Aluminium International Today November December 2020

INDUSTRY NEWS

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AUTOMOTIVE

www.aluminiumtoday.com November/December 2020—Vol.33 No.6

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

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SHARING THE FASCINATING WORLD OF ALUMINIUM Our innovative solutions transform your creative visions for aluminium into reality. We support you with the full range of technologies needed for ingenious approaches. From melting and casting to rolling, extrusion and forging.

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CONTENTS 1

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2

LEADER

2

NEWS

Volume 33 No. 6 – November/December 2020

COVER

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

INDUSTRY NEWS

SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM

RECYCLING

SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM

AUTOMOTIVE

7

Production Editor: Annie Baker THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

Sales

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

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Fostering the production of sustainable aluminium in Europe

A LU M I N I U M I N T E R N AT I O N A L TO DAY N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 V O L . 3 3 N O 6

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

Aluminium production pathway to zero carbon 2050

www.aluminiumtoday.com November/December 2020—Vol.33 No.6

RECYCLING

Advertisement Production Production Executive: Martin Lawrence

18

Sorting the scrap

24

Data quality: Is it the ‘key’ to the future

Managing Director: Tony Crinion CEO: Steve Diprose

of UK packaging recycling?

Circulation/subscriptions

COMPANY PROFILE

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Single copies £45

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GARMCO - playing a part in shaping a better tomorrow

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OPINION PIECE 31

Supporters of Aluminium International Today

The future of aluminium

SAFETY 35

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Choosing the right hydraulic fluid can reduce fire risk in aluminium plants

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AUTOMOTIVE 38 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

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How sustainable materials can reduce the life-cycle footprint of cars

43

46

The Future of Automotive: A winding road paved with aluminium

53

CONSTRUCTION 46

‘Urban Mines - Fact or Fiction’

48

The top three benefits of aluminium

GLOBAL UPDATE SEARCH FOR ALUMINIUM INTERNATIONAL TODAY

53

Westerm sanctions continue to limit growth opportunities

PROJECT ISSN1475-455X

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Casting line contracts November/December 2020

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2 COMMENT

ALVANCE Aluminium Group completes acquisition of Duffel

WHAT A YEAR. I’m not convinced that when Big Ben strikes midnight on the 31st December everything will return to normal, but I certainly will be pinning some hopes on 2021 offering fresh starts and a return to elements of daily life I know we have all been missing.

For me, I always took travel for granted and at times I would dread going on business trips (mainly the packing...I hate packing!) But I would always return feeling like I had been able to explore a pocket of the world that I might never see again and for that I felt very lucky.

While travel remains restricted, we are all having to work differently and although I was very much looking forward to visiting Québec in December for the Future Aluminium Forum, the reality of the situation means we will instead all be meeting online.

We were already well aware of the benefits of digitalisation when it comes to efficient data usage, real-time viewing and automated processes, but have the last few months pushed us to get ‘online’ faster?

This year’s Future Aluminium Forum will still bring you a host of interesting presentations, ideas and opportunities to discover the digital solutions that promise to deliver a more streamlined supply chain. We will also be looking at what intelligent manufacturing actually means for the sector and there are plenty of ways you can be involved...Find out more by visiting: www.futurealuminiumforum.com I hope you enjoy this issue and I wish you all a healthy and Happy New Year! nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

ALVANCE, the international low-carbon aluminium business, part of Sanjeev Gupta’s sustainable industry leader GFG Alliance, has completed its purchase of the Duffel aluminium recycling and rolling mill near Antwerp in Belgium.

Founded in 1946, Duffel is a leading European producer of premium aluminium rolled products and a pioneer in the European automotive body sheets (ABS) market. The plant has the capacity to process 250ktpa and currently reuses around 104ktpa of aluminium scrap material, taking ALVANCE closer to its aim of reaching 1mtpa of capacity. The acquisition of the plant – to be renamed ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel – marks

a significant bolstering and expansion of ALVANCE’s downstream portfolio and its ambition to be a leading supplier of value added, sustainable aluminium products to the automotive sector and other industries.

ALVANCE is committed to maximising both the volumes and variety of value-added products produced at the 1,000 worker site and plans to increase the production capacity by significantly investing in the modernisation of its production equipment. Duffel will also benefit from synergies with ALVANCE Aluminium Dunkerque, Europe’s largest aluminium smelter, which will include a direct supply of guaranteed high-quality primary aluminium.

The acquisition of Duffel will also add to GFG Alliance’s credentials as a significant foreign direct investor in Belgium following the acquisition of the Liege steelworks from ArcelorMittal in July 2019.

Duffel will also add to GFG’s drive to maximise “closed loop” operations across its value chain where waste or scrap products are either recycled by the site that produces them or by another plant within the group - lowering the carbon footprint of the business and extracting even more value from the process. Duffel already recycles a large proportion of its own scrap and will expand recycling to include any potential synergies with customers and Group sites such as Dunkerque.

Curtailment and Collective Dismissal at San Ciprián Smelter Alcoa has announced that it will curtail its San Ciprián aluminium smelter in Spain and initiate a collective dismissal that will affect approximately 530 employees.

On October 8, Alcoa made the decision after considering all options, including reviewing records associated with four months of consultations with the workers’ representatives and the negotiations during a potential sale process. On September 29, 2020, Alcoa announced that the Company would take up to 15 days to determine and announce a decision regarding the smelter’s 228,000 metric tons of annual capacity.

The smelter’s curtailment is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2021, and approximately 100 employees will remain to operate a portion of the casthouse.

“As we’ve shared with our stakeholders throughout this process, the unfortunate reality is that the San Ciprián smelter is uncompetitive, and we do not expect its significant structural issues to change,” said Alcoa President and CEO Roy Harvey. “While we have explored several options in the past months, curtailment is necessary to stop the continuing economic losses. We understand that

this is a difficult outcome, and we are committed to minimising the impacts on our employees as we work together to safely curtail the site and continue to meet all regulations.”

Continued operation of the smelter is not viable due to permanent factors such as an uncompetitive energy framework in Spain, global overcapacity in aluminium production and depressed prices.

Year to date, the aluminium plant incurred a net loss of approximately $45 million through September 30. In 2018 and 2019, the aluminium plant had combined net losses of $126 million.

Chinsay’s ICP digital contract solution selected by Rio Tinto Chinsay’s ICP (Intelligent Contract Platform) has been selected by Rio Tinto for its commercial digital contract needs.

ICP was chosen for its ability to digitalise end-to-end trade workflows and for the creation, ap-

proval and issuance of contracts, and will be used for Rio Tinto’s commercial businesses.

Colin Hayward, CEO of Chinsay, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Rio Tinto and helping them with their digitalisation

efforts. ICP will be enabling the digitalisation of their workflows, creating transparency and giving Rio Tinto the ability to make the process more efficient.”

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INDUSTRY NEWS 3

Hydro and Lyse to establish hydropower company The new company will be called Lyse Kraft DA and have a normal annual power production capacity of 9.5 TWh, of which Hydro will own 25.6% and Lyse 74.4%.

The agreement is expected to bring synergies of approximately NOK 500 million in net present value.

As a consequence of the transaction, the RSK assets will not revert to state ownership at the end of 2022, meaning Hydro can use

its share of the power produced by the new company for aluminium production in Norway.

“This is a great day for the future of Norwegian renewable-based industry. The agreement is strategically important for Hydro, as it secures the value of our RSK hydropower assets and contributes to predictability for further industrial development in Norway,” says Hydro President & CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim.

AMAG receives ASI certification for comprehensive sustainability activities With the recently completed certification against the ASI Chain of Custody Standard AMAG takes its sustainability activities up to another level by extending its efforts beyond the confines of the Ranshofen site. AMAG supports the application of the same strict standards and criteria to which the company has submitted itself voluntarily among its pre-material suppliers. With the involvement of the whole supply chain, from the mining of Bauxite to the AMAG product, AMAG is now ready to offer ASI certified aluminium to its customers.

“AMAG has already been focusing on responsible and resource-conserving production of

aluminium for many years. Particularly, our competence in recycling is acknowledged throughout the world. The ASI Chain of Custody Certification enables us to expand

our range of specialties by adding sustainably sourced products.

Even before the official launch of sales, ASI certified aluminium stirred up great interest amongst

RUSAL to reduce Benzapyrene emissions by 60% As part of its environmental modernisation program, by 2024 RUSAL plans to completely switch the reduction area of the Krasnoyarsk aluminium smelter (KrAZ) to a new type of raw material, an eco-friendly pitch.

Unlike the traditional raw material, eco-friendly pitch is less tarry in nature and its application in the aluminium production process is less harmful for the environment.

The implementation of this and other technical innovations at

KrAZ will lead to a reduction of benzapyrene emissions’ by at least 60% in the upcoming years.

“The transition to a new eco – friendly type of raw material developed by the RUSAL engineering center at the Krasnoyarsk aluminium smelter is not a simple process; it is very dependent on suppliers who must modernise their own production. We also continue to invest in R&D and work with suppliers who could produce both this and other types of eco -

customers of the automotive and packaging industries”, says AMAG CEO Gerald Mayer.

Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI said, “We warmly congratulate AMAG on their ASI Chain of Custody Certification.

Having a scrap utilisation rate of 75-80 % already gives the plant a good foundation for offering a relatively low-carbon product to their downstream customers and supports the circular economy.

With their dual certification now in place, this gives their aluminium outputs additional sustainability credentials that will add important value to the key downstream sectors that they supply.”

friendly raw materials for us in the required volume, because environmental issues are an absolute priority today.” said Viktor Mann, RUSAL’s technical Director.

As a result of the 16-year environmental program, the smelter’s total emissions have been cut by 38%, while fluoride emissions are down by 76%. Today, the smelter’s emissions, which end up in the air of the city, are 4.5 times less than they were back in 1980.

NEWS IN BRIEF Hydro appoints Paul Warton EVP Extruded Solutions

Paul Warton, business unit president at global aluminium company Constellium, has been appointed Executive Vice President for Hydro’s Extruded Solutions business area.

Warton will start his new position on February 1, 2021, replacing Egil Hogna, who will leave Hydro to become CEO at Nordic consultancy Norconsult.

Tonejet scoops award

Keypoint Intelligence, the world’s largest business intelligence and testing provider for the digital imaging and business communications industries has awarded the revolutionary Tonejet Cyclone with an Outstanding Innovation Award in Production Print to reflect not just its innovative and unique design but the environmental value it brings users by replacing plastic shrink sleeves and labels.

First Danieli aluminium heating furnace in Brazil Novelis Brazil has selected Danieli Centro Combustion for the supply of a new pit furnace to heat ingots, to be installed at the Pindamonhangaba plant, Brazil.

The aim of the new facility is to heat the aluminium ingots more than 20% faster than the existing facilities.

The furnace will load 2 rows of 8 ingots each for a total of 16 ingots (alloys 1xxx, 3xxx, 5xxx and 8xxx series), and maximum furnace capacity will be 310 tons.

Aluminium International Today

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05/11/2020 09:17:39

4 INDUSTRY NEWS

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ABB and IBM to bolster cybersecurity in operations ABB and IBM have announced a collaboration focused on connecting cybersecurity and operational technology (OT).

As a first result of this collaboration, ABB has developed a new OT Security Event Monitoring Service1 that combines ABB’s process control system domain expertise with IBM’s security event monitoring portfolio to help improve security for industrial operators.

Industrial control system environments are increasingly targeted in cyber-attacks. In fact, IBM’s latest X-Force Threat Intelligence Index found that attacks on industrial and manufacturing

facilities have increased by over 2000% since 2018.

To better connect OT data with the broader IT security ecosystem, ABB has developed a new offering that allows security events from ABB to be sent to IBM’s security information and event management platform known as QRadar.

The ABB solution was designed according to a reference architecture jointly developed by ABB and IBM. It provides the domain knowledge needed to swiftly react to security incidents related to process control, and is especially suited for complex industrial process-

es in industries such as oil, gas, chemicals and mining. The new event collection and forwarding software which enables this integration is currently being used by early adopter customers and will be made broadly available by ABB in coming months.

This collaboration marks the first time that OT data and process industry domain expertise is being brought directly into a Security Information and Event Monitoring (SIEM) system, allowing threats to be managed as part of an organisation’s broader cybersecurity operations and strategy.

Survey says: 55% of UK consumers would buy water on-the-go in cans British consumers increasingly support the idea of buying drinking water in aluminium cans for onthe-go purchases, a new survey has revealed.

