion bath, it mostly locates near the conversion coating surface, i.e. exactly where it should to interact or react with both the substrate and the paint. FIG 2 Challenges to Meet Key to ensuring reliable paint adhesion on aluminum alloys is a conversion coating to form a first anti-corrosion barrier prior

The Authors: Dr Marie-Pierre Labeau, R&I Manager Metal Treatment Platform Dr Flora Fan, Business Development Manager Metal Treatment Platform

FIG 1. In 2017, the market for semi-formed aluminum had a total volume of 78 million tons at an annual growth of nearly six percent. (Image courtesy Solvay/FACE)

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Julie Mollet, Industrial Process Solutions Marketing Director for Solvay’s Novecare Business

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New Addibond™ solutions from Solvay boost the paint adhesion and corrosion resistance of aluminum substrates.

(Photo courtesy Shutterstock)

FIG 2. In the conversion coating bath, Addibond™ effectively locates at the interface area between the substrate and the paint. (Schematic courtesy Solvay)

to painting. To some degree, aluminum is naturally corrosion resistant due to its native alumina layer, and aluminum 5000 and 6000 alloys also show good resistance to atmospheric corrosion.

However, their heterogeneous surface would still induce corrosion in more aggressive environments. Likewise, traces of lubricants, loose oxides not strongly adhering to the substrate and other heterogeneous matter, such as intermetallic particles, forbid direct painting or powder coating on the untreated surface. Ideally every step of the treatment - namely, cleaning, etching, conversion coating and passivation/sealing - should be controlled continuously to ensure a robust performance/quality.

However, in some cases, this is not easy to implement due to resource constraints.

Although conversion coating and passivation formulators have made considerable progress in reducing the complexity of the treatment process, for instance by eliminating individual rinse steps, more stringent regulations have been complicating the formulation work. In Europe, for example, hexavalent chromium

(CrVI) – a highly effective ingredient in traditional surface treatment technologies – is subject to severe restrictions under REACH and has been banned from use for corrosion protection of vehicles by EU Directive 2000/53/EC. Occupational CrVI exposure limits vary between an eight-hour time weighted average (TWA) from 25 to as low as 1 µg/m³.

This means users must make sure they comply with specific regional conditions and frequently test airborne emissions and wastewater, accordingly, or switch to non-CrVI solutions.

However, while new surface treatments such as zirconium-based conversion/passivation may perform well from an HSE point of view, they often do not meet required technical performance.

Solvay’s new CrVI-free AddibondTM additive provides a safe and effective way out of this dilemma. Comprehensive testing has demonstrated that AddibondTM added to non-CrVI solutions can perform as real paint adhesion boosters in the treatment of aluminum surfaces prior to final coating and at the same time help users implement ambitious sustainability targets.

FIG 3. Conversion coating of aluminum 5005 with Addibond™ vs. polyacrylate or aminosilane conversion promoters results in considerably fewer corrosion defects.

(Schematic courtesy Solvay)

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FIG 4. Aluminum 6063 samples conversion coated with Addibond™ in the bath clearly outperform the paint adhesion of those pretreated with polyacrylate formulations.

(Schematic courtesy Solvay)

New formulations containing AddibondTM generate less sludge during usage, thus requiring fewer bath changes, reducing additive consumption and resulting in less process water to treat and recycle. This and the absence of toxic chromates and heavy metals also improve the sustainability of the overall process.

Superior Performance Profile Most of the performance testing was done with powder coated sample plates, including cupping and impact (ISO 1520), crosshatch/cross-cut (ISO 2409, e.g. after pressure cooker) and acetic acid salt spray (AASS, ISO 9227) tests. The corrosion resistance was assessed according to ISO 4628, where ‘white rust’ in the scribes indicates corrosion products in the alumina layer and blisters indicate corrosion right beneath the paint. The plates were checked after 200, 500, 750 and 1,000 hours to detect an early apparition of blisters as well as monitor blister evolution over time.

After 1,000 hours of AASS exposure (NaCl+CH3COOH at 35°C), powder coated aluminum 5005 plates that had been conversion coated with hexafluorozirconic acid (H2ZrF6) and Addibond™ showed significantly fewer corrosion defects (blisters and product in the scribes) than those pretreated with H2ZrF6 plus a polyacrylate conversion promoter. Similar results were obtained in comparison with aminosilane. In both cases, also,

rinsing after conversion is now no longer compulsory when using Solvay’s additives, which saves costs and can reduce floor space.