The YouGov poll, commissioned

by Ball Corporation, questioned British consumer attitudes to onthe-go water purchases and found there is a growing thirst for retailers, and food and beverage outlets

to sell water in cans.

The survey indicates that the Covid-19 outbreak is affecting consumer expectations and consumption patterns, with 79% of the 2,000+ UK adults polled agreeing that “As businesses return to usual, this is a valuable opportunity for retailers and brands to reconsider their approach to packaging”. And 75% indicate that “Since the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, (they) now feel that it is more important that retailers and brands consider the environment”.

The study indicates that UK consumers would be much more willing to purchase water in can when supplied with the correct

facts about aluminium recyclability and recycling rates. Just over half of adults (53%) are aware that aluminium is infinitely recyclable, whereas just less than half (47%) are aware that aluminium cans are the most widely recycled type of drinks container.55% of adults said they would be more likely to buy water in a can if they knew that the can is infinitely recyclable.

Ana Neale, Director, Marketing and Strategic Planning, Ball Corporation, said: “The results of this survey indicate that once there is awareness of recyclability and availability, younger age groups, especially, will choose packaged water in cans.”

International Aluminium Institute publishes global recycling data According to figures from the IAI, recycling just one aluminium can conserves enough energy to recharge up to 20 mobile phones, while global aluminium recycling saves enough energy every year to power the whole of France.

Commenting on the recycling data, Marlen Bertram, IAI’s DirecNovember/December 2020

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tor - Product Stewardship said: “Aluminium is one of the most recycled materials on earth. Today, the global recycling efficiency rate is 76%. High recycling rates in all regions underline the economic and environmental value of aluminium scrap. With comprehensive statistical data and pioneering

material flow analysis, the IAI can track scrap globally from source to consumer by product, quality, form and region.”

2020/21 DIARY December 2nd - 3rd Future Aluminium Forum Now in its third year, the Forum has established itself as the key event to show case studies, discuss optimisation through machine learning and examine robotics, automation and augmented reality across the value chain. * VIRTUAL * www.futurealuminiumforum. com

9th World Aluminium Conference 2020 (Asia) * VIRTUAL * w w w. e v e n t s . c r u g r o u p . c o m / aluminium/home

2021 March 14th - 18th TMS The TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition brings together engineers, scientists, business leaders, and other professionals in the minerals, metals, and materials fields for a comprehensive exchange of technical knowledge.

Held in Orlando, Florida www.tms.org/TMS2021

April 27th - 29th International SAP Conference for Mining and Metals * VIRTUAL * www.tacevents.com/uk/eventsuk/international-sap-conferencefor-mining-and-metals

May 11th - 13th ET 2021 The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) and the ET Foundation have announced the rescheduled dates and location for the Twelfth International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar, previously postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Held in Orlando, Florida www.ET-21.org

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

05/11/2020 09:17:42

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SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM 7

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Aluminium production pathway to zero carbon 2050 Much has been made of aluminium’s environmental credentials as a metal, with its infinite low energy recyclability and ability to contribute to decarbonisation through light-weighting effects of transportation, however a pathway to full decarbonisation has proven elusive and remained in the toohard basket.

At the Green Technologies session of the Aluminium Showcase earlier this month, Geoff Matthews* presented an Aluminium Production Pathway to Zero Carbon 2050, with co-authors Dr. Mark Dorreen** and Dr. Nick Depree***. Here, the trio are joined by Dr. David Wong**** and take a more in-depth look at the pathway and discuss further the challenges of full decarbonisation of aluminium production.

The development of this pathway was stimulated by the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Tracking Report June 2020. The blunt assessment of “more effort needed”, propelled us to look at what actions would be required to place aluminium production on a pathway in alignment with the CO2 goals in the IEA’s Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS).

The IEA point out that efforts on multiple fronts will be required including: � Greater secondary production (recycling) � Reduced direct emissions from primary production and combustion processes � Decarbonising power supply.

Before we dive into an analysis of each, it is important to recognise that in laying out a pathway to decarbonisation for any industry is initially confronting. One of the fundamentals of business is that there is no change without threats. The current trajectory models below show that aluminium production faces a clear and imminent threat, which we can no longer ignore. Aluminium smelting has by and large flown under the radar. This is not a guarantee of commercial success going forward.

It is also important to recognise that pathways are designed to set us in motion in the right direction. We don’t necessarily have to have a clear route to the end before setting off. We need to

Fig 1. The current energy mix trajectory for primary aluminium shows a continued increase in coal and diminishing percentage of ‘green’ aluminium. Note: We assume in this projection that today’s existing hydro will remain.

Source: https://www.iea.org/reports/aluminium

accept that technological innovation over the next three decades will be required to ‘get us there in the end’. Delaying getting started however, only increases the risk of aluminium being replaced as a relevant material and exponentially increases the burden in future years.

This article concentrates on primary and secondary production (excludes alumina refining), and we have used both the CM Group post Covid-19 growth model as a high growth scenario, and the IEA/IAI projections as a low growth scenario in projecting our current trajectory models.

*Energy Sector Lead, EnPot ltd, geoff@enpot.co.nz **CEO, EnPot Ltd, ***Senior Design Engineer, EnPot Ltd ****Atmolite Consulting Pty Ltd Aluminium International Today

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8 SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM

Fig 2. Modelling high growth scenario, with 52.7 billion tonnes of CO2 emitted by primary aluminium smelting over 2020 – 2050.

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Fig 3. Modelled low growth scenario still amounting to 34.3 billion tonnes of CO2 cumulatively from 2020-2050

Fig 2: Sources: http://www.world-aluminium.org/statistics/primary-aluminium-smelting-power-consumption/ https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=74&t=11 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20190313STO31218/co2- emissions-from-cars-facts-and-figures-infographics https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-worlds-coal-power-plants http://www.world-aluminium.org/media/filer_public/2020/05/28/initial_assessment_of_the_impact_of_the_covid-19_on_global_al_demand_.pdf

Primary Aluminium Production – Energy Mix Trends Changes to the power mix used by primary aluminium smelting over the past 10 years, if extrapolated out to 2050, show a continued increase in coal and diminishing percentage of ‘green’ aluminium. Over the past 10 years very little ‘other’ renewable energy (non-hydro) has come into the mix, meaning that on current trend lines ‘other’ renewable energy only makes up 4% of the power mix by 2050.

Our Current Trajectory - High Growth Scenario (3.8% p.a) Our current high-growth trajectory sees primary aluminium smelting contribute a total 52.7 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere from 2020 – 2050.

Furthermore, on this trajectory by 2050 Al smelting will be the consumer responsible for 100% of the CO2 from fossil fuel power generation globally, assuming the rest of the world’s power systems become decarbonised as predicted by the IEA. By 2050, CO2 emissions reach 2830 million tonnes per annum, which is equivalent to over 90% of the CO2 emissions from all of the passenger vehicles in the world today. This in itself would completely overshadow the decarbonisation-effect from lightweighting of transport with the use of aluminium.

We see this scenario as not only unsustainable, but also as socially unacceptable. At these levels of carbon emissions, no one in primary aluminium production will be left unaffected, as the November/December 2020

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most likely scenario is that aluminium will be replaced as a relevant material.

Our Current Trajectory - Low Growth Scenario (1.4% p.a) The low growth scenario presents less of a mountain to climb but is still confronting.

CO2 emissions still contribute 34.3 billion tonnes cumulatively from 2020-2050, reaching 1320 million tonnes per annum by 2050. This is the equivalent of approximately 45% of all the passenger vehicles in the world today and will still be unacceptable to humanity on a global scale.

Five Options to Achieve Zero Carbon There are only five possible options to significantly reduce carbon emissions by 2050 (four while maintaining growth).

They are: A. Continued process efficiency improvements B. The adoption of inert (nonconsumable) anodes C. The transition to 100% renewable power D. The use of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) for direct process emissions E. Decrease production to hydro powered only. (Fig 4) For the purposes of this paper, we present some hypothetical models of the impact of options A to C (whilst maintaining growth) in reaching net zero carbon by 2050, and given each a star

rating from 1-5, with 5 being the best.

We have also provided some commentary around options D and E. Three things should be noted here: 1. The carbon abatement potential from continued improvements to process efficiencies could be rendered redundant by the adoption of 100% renewable energy, which in the end may be a cheaper and technologically easier route to carbon abatement. Process efficiencies may still be worthwhile in terms of production cost savings and for speeding up the transition to zero carbon. For the sake of context and comparison however, we have factored in the decarbonisation effect of continued incremental process efficiency improvements.

2. The use of CCUS has also been included as it may be needed as a backup carbon abatement method if inert anodes can’t be deployed across the entire smelting fleet (see inert anode section below). Another factor for consideration is that CCUS is predicted to be in widespread use across the industrial landscape by 2050, and therefore may be a cheaper option in the long-run than the Al-specific solution of inert anodes.

3. Decreasing production (to hydro powered only i.e 27% of current production) would likely see aluminium replaced as a relevant material, as the world would ‘move-on’ to other more readily available and cheaper options. *

*Source: https://www.iea.org/reports/ccus-in-clean-energy-transitions Aluminium International Today

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10 SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM

A - PROCESS EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS Reducing energy intensity of primary aluminium to a present-day vision target of 10 DC kWh/kg presents major technological challenges, and while it saves 487 million tonnes p.a. from power generation emissions by 2050. It doesn’t meaningfully change the trajectory either (see fig 5).

To achieve a specific energy consumption of 10kWh/kg we are assuming that 50% of today’s existing smelting capacity is replaced with new, and the remaining 50% is upgraded (at 50% of the cost of replacement). Taking the average price paid for new smelter builds in 2019, this would equal US$128 billion.

Reducing specific energy consumption does present a return on investment of approximately 15 years (at a 25% reduction of electricity usage at US$35 / MWh). When abatement costs are taken into consideration, (dividing the overall spend on a decarbonisation scheme

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MORE ON ENERGY INTENSITY

The Hall-Héroult smelting process (with carbon anodes) theoretically requires ~6.4 DC kWh to electrochemically produce 1 kg of aluminium metal; however actual energy used is much greater due to electrical resistances in the cell (anodes, cathodes, electrolyte, busbars), the need to heat/dissolve raw materials (alumina, carbon anodes) and heat losses to the environment that is necessary to maintain the protective, frozen ledge of electrolyte around the walls of the aluminium reduction cell.

Since 1980, energy intensity for aluminium smelters worldwide has improved considerably, falling from an average of 16 to 13.4 DC kWh/ kg Al in 2019 (source: IAI). Whilst the by the carbon emissions savings), the conclusion could be drawn that the effort

best performing smelters today can operate at ~11.5 DC kWh/kg, there is significant variation across smelters worldwide. The 2.5 kWh/kg reduction over the past 35 years was achieved through technological advances (point feeders and automated cell control, magnetic compensation, prebaked slotted anodes, reduced external voltage drops, etc). However further reductions, e.g. from 13.4 to 10 DC kWh/kg will be a major technological challenge (e.g. via digitalisation and automation to minimise process variation, further cuts in external cell resistance, heat recovery, etc), with diminishing returns on effort / investment. and capital required may in-fact be better deployed elsewhere.

Sources: http://www.world-aluminium.org/statistics/primary-aluminium-smelting-energy-intensity/

https://www.lightmetalage.com/news/industry-news/smelting/karmoy-technology-pilot-world-leader-primary-aluminum-energy-efficiency

B - INERT ANODES Replacement of carbon anodes with a non-consumable material that does not emit carbon is hugely important towards a zero emissions pathway, however the technical challenges are undoubtedly significant.

It should also be noted that reduction in emissions from the smelting process must be seen in context of indirect emissions from power generation – if an inert anode process requires more power, the overall emissions may still be worse, based on current trends in power generation from fossil fuels (as well as reversing any process efficiency gains).

By 2050, inert anodes could save 436 million tonnes p.a. in direct process emissions if deployed across the entire smelting fleet. These emissions will be the hardest to abate from aluminium smelting and are unlikely to have any return on investment, furthermore it doesn’t really change the trajectory much either (see fig 5).

While still an unknown, we have taken the assumption that any replacement and upgrading of smelters will be conducted at the same time, and in combination with, the cost of reduced energy consumption, which is US$128 billion, (i.e. you wouldn’t rebuild the same smelting capacity twice).

Current development of inert anodes is being undertaken by smelting companies with captive hydro-electric power November/December 2020

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MORE ON INERT ANODES

The Hall-Heroult aluminium smelting process, since 1886, has always relied on consumption of carbon at the anode to reduce the raw material alumina (Al2O3) to aluminium metal, with a byproduct of CO2 gas emitted at a rate of roughly 1.5kg per kg of metal.

Inert anodes have been a ‘holy grail’ of aluminium smelting since the process was first invented, and long assumed impossible, however recent technical developments have appeared to be very promising. Alcoa and Rio Tinto are now promoting inert anodes to be imminently ready for deployment, as early as 2024, via their ‘Elysis’ technology. The technical details and smelter operational effects of these anodes are still a closely kept secret, and the impact on other factors such as the energy efficiency especially are yet unknown to the wider smelting community.

It can be expected from some generation. It is important that to be useful across the industry inert anode development should be undertaken with flexible energy use in mind as a ‘hydro only’ technology will have little effect

theoretical knowledge however that the energy intensity is likely to be higher rather than lower using inert anodes, if existing potlines are only retrofitted without complete redesign (e.g. with vertical anodes and cathodes). While this is opposite to the required trends in emission levels, removal of the direct carbon from the actual smelting process is a significant advantage, and assuming the power supply transitions to fully renewable energy by 2050, the lost energy efficiency is not a factor regarding emissions. One question still to be answered is how smelters with inert anodes will react when the power supply is modulated – whether if they will perform as traditional smelters do, or whether the modulation window is increased or reduced. The overall technological level of difficulty is therefore high, reliant on proprietary technology, and the details still unknown to most. on the overall carbon abatement of the industry (40 million tonnes pa by 2050).

If inert anodes cannot be deployed across the entire smelting fleet, then CCUS will become necessary.

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C - 100% RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY GENERATION The adoption of 100% renewable electricity generation is the only way aluminium will remain a relevant material throughout this century. Variable Renewable Energy (VRE, primarily solar and wind) is the lowest cost option of new electricity generation globally, with the cost of building new VRE now cheaper than operating existing coal-fired generators.

The cost of replacing all of today’s coalfired electricity used by Al smelters using the lowest cost 2019 figures would be US$142 billion. This is assuming replacing 70GW of coal with 230GW installed

VRE capacity at a 30% load factor, at an installed cost of US$618 per kW. The operational savings over coal-fired generation would amount to between US$5-9 billion p.a. giving an ROI period of 16-28 years.

By 2050 this would amount to CO2 savings of 1900 million tonnes p.a., over twice the combined CO2 savings from both inert anodes and a 25% reduction in specific energy consumption from energy efficiencies.

Sources: https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2020/Jun/IRENA_Power_Generation_Costs_2019.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988316303528 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114163448.htm

C1 - SELF-FIRMING VRE WITH MODULATION The elephant in the room when discussing VRE and aluminium smelting is the cost of firming VRE. The cost of electricity in a decarbonised power system will be dictated by the cost of firming. Already markets with increasing percentages of electricity generated from variable renewable sources have shown increased price volatility with an increasing number of high-priced events per annum.

Furthermore, as the percentage of variable renewables in the power system increases it is expected that there will also be increased times of low-priced events.

Flexibility of energy use will be the key going forward.

All aluminium smelters have the latent potential to become large-scale Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) for the power system. They are, with the installation of modulation technology, inherently capable of self-firming up to 40% of their electricity usage. That is, they can swing or flex their load (electricity usage) by 40%.

MORE ON FIRMING Firming is how you can purchase (or trade) electricity to ensure constant supply, and includes: � Short duration storage

(batteries et al) � Long-term storage (pump hydro et al) � Demand side response

(energy modulation et al) � Over-generation (installed capacity greater than

peak use) � Peaking plants � All of the above.

The first 20% of smelter self-firming is relatively straight forward with costeffective retrofitting of modulation technology for instantaneous downwards modulation of 20% below nominal setpoint operations. For full modulation of

40%, a further 20% is gained through upwards modulation above nominal set-point operations, which most likely requires additional upgrades to smelter infrastructure to deliver more amperage to potlines.

The bonus is that much of this upwards modulation will be from low priced overgeneration in the power system.

The installed cost of EnPot Modulation Technology is estimated to be US$13 billion, plus allowing for smelter infrastructure upgrades to allow upwards modulation at US$17 billion, for a total of US$30 billion for 764 million tonnes CO2 annual savings by 2050. Return on investment with a 20% reduction of electricity cost at US$35/MWh is 4.5 years. A further bonus is that modulation technology is eminently suitable to older smelters giving them a useful end-of-life kicker.

For ease of comparison here we have assumed all smelting capacity would become flexible including captive hydro, which may have modulation needs due to climate change and power supply unpredictability in the future.

C2 – FIRMING THE LAST 60% OF VRE Abating the last 1,000 million tonnes is more difficult, as aluminium smelting requires at least 60% constant power supply. It is likely that to move this 60% constant power to VRE sources will require collaboration with other users in the electricity grid, new purchasing arrangements, and technological innovation in the power system to bridge the gap in supply and demand. This is likely to include: � More consistent renewable generation being developed (geothermal, tidal, wave, biomass et al) � New not-yet-seen energy storage

Aluminium International Today

Sustainable Geoff.indd 4

options developed � Increased participation in demand side response services by all users in the power system.

THE USE OF GAS AND CCUS TO FIRM RENEWABLES

It should also be noted that the current doubling effect of the capacity of VRE (especially from solar) should mean the world will be able to generate many times over its energy requirements by 2050.

Electrification of transport and other industry will also see a power system many times greater than the one we have today. Aluminium smelters may not be the largest users in the grid by 2050.

While CCUS could be used to capture carbon emissions from coal-fired power generation, we have formed the view that this would be adding and extra layer of expense to an already expensive power generation option.

Gas with CCUS could however be an option for peaking plants, if it’s still socially acceptable to burn fossil fuels by 2050.

November/December 2020

05/11/2020 09:10:29

14 SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM

Summary for Primary Aluminium The current trajectory of primary aluminium production will be socially unacceptable going forward. We must as an industry start on the pathway to zero carbon. The most effective method of carbon abatement is to start with increased use of renewable energy enabled by energy modulation. Energy

modulation technology is technologically ready for deployment, has a high carbon abatement and a high ROI. Inert anode uptake across the entire smelting fleet is also required, and if this proves to be too technologically challenging, then CCUS will be required to achieve full decarbonisation of direct process emissions.

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Continued energy efficiency may be able to play an important transitional role as we move towards 100% renewable power generation, however long-term the cost of abatement may fall in favour of increased renewable generation capacity, rather than continued energy efficiency gains.

A FINAL COMMENT ON SECONDARY PRODUCTION (ALUMINIUM RECYCLING)

Fig 4. Of the five options presented, only four can maintaining production growth while significantly reducing carbon

Recycled aluminium has the potential to be one of the most environmentally friendly materials on the planet. Pathway to zero carbon emissions for aluminium recycling relies on three things: 1. Increased collection 2. Sourcing electricity from renewable sources to eliminate Scope 2 emissions 3. Conversion to green hydrogen to reduce combustion carbon emissions effectively to zero.

Compared to primary aluminium production, recycling faces no stepchanges to the process to reach zero emissions, rather just a conversion of process-fuel sources to renewables, and the contracting of renewable power supply. Increased collection also reduces the need for primary aluminium, although with long-life span products new production will always be necessary.

Fig 5. Failure to meaningfully undertake emissions reductions today exponentially increases the burden (and steepness of change required) in future years if we are to still meet the same 2050 goals and increases the risk of aluminium being replaced as a relevant material

Renewable energy generation is becoming increasingly available to purchase in most regions, via Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), although increased ‘freedom-of-renewables’ is still required in some markets as tightly controlled state ownership of the power generation and/or transmission systems still restricts and controls the introduction of new renewable generation.

Investment in hydrogen R&D is starting to ramp up to the level required to deliver material advancements to hydrogen’s industrial process heat potential. A bonus for aluminium recycling is that its use of hydrogen will not be ‘bespoke’ rather it should be able to ultilise hydrogen technology currently being developed across other sectors. Both the process of recycling of aluminium, and the onsite production of hydrogen, are ideally suited to flexible electricity arrangements.

Cost Cost of implementation will be low to moderate as upgrades can be scheduled

November/December 2020

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Aluminium International Today

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SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM 15

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at end-of-life of component parts and included in any new builds.

ROI The most likely scenario for ROI is that the conversion to zero carbon yields no useful efficiency gains or return on investment.

MORE ABOUT HYDROGEN

Green hydrogen is produced by using variable renewable energy (VRE) to power an electrolyser that splits H2O into its component elements. The hydrogen is captured, while the oxygen is released into the atmosphere. The captured hydrogen can be stored at both low and

This will be problematic for the industry as without financial incentives (or steep carbon pricing) there will be little reason to change. For governments looking to set incentives or regulate to force change, aluminium recycling would be low on any priority list as it is not a large emitter in the

high pressures and can be combusted directly for process heat, thus replacing the direct combustion of fossil fuels.

In certain situations, hydrogen might even be able to be used as a direct replacement for natural gas with reengineering rather than complete replacement costs. Alternatively, existing plant can be replaced with hydrogen compatible equipment at scheduled endof-life replacement.

While hydrogen’s widespread industrial use is still ahead of us and there are obstacles to overcome, the

first place.

Therefore, even though aluminium recycling would be the easiest part of aluminium production to become zero carbon, we see it only moving slowly over time towards that goal unless driven by carbon pricing.

learning-rate of development should see industrial hydrogen use start to become common place by the latter half of this decade. Obstacles include; the improvement of round-trip efficiency and cost in comparison to fossil fuels, workplace health and safety, and reengineering. Hydrogen electrolysers have the advantage of being both modular and having a reasonably small footprint.

In many cases hydrogen will be able to be manufactured onsite.

Contact: Sources: https://www.dnvgl.com/news/dnv-gl-launches-hydrogen-industry-consortium-to-reduce-carbon-emissions-from-manufacturing-181919 www.nzhydrogen.org

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16 SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM

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Fostering the production of sustainable aluminium in Europe

By Gerd Götz* Aluminium plays a vital role in Europe’s transition to a climate-neutral and circular economy, helping realise the EU’s ambitions of the European Green Deal. In its use phase, aluminium delivers energy and CO2 savings that enable the decarbonisation of other sectors. It is used to produce solar panels, wind turbines, lightweight vehicles, energy-efficient buildings, resource-efficient packaging or transmission cables for the transfer of renewable electricity, to only name a few examples. The endless recyclability of our metal further contributes to decarbonisation and the circular economy.

Of course, the unique properties of our metal are not enough to automatically qualify us as a sustainable industry.

Aluminium should be processed and produced in a sustainable way, from bauxite extraction to smelting operations and recycling. In our view, the conditions to qualify as sustainable aluminium must cover a multitude of elements: bE produced in a low carbon fashion, be sourced responsibly, be produced under high EHS standards equivalent to the ones we have in Europe, and respecting international social and human rights, governance, transparency and international trade rules.

Europe is already a frontrunner when it comes to producing low carbon aluminium. The carbon intensity of European primary aluminium production in a cradle to gate approach (i.e. from bauxite to smelting operations, including transport) in Europe (EU27+ EFTA) is much lower than the global average of 17 tCO2 per tonne of aluminium. The carbon footprint of producing primary aluminium in Europe is 6.7 tCO2/t, which is, on average, three times lower than the carbon footprint of Chinese primary aluminium (20 tCO2/t). As indirect emissions from the electricity input account for a large part of the total CO2 emissions from the primary production process, the emissions will further decrease by 70% by 2050 as the European electricity grids decarbonise.

The consequence of the ambitious

European climate policy is that the European aluminium producers face much higher electricity prices than their main competitors because of the costs under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and other regulatory costs linked to ambitious European climate policies. In addition, smelters face uncertainty when it comes to energy prices. The duties on unwrought aluminium in place ensure a more level playing field when competing with foreign producers. Those willing to import low carbon aluminium into the EU should play with the equivalent rules.

Secondly, China’s massive subsidised excess production and the dumping of their products on our market depress aluminium prices, threaten the competitiveness of European producers and jeopardise Europe’s sustainability goals. China’s primary production has increased from 11% of the global production to 57% in the last 15 years and shows no signs of decreasing, despite the corona crisis and a weaker domestic demand.