FIG 3 Paint adhesion was assessed in impact and cooking tests of aluminum 6063 profiles with 80 µm of polyester powder paint.

Again, Addibond™ showed an impressive performance boost over polyacrylate. FIG 4 Moreover, in conversion and passivation processes using hexafluoride formulations (with or without silane), Addibond™ can serve as a very effective booster in post-conversion ‘sealing’ and rinsing, where it works in considerably lower concentrations of 50 ppm vs. 200 ppm for polyacrylate. In addition, the lab tests revealed that it can tolerate a wide range of different drying conditions.

Conclusion With substantial benefits in process performance and sustainability, new Addibond™ products from Solvay have demonstrated a high potential for enhancing metal-to-organic adhesion. Addibond™ 106 and 829 can be used as conversion formulation and as post-treatment boosters, depending on the existing or preferred treatment route. In both cases, they will boost the paint adhesion and corrosion resistance of aluminum substrates in a more robust and cost-efficient process.

links in order of appearance Addikleen™ webinar: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2092118/B31F3B7684F95CF08D5D208ACF8495F3?partnerref=ait Paint adhesion webinar: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2149675/BDA0E91D112A252336DD8FC021CD17C1?partnerref=ait Addibond™ 106 product page for inquiries: https://www.solvay.com/en/product/addibond-106 Addibond™ 829 product page for inquiries: https://www.solvay.com/en/product/addibond-829 Addibond™ brand page: https://www.solvay.com/en/brands/addibond-range-metal-treatment-additives Focus on aluminum: https://www.solvay.com/en/solutions-market/industrial-applications/metal-surface-treatment/metal-treatment/metals Blog article on passivation: https://www.solvay.com/en/solutions-market/industrial-applications/metal-surface-treatment/metal-treatment/ metal-treatment-additives-flexible-and-powerful-passivation List of blog articles including one on cost reduction: https://www.solvay.com/en/solutions-market/industrial-applications/metal-surface-treatment/metal-treatment/webinars-and July/August 2021

Aluminium International Today

64 HEATING & WELDING

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GIA Clecim press selects Banyard for new zero-friction billet heater Inductotherm Heating & Welding are pleased to announce that GIA Clecim Press - Spain have placed an order for a Banyard Zero-Friction Billet Heater for 10” & 12” aluminium billets. The Banyard brand of induction heating systems feature special mechanical handling technology designed specifically to address the needs of the aluminium extrusion sector. The Banyard solution enables aluminum billet transport with virtually zero friction. This is achieved by effectively minimising the area of contact with the billet at all stages of the process, thus reducing the protentional for unnecessary marking and scaling, which effects the finished product.

Banyard specialises in non-ferrous

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induction heating technology providing mains and low frequency heating solutions for Aluminium, Brass, Copper, and exotic alloys for both sawn and sheared billets.

With a history of serving the non-ferrous industry for over 50 years the Banyard brand has an enviable accumulated process knowledge which their customers benefit from.

GIA Clecim Press is one of the leading companies to provide engineering solutions to extruders. GIA Clecim Press is a Spanish company located in the city of Albacete, where the complete process of design and manufacture of extrusion plants takes place from log handling up to profile finishing. Auxiliary equipment

for the extrusion plants and all kinds of tooling are also supplied.

For this project, GIA Clecim Press are providing a full turn-key solution for Saray Alüminyum, Turkey. Since 1980, Saray Alüminyum has played a major role in the construction of futuristic architectural buildings by leading the way with innovative interior & exterior construction solutions.

Inductotherm Heating & Welding are proud to be working with GIA Clecim Press on this project.

We will be working in collaboration with our colleagues at Inductotherm Group Turkey, who will offer local ongoing service and maintenance post-installation. �

Aluminium International Today

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Pushing the boundaries for low-carbon aluminium Aluminium production comes with a footprint. Hydro works to push the boundaries for low-carbon production. Hydro REDUXA® is our series of low-carbon aluminium. Through modern technology and the use of renewable energy from hydro, wind and solar, we can produce cleaner aluminium than ever before.

Visit hydro.com/reduxa to learn more.