Importing primary aluminium from China and other regions increases the EU’s total CO2 footprint, which is completely at odds with the European Green Deal.

It might surprise you to hear that this is true even if the imported aluminium

has a lower CO2 footprint than the EU’s average. This is linked to the fact that the emission rights are capped by the ETS system and will be used by other industries. As long as the non-EU based production is not covered by an emission trading scheme, any import into Europe would automatically lead to an increase in the EU’s total CO2 emissions.

As I mentioned before, however, only measuring the carbon footprint of primary aluminium production is not an appropriate way to assess the sustainability performance of an aluminium product.

A full life cycle assessment (LCA) and a holistic approach that considers the entire value chain is needed. The European aluminium industry is committed to taking a holistic approach to run its operations sustainably and is embracing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In addition to complying with a demanding regulatory environment, our industry has set voluntary commitments under the Sustainability Roadmap 2025 to achieve sustainable production, innovative applications and make a positive contribution to society.

That’s why we believe a proper international definition and an industrywide label of sustainable aluminium must also not be limited to the carbon footprint

*Director General at European Aluminium November/December 2020

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•

•

•

•

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SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM 17

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of the primary aluminium smelting process. The low carbon dimension should be a cornerstone of this definition and label, but the scope must be broadened to include an LCA approach and include sustainability standards related to the environment (industrial emissions & waste), social and human rights, governance and transparency equivalent to the high standards we have in Europe today.

Finally, recycling is an important way of saving CO2 emissions and energy while reducing our dependency on imports, but a lack of access to aluminium scrap in terms of quantity and quality limits the production of recycled aluminium. A combination of improved circular material handling, incentives for circular solutions and products and the recognition of the role of recycling in mitigating climate change are the conditions to reap the full

potential of aluminium for circularity.

The European aluminium industry is exceptionally well-positioned to lead on the production of sustainable aluminium and turn its sustainability credentials into a competitive advantage in the global market. We urge EU policy makers to incentivise the production of sustainable (primary and secondary) aluminium in Europe and help level the global playing field. �

Read the position paper from European Aluminium on sustainable aluminium here: https://european-aluminium.eu/media/2990/2020-07-29-european-aluminium_fostering-the-production-of-sustainable-aluminium-in-europe.pdf

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18 RECYCLING

Sorting the scrap

By Myra Pinkham*

Overall 2020 has been a tough year for the US aluminium scrap market, although it has been a tale of two markets. While it has been challenging for most aluminium scrap grades, it is a different story for used beverage can (UBC) demand, which has been quite strong. That, as well supply issues, has made the UBC market quite tight. Over the past few months, however, even demand for industrial grades of aluminium scrap have started to exhibit signs of slight improvement, albeit from a low level.

“It wasn’t a happy first half of the year for the US aluminium scrap market for obvious reasons, including a lack of scrap generation and logistics difficulties during the second quarter, which resulted in aluminium discounts to narrow considerably,” John Mothersole, director of the pricing and purchasing service of IHS Markit, said.

According to the Aluminum

Association’s September Aluminum Situation report, US scrap consumption was down 9.4% year to date and 15.1% year on year in June. That, Matt Meenan, a spokesman for the association, comes with US aluminium demand falling 19.2% year to date through July. “But aluminium demand has already started to improve slightly from its low in May, and there are signs that it will pickup further in coming months,” he said.

But while for the year as a whole aluminium demand will likely be down from last year’s levels, “Hopefully it won’t be dramatically so.” He noted that US aluminium demand was also down slightly in 2019 – its first decline since 2009. “But the pandemic has dramatically made that worse, especially in the second quarter when everything fell off of a cliff.”

The same has been the case for aluminium scrap, Randy Goodman, executive vice president of Greenland

(America) Inc., says, with the market (including the industrial market) starting to see some light. “We expect to see a new normal established by 2021 that will be accepted by the US aluminium scrap market – at least for the next year or two,” he said, adding that in the meantime, with there not being a huge amount of domestic aluminium scrap demand, companies are looking a little bit more towards the export market.

There are, however, varying views. While Anthony Cozzi, vice president of operations for Cozzi O’Brien Recycling, says that spot aluminium scrap demand has gotten a lot better recently, and Beatriz Landa, vice president of metal procurement for Novelis Inc., says that she believes it has been supported by more and more companies seeing the multiple benefits of recycling and of using aluminium scrap in their production, Stephen Moss, vice president of Stanton A. Moss Inc., says it

*US correspondant November/December 2020

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RECYCLING 19

given that primary aluminium producers have been having a hard time competing in the US and that scrap gives its users a relative advantage in terms of price and availability.

However, for much of this year, particularly at this height of the pandemic, aluminium scrap availability was also constrained, although Pickard noted that the degree of tightness varied with used beverage cans (UBCs) being particularly tight. The generation of shredded material, including zorba, had also been challenged, especially from April through June, which affected flows of that material into scrapyards.

While still relatively tight, zorba availability has started to improve somewhat recently as its prices started to

continues to be somewhat spotty – with more strength for some items than some others.

“It really depends upon the mix,” he said, explaining that, for example, segregated alloys are fetching a premium, blends, like painted siding and sheet aren’t doing do well. “I think that given scrap availability, consumers are trying to buy as cheap as possible, but I don’t think that there is currently a lot of primary aluminium available,” he said. “That is pushing them more towards scrap and making them more willing to pay higher prices for it.”

But Goodman says that in his opinion the mix of how much scrap vs. primary being used by consumers hasn’t changed enough, especially given that primary aluminium is a limited resource that uses about 12 times the electricity than metal produced with scrap. Long term, however, there is likely to be more of a push, Joe Pickard, chief economist and director of commodities at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), says, especially Aluminium International Today

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“We expect to see a new normal established by 2021 that will be accepted by the US aluminium scrap market – at least for the next year or two

Randy Goodman, executive vice president of Greenland (America) Inc.

”

pick up again. In his fiscal 2020 earnings presentation, Alistair Field, group chief executive officer of Sims Ltd., pointed out that after zorba fell to $700 per ton in April from $1,000 per ton in Sims’ fiscal 2019, it had returned to $900 per ton by mid-August.

When US manufacturing activity and industrial capacity utilization declined sharply earlier this year, including a twomonth shutdown of domestic auto plants, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it had a big negative knock-on impact upon both the supply and demand of scrap metals in general, including aluminium scrap, Pickard observed. “Although more recently we have seen US manufacturing activity starting to improve, especially with many businesses, including the auto plants, getting back to business, with many starting up again in mid-May, which has been supportive for aluminium scrap,” he said.

At the same time, while construction – which is another major use of aluminium,

therefore aluminium scrap – has generally remained healthier than most other US economic sectors, very few new projects – particularly non-residential construction projects – have been announced and some announced projects continue to be cancelled, Ken Simonson, chief economist with the Associated General Contractors said during an economic outlook session of ISRI’s virtual fall spotlights conference, saying that suggests that, despite recent improvement in housing starts, the construction sector could be one of the last sectors to comeback once the US economy starts to rebound. “That is consistent with the American Institute for Architects’ Architecture Billings Index, which was still stalled at 40.0 points, well in contractionary territory, for a third consecutive month in August.

Steve Stoyer, a senior analyst for CRU Group, says that the big question in commercial construction is whether companies will continue to make the same kind of investments in “brick and November/December 2020

04/11/2020 11:38:24

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RECYCLING 21

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mortar,” particularly in office space, as they had previously. “There haven’t been large scale cancellations yet, but there is some concern about what business will look like for commercial construction in 2021.“ Leading indicators about the manufacturing sector, however, have been more positive, indicating further improvement, Pickard says. For example, while down slightly month on month, the September Institute for Supply management’s manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI), at 55.5% (down from 56.0% in August), remains in positive territory, where it has been for four consecutive months.

In industrial applications, Cozzi said that the biggest improvement for aluminium, therefore aluminium scrap has been for by the automotive sector. Landa agrees, noting that since the automakers restarted their US production plants in mid-May, they have been gradually ramping up and are now at a point where they are nearing maximum capacity. That, ISRI’s Pickard says, is similar to expectations, as automakers looking to make up lost time.

Still, according to Kristen Dziczek, vice president of research for the Center of Automotive Research (CAR), US light vehicle sales are still forecast to be down Aluminium International Today

Recycling myra.indd 3

24% to 12.9 million units this year and aren’t expected to return to its 2016 peak until 2025. On the other hand, the aluminium content per vehicle will continue to grow. In fact, according to a study that Ducker recently completed for the Aluminum Association, the average aluminium content in North American light vehicles is expected to go from 459 lbs. in 2020 to 514 lbs. by 2026.

That is seen as being very positive for the aluminium scrap market, Landa says, especially given that Novelis and some other mills have increased the amount of close loop recycling agreements they have with automakers. “With those closed loop arrangements, we know the quality of the scrap we get back and how to use it. There are no surprises,” she says. “That is very beneficial to how we run operationally and the efficiency of our scrap use.”

Pickard said on the other side of the spectrum is the aerospace industry, which continues to suffer, largely due to Covidrelated issues, and is nowhere near full capacity.

Mothersole said that if there is a silver lining to the pandemic for the aluminium and aluminium scrap market, it is that can demand has spiked. This, Goodman pointed out, comes as there also has been some can collection issues, with, at least

for a while, many people being reluctant to bring cans in. That was complicated by can handling issues – whether the cans needed to be “quarantined” for 14 days to decontaminate, which takes a lot of room.

Also, ISRI’s Pickard notes, some states haven’t been accepting cans for the redemption programs and some scrap yard retail operations had closed, at least temporarily. As result there was less material coming through the door, so supply was constrained. In fact, Novelis’ Landa says it has been estimated that UBC supply was off by about 70% at the height of the pandemic in April and May. “But now with some of the restrictions being lifted and with people starting to socialize more, there have been more used beverage cans (UBCs) coming back into the system and that segment of the market is now much better supplied,” CRU’s Stoyer says.

“Even pre-pandemic there were challenges to UBC recycling,” Meenan observed, noting that the US UBC recycling rate has only been 50-60% over the past 10 years. Landa says, “What we need to create more domestic supply is to have more deposit bills, including tat the federal level, to create more of an incentive for cans to be recycled and to create more scrap for everyone and to make the planet cleaner.”

Meenan says that such efforts are already underway, noting that not only are there a number of bills currently under discussion, including one related to a national deposit program, but also the National Recycling Coalition has been meeting to map out a national recycling strategy, which it plans to announce late in November.

“The US needs companies that export aluminium scrap now more than ever to balance out what becomes a somewhat unbalanced market at times,” Goodman said. However, Pickard says that US aluminium scrap exports haven’t been great this year with volumes falling 7% year to date through July, largely reflecting a 51% drop in exports to China given its tighter waste import regulations.

But what will happen as far as exports to China going forward remains somewhat of a question mark, Pickard said, given that a new policy in which the country was going to reclassify high quality copper, brass and aluminium scrap as being a raw material input instead of waste reportedly went into effect in July, although available trade data hasn’t yet shown whether there has been a resurgence of US material going into China.

Goodman points out that it had been zorba that was is particularly affected

by Chinese scrap import policies, stating November/December 2020

04/11/2020 11:38:28

22 RECYCLING

that, in response, a lot of companies have started to buy more sorting equipment so they can upgrade their material. “That makes good economic sense given that China, which had been purchasing 60-70 percent of the world’s zorba is now not buying it unless it is 99% pure.” he said, maintaining that now many US companies can make pure enough scrap to export to China.

Field says that while 90% of its products already meets China’s standard, Sims will also continue to also sell its scrap to Southeast Asia and other markets based on where it can get the best returns.

While they haven’t made up the full volumes of aluminium scrap that has been recently lost to China, CRU’s Stoyer says that some other countries, particularly those in Southeast Asia, will likely continue up some incremental volumes. Landa said they will likely do so by buying scrap from the US that they will then process into remelt scrap ingot (RSI) that they will then sell to China. Pickard agrees, noting that at the end of the day China remains the driver of the Asian economy.

“It isn’t that we are looking to use third world countries as a dumping ground for environmentally unfriendly material,”

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Goodman said. “But they have cheaper labour and an economy of scale that enables them to do things that can’t be done in other places.

Pickard said that while US aluminium scrap exports to Malaysia were up 79% year to date through July, there is concern about whether their purchases will continue to increase, especially given that they have placed some restrictions on other grades of scrap, particularly nonmetallic grades. He said that amongst the other countries that have been buying more US aluminium scrap are South Korea (up 6% year to date), Thailand (up 202%) and Vietnam (up 357% from a pretty low level previously). In addition to the big drop in China, exports to Hong Kong were down 29% year to date. While exports to India were down 3% through July, Cozzi

says more recent it has been stepping up again.

“Overall, 2020 has been a horrible year for the US aluminium scrap market,” Mothersole declared, adding, “The only good news is that the worst is over and that conditions are improving.”

He, however, warned that the rate of momentum seen over the past few months might not continue much longer. “It isn’t that we will necessarily see a relapse of a W-shaped recovery, but I believe that the low-hanging fruit might have been already picked.”

“I think that this has been one of those years when people are just happy to keep the lights on and hope that next year will be a better year,” Moss said. Cozzi agreed.

“But I’m optimistic that there is nowhere to go but up.” �

“Overall, 2020 has been a horrible year for the US aluminium scrap market,” Mothersole declared, “The only good news is that the worst is over and that conditions are improving.”

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24 RECYCLING

Data quality: Is it the ‘key’ to the future of UK packaging recycling?

Tom Giddings*, discusses the importance of consistency in UK recycling data and explains why collaboration, simplification and standardisation will prove pivotal as the UK transitions towards a more circular economy.

Over the coming years, the packaging industry will experience seismic change.

Consultations are expected in early 2021 regarding proposals for the introduction of a highly-functioning Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), much-needed reforms to the Producer Responsibility system, the national harmonisation of household waste collections across England as well as the recently completed consultation on the Plastics Packaging Tax. With the ambition of improving recycling rates, supporting the UK’s transition towards a more circular economy and eliminating the scourge of litter, these reforms have the potential to revolutionise waste management.

However, data quality is essential to their successful development and smooth implementation – not only as an accurate reference point to inform strategy and legislation, but also to demonstrate positive resulting impact and change.

Unfortunately, the UK’s recycling data is disaggregated, decentralised and widely deemed unsuitable for purpose. Unless we can effectively harness the reforms as an opportunity for change, we run the risk of creating further unnecessary complexity and failing to effectively leverage the biggest opportunity of a generation.

Why data is key Over the past decade, the UK’s perception towards packaging recycling has changed.

Now, more than ever, best practice waste management is being positioned as a primary driver of our transition towards a more circular economy.

With strict targets set out by EU law, combined with increasing proactivity from both households and businesses alike, how we handle our packaging waste is now squarely in the spotlight.

Four consultations happening simultaneously is proof enough that real change is coming. In fact, the waste

management landscape of the future will be hugely different to what it is today.

Circularity, sustainability and treating waste as a resource will soon become commonplace.

However, while each of these proposals will fundamentally improve how waste is valued in the UK, they also represent a step-change in complexity and ambition, meaning significant funding is imperative to turn visionary thinking into tangible reality.

With money in mind, there will undoubtedly be more pressure than ever to closely track performance and prove value – a job that relies almost entirely on the accuracy of recycling data.

This is where the situation becomes a little more complicated. While progress has been made, a key failing of the UK’s recycling data is its historical reputation for being disaggregated, decentralised and non-standardised.

Even now, it’s hard to assess how well the UK is doing against targets, thanks to the vast number of databases used and various ways in which criteria is analysed.

For example, national recycling performance is assessed against whether enough packaging recovery notes (PRNs) have been issued to cover the packaging placed on the market (via the National Packaging Waste Database).

Conversely, local authority collections are assessed by analysing tonnes of recyclate as a percentage of total waste (via tools such as WasteDataFlow).

What’s more, these two databases are populated by both local authorities and independent packaging companies simultaneously.

Data entry is open to interpretation, with different rules applying to different geographies and no enforceable penalties incurred for missing data or late entry.

While concerning, this scenario is commonplace across almost every packaging recycling data avenue and,

in truth, suggests a lack of strong governance. With the critical importance of accurate recycling data, reliance on such disparate data is hugely concerning.

Devising a better platform While it’s safe to suggest that existing recycling data is unsuitable for purpose, we have an opportunity to change things for the better. The upcoming reforms provide an unprecedented opening to simplify, standardise and collaborate.

Imperative to this new approach is creating a failsafe, uniform way of reporting both the quantities and end of life destinations of different waste streams collected from UK households.

This should include a breakdown of all key components that can be analysed separately, such as aluminium, to allow accurate and comparable analysis.

In an ideal scenario, this standardisation of data should be legislated and enforced accordingly, rather than being left to the discretion of those inputting the data, as well as being made accessible to all in a simple and effective manner.

By realising this change, we would be able to accurately (and honestly) report on UK recycling rates – stream by stream.

As well as this, we would be able to analyse and report successes and progress achieved. Finally, we will have an honest, reliable platform on which to base model future waste management decisions upon.

Conversely, if we fail to embrace change, we will be wedded to relying on frankly unsuitable data to inform the future of our national waste management strategy.

What’s more, we will have missed our one glaring opportunity to fix a poorly functioning part of the UK’s waste management equation.

Granted, revolution will not prove a quick, easy or cheap fix, but the results will deliver a multitude of immediate – and long-lasting – benefits. �

*Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager at Alupro November/December 2020

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GARMCO - playing a part in shaping a better tomorrow The company has not consulted an oracle or gazed into a crystal ball, or jumped into a time-machine and got an eye-witness account of the future. However, the way the company is talking these days, it might just seem as if GARMCO got an inside scoop on what the future holds.

The brave new world that GARMCO has visualised is not dystopian as the novel imagined it to be but one where the ravages of climate change have been reversed, sustainability is commonplace, ecological con-servation has been a reality, and eco-friendly is a word on everyone’s lips and an integral part of what they do.

While this image may seem like wishful thinking or even a wild fantasy, the truth is that for the past forty years GARMCO has been setting up the building blocks for just such a future. Environmental consciousness has been the core motivation behind everything that the company has been doing, and also the driving force at the heart of the company’s operations.

While GARMCO realises that it may not be possible to see a complete transformation with the flick of a switch, it does realise that great change can take place only with small but significant steps.

A bright and glorious future can be a reality but only if the foundations are laid thoughtfully, sensibly and strategically.

It is here that GARMCO has made profound headway in terms of having a clear vision for the future but also in pursuing definite and tangible action plans to make them a reality.

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When GARMCO selected rolling, cutting and fabricating aluminium as the main focus of its operations, it was not just profits but also environmental awareness that guided the decision by the governments of Bah-rain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to form the first fully dedicated downstream facility in the Middle East in 1981.

This environmental awareness was inspired by the eco-friendly properties of aluminium that has helped in designating it as the metal of the future. Aluminium can be recycled as many times as possible without losing its purity, and that means that manufacturers do not require to depend on primary aluminium all the time.

What is more, aluminium is a very light metal compared to steel, and thus when used in vehicles, for in-stance, it can increase performance while reducing deadweight and energy consumption. It is also corro-sion resistant, packed with electrical and thermal conductivity, incredibly ductile, good reflector of light and heat, has strength at low temperatures, nonmagnetic, and so much more.

In other words, aluminium provides key ingredients for wide range of products that can help in building an environmentally friendly future. Aluminium can work as the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that can turn a product from an ecological burden to an eco-friendly alternative.

For GARMCO, these properties of aluminium have helped in powering the engine for its growth, provided the

rationale for its operations, and served as the inspiration for its high-quality alloys, sheets and coils that are available in various gauges, sizes and tempers.

Today with an annual production capacity of over 165,000 tonnes, it ranks as one of the largest manufac-turers of high quality flat rolled aluminium products in the region. From its headquarters in Bahrain, GARM-CO has grown to be a truly global organisation with a network of offices located in Australia, Europe, Sin-gapore Thailand, USA and Vietnam.

GARMCO employs over 600 people worldwide, and has an annual turnover exceeding US$ 450 million.

This success has also been fuelled by the support it has received from customers around the world who continue to place their trust in the quality of GARMCO’s products. This trust has been expressed in a variety of innovative applications that have included the roof and wall cladding for the Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi; pizza pan trays worldwide; aluminium nonstick cookware; aviation cargo containers; water reservoirs in Australia; suspended ceiling of Mecca’s train station, steam irons; computers and elec-tronic equipment; delivery vehicles; and aluminium boats by Quintrex of Australia.

Today, many customers are keen on environmental considerations while selecting suppliers for their prod-uct range. Climate change is a reality that many have realised cannot be ignored any Aluminium International Today

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GARMCOs remelt and casting facility

GARMCO has seen the future and is optimistic about it.

longer. It’s an issue that is increasingly grappling not only policy makers and planners but also consumers.

Open any publication or watch any TV show or listen to any podcast, you’re likely to be inundated with pas-sionate environmental messages that insist on its urgency. While some take a decidedly pessimistic out-look, there are many who think differently, and for them, any negative sentiment is not the end of the road but the start of a fresh new journey.

The GARMCO Green Initiative, for instance, came about through just such a reasoning. It recognised that climate change is a reality that can be tackled and remedied through concerted action to prevent any dev-astating consequences for the planet.

It was an opportunity to capitalise on the eco-friendly properties of aluminium, set the stage for a world less ravaged by climate change, and strengthen GARMCO’s credentials as a leading voice in promoting sus-tainability.

So on one hand, GARMCO was in agreement with the proponents of the doomsday scenario in that the outlook for the world was grim. However, it stopped short from being completely consumed by negativity, and set the stage for a radical transformation whose impact would be felt across continents and genera-tions.

This ambitious goal was made possible because GARMCO resolved right from the start to prioritise envi-ronmental conservation as a strategic necessity and Aluminium International Today

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injected this thought across its entire operations and processes. Far from seeing it as a slogan, the company made every effort to give it a tangible direction and calibrated its activities towards meeting this objective.

In straightforward terms, the GARMCO Green Initiative was the culmination of years of best practice in eco-friendly processes, and provided the template for the company’s new strategic direction of being a champion of environmental causes.

For GARMCO, it was also a matter of asserting what it was doing all along, giving this activity a name or a title, and recognising how it has always been an integral part of GARMCO’s work culture.

It also meant taking a few steps back and examining the product range the company was involved in, and celebrating the fact that it is part of a sector where sustainability forms a key component of the way busi-ness is conducted.

Aluminium as the raw material behind GARMCO’s products is an ideal vehicle for embarking on a trans-formative role in shaping the climate agenda, and in steering the company’s vision for a sustainable future.

What this meant was that GARMCO and its customers were able to enjoy the cost advantage of recycled aluminium through the use of more scrap and still enjoy the purity of primary aluminium in their endproducts. GARMCO continues to make a steady push towards increased reliance on recycled aluminium in the manufacturing of its high quality flat rolled products.

In addition, the Direct Chill Casting method used in its production process assures better service quality at all times.

This is an important element in the company’s quest for ensuring eco-friendly operations.

The second step was to open a Remelt and Casting Facility in 2017 as a way to bolster GARMCO’s posi-tion as a regional leader in recycled aluminium,

bring down the costs of metal casting, and provide custom-ers with superior quality products without losing purity levels. Recycling aluminium at the facility completes the full cycle and uses only 10 per cent of the energy that is needed for primary aluminium production. This US$ 55 million facility helped the company to meet its environmental obligations but also addressed the needs of discerning eco-friendly customers with high grade recycled aluminium.

The benefits for these eco-friendly customers is that the metal offers the same degree of purity that primary aluminium possesses, and thus, they were able to utilise the advantage of aluminium as a raw material without worrying about harmful effects on the environment.

It helped them as well as GARMCO to underline their commitment to be responsible corporate citizens, and play an active part in shaping a better world for future generations.

It’s not just about protecting the bottomline but saving the environment.

This is why the GARMCO Green Initiative is based on the following pillars - quality, responsibility and relia-bility. What it means is that the high quality of the company’s recycled aluminium is shaped by commitment to the environment, responsibility to future generations, and determination to remain a reliable source of raw material to its customers around the world.

GARMCO’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. The company received the ISO 14021:2016 certification for successfully promoting best practices in environmental management across the organisation. The certifica-tion further endorses GARMCO’s continuing efforts to minimise the adverse impact of climate change through environmentally sound and eco-friendly processes that are already in place. It also praises GARMCO’s commitment to promote its wide ranging portfolio of recyclable products as one November/December 2020

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of the key steps of the company’s Green Initiative.

The ISO 14021:2016 certification introduces internationally agreed standards for self-declared environmental claims for products and processes, as well as provides qualifications for their use when these are articu-lated through statements, symbols or graphics.

With the certification, GARMCO’s operations will be closely aligned with some of the key principles outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and enable the company to join other organisations around the world in shaping the climate agenda.

In more practical terms, the certification provides GARMCO with clearly defined international benchmarks to measure its operations, and work earnestly towards meeting and maintaining those guidelines. For GARMCO it forms part of the company’s initiative to do what it can to build a better tomorrow for today’s youth, and achieving this goal through investments in processes, resources and operations.

The return on these investments can be measured through their environmental

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impact and in the many in-tangible benefits that a well-oiled eco-friendly organisation produces for its stakeholders.

What is at stake though is the future of the planet, and towards this end GARMCO remains committed to translate its ecological awareness into practical solutions, and restore hope for a better and a cleaner world for generations yet to be born.

In the final analysis, for GARMCO it is about visualising a future where the best case environmental scenario is a reality. It is also about relentlessly pursuing this goal and taking steps towards bringing them into the realm of the possible.

GARMCO has seen this future, a world where the young do not have to fear the harmful effects of climate change, or remain terrified at what pollution can do. The company is confident that with the right steps tak-en collaboratively

the world can emerge in a much better shape for the longer term. It is about recognising the priorities that are at stake, and working alongside them to ensure a cleaner outcome.

The GARMCO Green Initiative is just one small step in this giant endeavour but remains a crucial step in making the world safer for future generations. While it serves to meet the company’s corporate goals it is also undergirded by a broader determination to play a key role in shaping the climate agenda.

For GARMCO it is also a reflection of the passion for environment that is at the heart of everything the company does. It is this passion that has given the company its purpose as well as set the tone for under-taking strategic steps towards conservation and sustainability.

As a result, today, the company has built a robust ecosystem for aluminium recycling, and invested in new technologies that would expand this commitment even further — transforming this passion into tangible action plans that deliver on the promise that GARMCO will always be a company that contributes towards a more sustainable future. �

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The future of aluminium

By Mr. Deepak Mathur* Every era has come with a transition.

As COVID19 disrupts human lives and economies in an unforeseen manner, the need for building a resilient, circular and agile economy with sustainability at the core is far more than ever before. Human has been trying to make a balancing act between its exploration to push development and sustainability. The need for a sustainable and circular economy is felt like never before but without putting development at the backseat. For running the wheel of development and sustainability there is a need for an ideal metal that can restore an environmentalfriendly future but still serve various industrial purposes. Since aluminium is one of the versatile and plentifully found metals on the planet that can be recycled and reutilized any number of times, it is the most sustainable option amongst its category. As per World Economic Forum, 75% of the aluminium ever produced is still in use. Being the most common metal present in the earth’s crust, aluminium has a spread-out influence that touches lives each passing day. From playing an integral part in the household kitchens to facilitating the production of an aircraft’s structural elements, the metal has come a long way. With greenhouse gases and destructive carbon emissions having impacted global warming, it has become a priority to reduce these releases through measures like increased recycling and usage of such eco-friendly metals in applications like automobiles, airplanes, watercraft, and trains.

Graduating towards becoming a futuristic metal Aluminium forms an integral part of our daily lives. From packaging food into aluminium foils and wiring electronic products, the metal has proven its functionality. This lightweight metal has been preferred by several industries like construction, aviation, telecommunication, technology, healthcare, and other domestic segments.

Automobiles like electric vehicles are aware of the potential of the aluminium application. The quotient of sustainability

and lowered weight is effective in manufacturing energy saving cars. The metal’s utilization in this domain will be irreplaceable once the customers' demand will revolve around opting for energysaving vehicles to protect the environment.

Aluminium swapping other metals in the upcoming ages This metal outperforms its counterparts by holding the second position in the consumption chart. The industry fragments that are majorly reliable on this metal, will be mounting their consumption too, owing to the increase in the product portfolio and an expected surge in demand. Due to the modernday developments taking place in the motor industry, the rapid city growth, the advancement of smart cities, and the booming growth of the power segment, the metal is predicted to be an important substance in the manufacturing process.

As we march towards embracing a sustainable environment, there has been an impressive development in the metal’s usage. Used across an extensive range of applications, aluminium products contribute towards emission reduction, thus benefitting the society at large. On the other hand, aluminium’s profuse nature with its recycling property lends a superior status contributing to the aspect of ecological stability along with industrialization.

The building and construction segment preferring aluminium over other metals for its applications These segments have always been reliant on steel and cement blocks. Due to its toughness and high strength-to-weight ratio, this extraordinary metal can largely contribute to providing strength, resilience, and deliver sustainable structures in the building and construction domain.

Applications like Mivan shuttering are now used in a residential or commercial project. Apart from these, additional areas in the usage of the metal are on the rise is in the form of aluminium formworks in glass faces and facades of the high-rises, entertainment zones, cricket stadiums,

MR. DEEPAK MATHUR, SR. VICE PRESIDENT, SALES AND MARKETING JINDAL ALUMINIUM LIMITED. Mr. Deepak Mathur is an Engineering Graduate from IIT, Varanasi and holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from IIM, Lucknow. In his career spanning over 33 years, he has worked with some of the leading names in Non-ferrous Metals (Flat and Long products), Capital goods and White Goods component industries.

He has rich commercial experience in Industrial Marketing, Exports, Global Sourcing, Contracts and International Logistics.

*Sr. Vice President Sales and Marketing.

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and swimming pools.

The preferred metal in the domain of power-engineering The metal copper is a constant in power operations. However, aluminium being a universally structural metal is a new entrant in the domain due to it being a flawless conductor of electricity.

Aluminium too offers good conductivity to weight ratio like copper and follows an increased utilization in wiring power grids along with transmission lines. The metal's application ensures the diffusion of power worldwide. Expanding its horizon of utilization, the metal is also used for power wiring of airplanes and in the fabrication of automated mechanisms and TV antennae’s.

Potential of aluminium in the aerospace and defense sector Aluminium has always been the dominating metal in the aircraft construction being light. While steel stands stronger to aluminium, it is a heavy-weight metal. Aluminium’s properties like lightweight and resistance to corrosion have made it a metal of choice in this domain. The metal has witnessed

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increased application in the construction of missile components, assault bridges, main battle tanks, weaponry systems, boats, submarines and also in space mechanisms.

The role of aluminium in upgrading the automotive and rail industry Undoubtedly, this segmented industry has been the greatest consumer of aluminium in our country. Automobiles like cars, bikes to even spaceships have profited from using components of aluminium due to its non-heavy properties. Furthermore, the metals used in sports car manufacturing is also gaining a lot of traction due to it being functional and light-in weight, which is the prime necessity while designing sports

cars. The benefit of long aluminium extrusions has become dominant with rail cars which are being made of longitudinal aluminium extrusions.

The future stands bright for aluminium There is not a single domain that has not been touched by the metals dynamic properties and this is only going to increase the demand for aluminium in the upcoming eras. While the metal is comparatively young, its usage is vast.

The modern-day era can be labelled as the Aluminium Age, placing the metal equally parallel to its counterpart’s like wood, stone, bronze, steel, and iron. The prospects of aluminium usage continue to be vast, diverse, and far-reaching.

With all the domains working in tandem to streamline efficiency and to generate an environment conducive to fuelling novelty, it is a hopeful future that lays ahead for aluminium. In the coming space-age times, that will witness flying cars, the metallic high-rise reaching into the clouds and even military submarines – all these and more will see aluminium taking its place as a metal of worth now and beyond. �

Aluminium International Today

04/11/2020 11:45:23

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SAFETY 35

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Choosing the right hydraulic fluid can reduce fire risk in aluminium plants Fire safety in industrial facilities is a must, but it need not come at the expense of productivity. Ronald Knecht*, explains how to choose the best fire-resistant hydraulic fluid to keep things running smoothly.

Whatever the manufacturing facility, a fire is amongst the worst accidents that can take place. The most obvious harm is of injury, or worse, to employees. Beyond that, there is always likely to be a loss in both capital and production. These losses not only include damage to the building and equipment, but also the immediate interruption in production – which might see lines idle for days or even months.

Such dangers are inherent within the aluminium production and manufacturing process, given the fundamental requirement for significant heat to produce the desired finished products.

With fire hazards at just about every stage of an aluminium plant, this requires a ‘safety first’ approach throughout.

Beyond the obvious approaches towards cooling, eliminating oxygen, removing fuel, or breaking potential chemical

reactions, there’s one aspect that is relatively neglected.

Namely, the use of combustible hydraulic fluids across the factory. Studying a heat map of the operation will show how in many areas the temperature can reach between 400°C and 700°C. Coincidentally, in most of these processes, hydraulic units are used to operate the equipment.

Often, a mineral oil-based hydraulic fluid is chosen to operate these hydraulic units, a choice based on the definite advantage of a good cost-performance ratio. Yet the clue to the danger lies in the name: such fluids are a distillate from crude oil, and not always the safest choice, due to their tendency to catch fire easily.

The risks involved in using oil-based hydraulic fluids Consider where hydraulic fluids are used

and might come into contact with hot surfaces or materials – and you’ll quickly realise that fire hazards exist in many places within aluminium plants. This includes, but is not limited to, areas such as the (re)heating or (re)melting furnace, billet or slab casting or hot strip mills.

For example, most furnaces in the aluminium industry are operated using hydraulic power for movement of the slabs, as well as for opening or closing the door. Likewise, around an aluminium hot strip mill, there are several processes that are driven using hydraulic power, like the Automatic Gauge Control (AGC) system.

The presence of hydraulic hoses or components near a hot slab or aluminium strip is a clear risk, with the potential to cause uncontrollable fires – and therefore significant damage or downtime – if a hydraulic hose bursts or leaks.

*Global Strategic Product Line Manager – Hydraulics & Lubricants from Quaker Houghton Aluminium International Today

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36 SAFETY

It is the ignition of mineral oil-based hydraulic fluids which can lead to a fire.

There are two main causes for this type of ignition. Firstly, where the lubricants spill or leak onto a very hot surface. Secondly, when sparks (or even hot liquid metal) land in a pool of lubricant.

The problem is that the mineral oil evaporates easily, and therefore tends to build a vapour of oil droplets. Once ignition takes place, these oil droplets can catch fire and result in an explosion and/ or a fire ball. The resulting fire is hard to control as the fire ball can travel quickly to the roof or to cables and ignite further areas of the factory.

The science behind the ignition is simple but has worrying implication. Essentially, a hydraulic fluid derived from mineral oil combines three chemical properties which, in conjunction, make a fire more likely. These properties are: a relatively low specific heat temperature; a relatively low auto-ignition point; and a high heat of combustion.

In other words, it does not take much energy to heat the mineral oil-based lubricant to reach the temperature at which it will auto-ignite… which is also relatively low. At that point, the fluid combusts at a heat of about 43-44 kJ/g, causing a swift catalysis for explosive ignition and propagation of the flames.

The mineral oil’s properties also mean it has the ability to keep itself burning too.

What to consider when choosing a fire-resistant hydraulic fluid?

Fortunately, there are alternatives to mineral oil-based hydraulic fluids, but careful analysis should be made of their relative properties before choosing a replacement. The first consideration, of course, is the level of fire resistance. This term is often mistakenly understood to be the same as fire retardant but is not necessarily the same. Almost all fireresistant hydraulic fluids will burn under certain conditions.

So why choose a lubricant that is only fire-resistant rather than fully retardant?

It is here that other factors come into play.

One obvious point of difference is the cost of switching to an alternative hydraulic fluid. Some will likely be more expensive than others, not only in the actual fluid price but in the potential impact on existing equipment such as component life and operational reliability, which may need to be changed to suit a change in fluid. Consider instead the Total Cost of Operation (TCO), comparing both upfront and ongoing costs to the long-term value derived from reduced fire risk.

The other element to investigate is the environmental impact of any hydraulic fluid. This might refer both to how a November/December 2020

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lubricant is sourced or manufactured, whether it is biodegradable, or whether any harmful chemicals are released upon combustion.

By triangulating these often-conflicting demands – cost, environmental impact and the level of protection given – along with system reliability – it is possible to strike the optimum balance to protect productivity and profitability while managing an appropriate level of risk. If in doubt, it’s worth investigating the most common and generally accepted tests for fire resistance. Such tests are devised by Factory Mutual (FM Global), the testing and approval arm of a major industrial insurance underwriter (www.fmglobal. com). Using an FM Global approved hydraulic fluid can reduce the premium a company needs to pay.

Understanding the different types of hydraulic fluid The basic distinction in choosing a hydraulic fluid is whether it is water-based or water-free. For each fluid type there are pros and cons, meaning that procurement specialists and maintenance managers should consider the merits of all five types.

The different types are either waterbased… � HFA-E (mineral oil containing emulsion) � HFA-S (a synthetic aqueous solution) � HFC (a water glycol solution). or water-free: � HFD-R (a phosphate ester-based) � HFD-U (mainly synthetic polyol esters and natural esters).

The fluids marked HFA-E and HFA-S require special hydraulic systems and are generally not found in the Aluminium industry.

How do the other fluid types stack up in comparison?

Phosphate ester (HFD-R) based lubricants have a negative reputation.

Phosphate ester (HFD-R) fluids are fire resistant by chemistry, but are reported to be CMR (Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, Reprotoxic) materials. Also, the combustion fumes they produce may be neurotoxic. HFD-R fluids can be 10 to 15 times more expensive than mineral oil and need to be carefully maintained as these products generate aggressive acids as they age.

Of the remaining water-based fluids, both have good fire-resistant properties, meaning that other criteria need to be also considered. HFC fluids, also known as water glycols, are widely used in aluminium processing plants as well as other industries and represent about 50% of the total fire-resistant hydraulic fluids market. Their high water content makes them very good for fire resistance,

and while they have a comparable price to mineral oil, they do not measure up in performance attributes. Additionally, hydraulic units for HFC are more expensive to purchase, the service components have a shorter lifetime, more fluid management is needed, and energy consumption is 10 to 20% higher compared to mineral oil or polyol ester-based fire-resistant hydraulic fluids.

That leaves polyol ester-based fluids (HFD-U), which are the best solution and alternative to mineral oil. Typically, no changes need to be made to the hydraulic unit when converting from a mineral oil or water glycol hydraulic fluid to a polyol ester fluid. Compared to mineral oilbased fluids, nothing is sacrificed in terms of the fluid’s performance, and the polyol ester based (HFD-U) fluids have reduced environmental impact.

The actual price of fluids is around 2-3 times more expensive than mineral oil, but the crucial difference is that polyol esterbased HFD-U fluids have a higher specific heat temperature; a higher auto-ignition point; and a lower heat of combustion.

There is no vapour or explosion, and an eventual fire is limited to the place where it comes in contact with the hot surface/ ignition source, so the situation remains under control. With this reduction in the risk of fire from the hydraulic fluid, the result is a lower TCO and a much safer work environment.

Making the Aluminium Plant Safer When considering how to reduce the fire risk from hydraulic fluids, there are several schools of thought. A factory might change design of the hydraulic unit, to avoid mineral oil leakages getting close to the hot surface. This means the company can keep the same oil technology, but it does not avoid using a straight hydraulic oil coming close to hot surfaces.

Others might prefer the installation of a fire extinguisher system to avoid having to change the type of oil used, but not only is this expensive, it can be ‘too little, too late’ as the main danger caused by oil-based lubricants is the initial explosive ignition and resulting fire balls.

In short, swapping a mineral oilbased hydraulic fluid for an HFD-U type such as QUINTOLUBRIC® is one of the surest ways to improve safety. In our video, available at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=bEtlikCMRWM, you can see first-hand the difference in terms of being able to keep a fire under control. When you factor in its strong performance and good environmental credentials, the use of QUINTOLUBRIC®HFD-U fire resistant hydraulic fluids allow a factory to run efficiently and safely. � Aluminium International Today

04/11/2020 11:09:51

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38 AUTOMOTIVE

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How sustainable materials can reduce the life-cycle footprint of cars Tesla Model S

Several automakers have carried out thorough life cycle analyses recently, paying particular interest to the impact of raw materials on the overall carbon footprint of their products. We think this is a natural trend that will only accelerate. Dr. Stig Tjøtta* discusses why.

We will soon see governments introduce newer measures toward the automotive industry to mitigate global warming.

Most likely, these measures will go beyond reducing the amount of tailpipe emissions generated in the use phase of cars, which have been the priority until now, and also include the build phase.

The European Union currently requires average carbon dioxide emissions for new passenger cars to be 130 grams per kilometer driven. Next year this requirement will be reduced by about 27 percent by 2021 to 95g/km. The decrease is going to come primarily from further driving efďŹ ciency measures and from lightweighting, but also electrical vehicles will play a larger role.

This reduction in tailpipe emissions (usephase emissions) means that the absolute share of emissions generated in the production of the car increases. Attention to the carbon footprint of the build phase will then naturally increase as a mean to decarbonise the vehicle sector.

With regard to the build phase emissions, extraction and production of the various materials in a car constitute

around 85 percent of the carbon footprint of a vehicle according to a recent study

by Volvo and Polestar. In other words, to reduce carbon footprint of the car production, it is a safe bet that the choice of materials will come into focus.

Aluminium in electric London Taxi

Other aspects driving the focus on build phase emissions, are the overall focus by society and consumers on sustainable

production. Green production and raw material selection therefore make sense not only to comply with authorities but as a good business case.

Sustainable sourcing for primary weight savings Most likely, the EU is going to require OEMs to deliver full life-cycle analyses (LCAs) of their models, to demonstrate the environmental footprint of these vehicles.

OEMs will have different options as to how to address reducing the emissions in an LCA perspective, but continued focus on weight savings and the sustainable sourcing of materials appear to be the most economical way forward. Weightsaving is one of the most effective enablers to reduce tailpipe emissions. However, weight savings also reduce emissions in the build phase as less raw materials are needed to build a car. If, in addition, these raw materials have a low carbon footprint, substantial reductions of emissions can be realised.

Once more, let us take one more look at the emissions targets the EU has established, and what they mean to OEMs.

*Head of Technology, Hydro Primary Metal November/December 2020

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The coming target of 95g CO2/km in 2021 is ambitious, compared with the current average. If this average remained the same beyond next year, with an estimated violation fine of €95 per g, the potential price increase per car would be substantial.

The EU’s next wave of CO2 reduction targets look like this: • 2025 – 15 percent below 2021 • 2030 – 37.5 percent below 2021 It is important to note, however, that the regulations include an incentive mechanism for OEMs to produce zeroemission and low-emission vehicles, which involve a relaxation in the specific CO2 emissions of an OEM provided that its share of such vehicles exceeds 15 percent of total sales by 2025 and 35 percent of sales by 2030.

Renewed focus on body concepts and materials selection in BEVs The stringent regulations, at least in Europe, as well as the general increase in demand for vehicles that do not run on fossil fuel, are driving and will continue to drive the escalation in the production of battery-electric vehicles. And of-course the big difference is that you do not have to worry about fossil fuel consumption or greenhouse gas emissions in the use phase of BEVs. As the renewable energy share in a typical European grid has grown considerably over the last years, the total emissions from a BEV in a life-cycle perspective are significantly less than its ICEV counterpart. Still, they have their own weight worries, because BEVs normally are heavier than their ICEV counterparts – about 16 percent heavier in the case of a Volkswagen E-Golf – and because consumers want the freedom to take long drives on a single charge.

The combination of low use-phase emissions, and heavier vehicles, and the carbon footprint of the car itself – the production of the car – increases significantly in relevance as compared to direct tailpipe emissions.

Here is an example: While the production phase of a C-class ICEV contributes to around 25 percent of the total emissions after 150,000 km, it contributes to close to 100 percent of the total emissions for a BEV being charged from a grid based on renewable energy, like the one where I live in Norway. In Germany, with close to 50% renewable share, the production phase still accounts for around 60 percent of the total emissions.

Consequently, the focus will inevitably shift toward carbon footprint of the raw materials used to produce the vehicle.

Aluminium International Today

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Aluminium in cars

This is why I believe OEMs are going to change their decision-making process with regard to material selection, a process that has been based solely on cost and properties. Instead, they will base their decisions on cost, performance and the carbon footprint of the raw materials, covering extraction and production.

Opportunity for material innovation in lightweight design Let’s take a closer look at life-cycle perspective, and at BEVs that use power based on renewable sources.

Virtually the entire carbon footprint of these cars, from a life-cycle perspective, will come from the production phase, mainly raw materials. As I mentioned, BEVs are relatively heavy, so lightweighting technologies will have to be evaluated – and evaluated from an LCA perspective to define the ecological impact of each vehicle.

This in itself represents an enormous opportunity in materials innovation.

One kilogram of aluminium typically has a higher carbon impact in the production phase than one kg of steel. The steel industry likes this argument when comparing its material to aluminium. But the argument is getting weaker.

Considering the fact that aluminium is three times as light as steel, comparing carbon footprint per kg of raw material is not really relevant.

In addition, one needs to consider secondary benefits, because weight

saving of a primary component offers the opportunity to realise secondary weight savings in, for instance, the drive train and car structure.

A lightweight design leading to overall weight saving will compensate for much of the difference in the material production phase. Furthermore, taking the reduced energy consumption in the use phase into consideration, the lightweight design will often have a superior footprint in a lifecycle perspective.

A more sustainable lightweighting solution I mentioned the opportunity in materials innovation, and would now like to move into low-carbon aluminium as an illustration.

Fact: The carbon footprint of aluminium depends largely on the energy sources used to produce the metal.

The aluminium global average was most recently estimated to have a global warming potential of around 17kg CO2 equivalents per kg of primary aluminium.

This is mainly due to the large increase in Chinese aluminium production capacity, which is primarily based on coal.

Aluminium produced in Europe, however, has an average global warming potential of 6.7kg CO2e/kg Al. This makes sense for automotive use. But there are now alternatives that make even better sense.

A better option to achieve optimum lifecycle sustainability is using certified low-

Alu vs steel graphic

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www.aluminiumtoday.com

carbon or greener aluminium with global warming potential of 3-4 kg CO2e/kg Al. This is approximately one-quarter of the global average. We both know that this is significant. And yet we can go even lower.

Today we can acquire aluminium based on a large share of recycled post-consumer scrap that offers the opportunity to reach a level of 2 kg CO2e/kg Al, without compromising alloy properties. In the future, we may even have aluminium based on 100 percent recycled material – the footprint will then be a minute 0.5 kg CO2e/kg Al. Compare that to the global average!

Reducing carbon footprint with lowcarbon aluminium, compared with conventional steel grades Aluminium produced with a low-carbon footprint will increase the aluminium penetration in vehicles. No question. With low weight and complete recyclability, it reduces the use-phase environmental impact of vehicles where this is important, and its sustainable footprint will help OEMs achieve their low-carbon emission targets from a life-cycle point of view in any type of vehicle.

Let me show how a recent study supports this statement.

Together with the research institute fka in Aachen, Hydro carried out a study that outlines the impact of applying conventional and low-carbon aluminium in comparison to conventional steel grades on the Global Warming Potential of vehicles from a life-cycle perspective.

E-car illustration

In this study, we considered two reference vehicles from different segments and with different drivetrains, and investigated the achievable weight reduction potential by the application of aluminium in a first step. Beside the primary weight saving achieved in the body, we also considered secondary effects, such as downsizing the engine or the scaling effects of the battery.

In our second step, we performed a lifecycle assessment for the different vehicle variants and compared these to each other in various scenarios.

The results of the study show that the lightweighting by using aluminium can significantly reduce the use-phase environmental impact of vehicles and can help automotive OEMs with their carbon emission targets.

This also underlines the need for OEMs to perform the ecological assessment of their vehicles from a life-cycle perspective in the future. �

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Aluminium International Today

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The Future of Automotive:

A winding road paved with aluminium

By Ganesh Panneer*

Range Rover Sport 2

The global automotive industry faces a turning point, accelerated largely by changing consumer mobility behaviours.

Ride sharing, green living and the desire to always be connected are driving substantive changes in the way cities are planned and vehicles are designed. These evolving trends give way to automated vehicle technologies that promise to redefine transportation as we know it. Automakers and their suppliers are racing to develop the next generation of vehicles that consumers want to drive, in a landscape that is overflowing with opportunity, yet increasingly complex and competitive as new entrants emerge and global regulatory demands tighten.

The automobile has maintained its position as a symbol of innovation for more than a century because it has adapted to societal change and evolved with advanced technologies that keep people moving

forward. Today, as automakers ramp back up after weathering the unexpected COVID-19 shut down, the industry is also preparing for the winding road ahead.

Driving an Era of Electrification We know that the automotive industry continues to prioritise research and development (R&D) and environmental improvements. Leading car manufacturers, including Ford Motor Company, Volvo and Audi, pledged to achieve carbon neutrality within the next 30 years, which will require more efficient technologies and the addition of electric and other low-emission vehicles to fleets. It’s clear: the future of the industry hinges on the need for vehicles to be highly efficient, yet safe, affordable and high performing – no matter the propulsion system or ownership model.

Globally, electric vehicles (EV) are on

the rise. However, adoption rates vary by market region with most sales of EVs in China. In North America, EVs remain a small fraction of the North American light duty vehicle market, according to the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility. Sales volumes in the United States are projected to reach up to 1 million units this year.

People and the planet benefit from increased penetration of EVs; and the role of materials cannot be understated in the discussion of sustainable transportation.

Aluminum is critical to all future mobility scenarios.

According to a new survey of North American automakers and their suppliers, conducted by DuckerFrontier, aluminium’s value makes it a preferred material as automakers develop next-generation EVs. To help offset battery weight and increase range, automakers are choosing highstrength, lightweight aluminium over steel

*Ganesh Panneer is Chairman of the Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG) and Vice President and General Manager, Automotive & Specialties, North America at Novelis.

Aluminium International Today

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for doors, hoods and trunk lids, body-inwhite, crash management systems and battery enclosures. Mass reduction helps extend battery range, while innovative solutions like aluminium-intensive battery enclosures provide designers with more sustainable options that still meet their needs. Add to that, leading material scientists, including researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Ford Motor Company, the Canadian government and the magnesium industry all say aluminum offers the lowest carbon footprint among all competing materials.

Battery enclosures provide a unique opportunity for aluminium penetration in electric vehicles. Novelis created the first flat-rolled, aluminium-intensive electric vehicle battery enclosure designed for mass production vehicles. In addition, Constellium recently announced the ALIVE (Aluminium Intensive Vehicle Enclosures) project, in partnership with a consortium of automotive manufacturers and suppliers to develop a new aluminium battery enclosure using high-strength extrusion alloys and new manufacturing concepts.

These projects allow design engineers freedom and value when manufacturing vehicles of the future. With the help of high-strength aluminum that is closedloop recyclable, aluminum producers can create optimal crash-resistance and weight savings as the industry transitions from internal combustion engine to electric vehicles.

As electrification grows, high-pressure diecast components are a high growth area, as demonstrated by Tesla’s latest innovation – a new aluminum casting process to improve efficiency, reduce complexity and ramp up production of the Model Y crossover. The process will replace 70 individual components with a single-piece casting for Tesla’s electric SUV. November/December 2020

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Aluminium Closures Leading the Charge Aluminium is the fastest growing automotive material overall, ushering in a new era for vehicle design. The 2020 DuckerFrontier study shows in total, average aluminium content will increase to 514 pounds per vehicle (PPV) by 2026, thanks largely to high growth of aluminium flat rolled sheet for closure and body-in-white parts. Doors represent the highest net growth of aluminium content per vehicle from 2020–2026 at 30% penetration. Likewise, aluminium hood penetration is expected to reach 81% by 2026 (up from 63% today) – that’s more than three out of every four hoods projected to be made of aluminium.

Finally, aluminium content for liftgates and tailgates will reach 44% in the next six years.

Vehicles that once would have been designed using a single material are converting to a multi-material construction with increasing use of aluminium. Multi-material vehicles bode well for consumers, too. They will be able to select better performing vehicles with fewer total carbon emissions and more room for electronics and sensors in connected vehicles of the future. The new Ford Bronco, Nissan Rogue and Jeep Wrangler are great examples of this multimaterial evolution.

Safety and Sustainability Ahead While automotive aluminium use is currently at an all-time high, continued collaboration in manufacturing and recycling also make for a greener future.

Closed-loop recycling is one of the aluminium industry’s most significant sustainability innovations. The process allows aluminium producers to take back as much aluminium scrap as possible, return it directly back into the supply chain, and still produce high-quality recycled aluminium at unstoppable

rates. For automakers, this generates tremendous cost savings since they can reduce purchase of primary aluminium, reuse viable scrap and establish a secure supply chain.

Since 2013, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) processed back 360,000 tonnes of closedloop scrap into its aluminum-intensive fleet. And JLR’s REALITY aluminum project, in partnership with Novelis, further optimises its vehicle manufacturing and minimises the environmental impact of the company’s future vehicles. The REALITY project offers the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 26% compared to the current automotive grade.

Although the aluminium industry is more sustainable today than at any time in history, aluminium’s greatest value is realised when the metal is used throughout an entire system. Vehicles designed with aluminum provide sustainability benefits without sacrifice to manufacturing cost or vehicle safety.

Aluminium is the only material that can safely reduce vehicle body weight by up to 40% without compromising safety.

And, because size – not weight – is the leading safety determinant, aluminium allows automakers to maintain or even increase the size and energy absorption of a vehicle’s critical front- and rear-crumple zones. When automakers can safely reduce vehicle weight, they can meet carbon neutral goals, too.

Aluminium abounds over the next decade The U.S. aluminium industry is an essential element of the nation’s manufacturing base and supports $174 billion in economic activity and nearly 700,000 essential jobs on the frontlines. These vital workers continue to help drive the economy and the nation’s supply chain as the pandemic continues. As we look ahead to the future of the transportation sector we know the industry that manufactures those cars will rely on our robust aluminium workforce to help carry the charge.

Through close, sustained collaboration, complete technology packages, including alloys, surface treatment systems, forming and laser welding joining technologies, will enable automakers to increase their use of aluminium to transform the industry as we know it. When it comes to innovation, the sky is the limit and a steady increase in aluminium adoption is expected to drive the automotive industry forward into the coming decade – and beyond. � Contact: For more information on aluminum growth, visit https://www.drivealuminum.org/research-resources/

Aluminium International Today

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46 CONSTRUCTION

www.aluminiumtoday.com

’Urban Mines - Fact or Fiction’

By Adrian Toon* Scrap aluminium has long been recognised for its ability to be easily collected and recycled into new aluminium products.

Together with its high scrap value, aluminium is rarely wasted as it feeds back via well-established recycling processes.

The EAA/Delft study back in 2004 confirmed that between 92% and 98% collection rates at the time were achieved in the UK’s building demolition. What is less well known is that if not appropriately separated and sorted, collected scrap can include a mix of various aluminium alloy grades. While this mixed recyclate may be used for cast aluminium products, for example, it is usually harder to recycle it into wrought aluminium alloy grades in a ‘closed loop’. Add to this, it is known that a lot of our valuable scrap metals are shipped overseas, thus losing a very valuable resource from the UK. With these issues in mind, the Council for Aluminium in Building has set up a ‘Closed Loop Recycling’ initiative for the UK. The aim of the initiative is to encourage the recycling of aluminium alloys within the same alloy grades. For the CAB scheme we require that extrusion grades of aluminium, namely 6xxx series alloys for the architectural aluminium market, are recycled back into the same 6xxx series alloys. The same can be said for sheet aluminium recycling, namely with 1xxx series alloys. It is important to reiterate that in a ‘closed loop’, an aluminium alloy can be recycled infinitely without loss of its specific characteristics.

Pre-consumer scrap can easily be recycled before it leaves the factory as it is often ‘clean’ and of a known alloy. Post-consumer scrap is where the challenge really lies. With the many thousands of tonnes of alloy extrusion and sheet used in our buildings across the UK, we should be looking towards the advantages of deconstruction, separation and recycling, and the ability to see our built landscape as an ‘urban mine’ for raw materials. As already stated, we have recycled aluminium over many decades, primarily as it has a high recycle value, but without a ‘closed loop’ we can ‘lose’ the specific grades we require to recycle the

aluminium back into the same product type. If we constrain recycling to specific alloy grades, we can recycle extrusions back into new extrusions and offer a true circular economy for our aluminium products in the UK construction industry.

One of the keys to this capability is the advent of the handheld spectrometer for identifying the content of an aluminium alloy. Easily portable and very quick to use, grades can easily be checked prior to recycling. This means that the

aluminium grades could easily be checked and identified on a building site prior to deconstruction. The quantity available on a given site can also be relatively easily calculated before removal, as aluminium extrusions and sheets are usually uniform in shape and easily measured. Skips for the scrap, clearly labelled for the identified grades being removed, can be obtained from recyclers to be placed on site for collection of this valuable post-consumer scrap.

Generic high rise living revealing content of aluminium

*CAB Board Director November/December 2020

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Sheet scrap

The second challenge is to remove non-aluminium components from the aluminium frames of windows and curtain walling, such as hinges, handles, gaskets, screws and weather seals. Done manually, this could take some time, and we must also consider the removal of thermal breaks made of materials such as polyamide and polyurethane.

Fortunately, the technology has advanced considerably, and this process can be completely automated. What is supplied back to the smelter is ‘chipped’ aluminium, with minimal contaminants such as paint and thermal breaks which are mostly removed in the process.

Aluminium scrap in this form can easily be reintroduced back into the UK aluminium smelting industry to meet the growing demand for aluminium. With just 5% of the energy needed to recycle aluminium in this way compared to producing prime aluminium from bauxite,

to demonstrate the sustainability credentials of their supply chain.

Aluminium scrap is an important resource and we should maximise the quantity and quality of recovered aluminium scrap in the UK to build the circular economy of the future.

Despite the pandemic, it is business as usual at CAB and staff are on hand at the offices to answer any aluminium fenestration related questions.

Information is regularly updated on the CAB website at www.c-a-b.org.uk. For association membership enquires please contact Jessica Dean at the CAB offices by email jessica.dean@c-a-b.org.uk or by phoning on 01453 828851. �

we can make best use of the embodied energy present in aluminium that exists in our building stock.

CAB’s Closed Loop Recycling Scheme is open to members as part of their membership package. While such closed loop recycling of construction materials is currently voluntary, requirements could References: be placed on ‘embodied carbon’ content https://www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk/ in the future and RefractoryTech main contractors opinion/uk-losing-billions-as-valuableAI 2020 OL.qxp_Layout 1 6/23/20 2:30 PM Page 1 are increasingly seeking evidence metal-waste-is-sent-abroad/222484/

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The top three benefits of aluminium Endurawood releases infographic on how aluminium supports the construction industry’s environmental footprint UK building and outdoor living product supplier Endurawood has released an infographic outlining the benefits of aluminium as a construction material. The supplier, which specialises in wood-effect aluminium products for applications including cladding, decking and architectural facades, understands the multiple advantages of using aluminium over traditional building materials.

Currently, the construction, operation and maintenance of the built environment accounts for 45 per cent of the UK’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – a figure that demonstrates the industry’s impact on the environment.

Concrete, steel and timber are globally used building materials that have been trusted in the construction of buildings for years. These materials, however, can prove harmful to the environment – with concrete responsible for eight per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions, steel production claimed to be one of the most carbon emitting industrial processes in the world and the use of timber, which encourages deforestation.

Aluminium is formed through chemical extraction of bauxite, an ore that is mined to create alumina, which is smelted to form pure aluminium. Although this process emits CO2 emissions, aluminium is highly recyclable. Apart from its environmental benefits, aluminium is also lightweight

and naturally corrosion resistant.

“The potential that aluminium has to improve the quality of a build, plus reduce overall emissions, is greatly underestimated,” said Endurawood’s managing director, Nick Cowley.

“Aluminium’s inherent corrosion resistance can improve the durability and quality of a build and its lightweight means that it’s more manageable onsite. This requires less energy and transport to handle the material to and from site, helping to further reduce fuel consumption in the industry.

“Its lightweight property also makes aluminium a suitable candidate in modular and offsite construction, as the easy installation and handling of aluminium supports quicker completion times that modular construction is renowned for.

“While the production of any metal is not hazard free, the effects of aluminium production can be counteracted by its circularity potential – a quality that is

not applicable to building materials such as concrete. Endurawood uses volatile organic compound (VOC) free coatings and lead-free finishes, making it more environmentally friendly to use,” added Cowley.

“The UK’s population is expected to reach 70 million by 2031, increasing the demand for more buildings and homes.

With almost half of emissions produced attributed to the built environment, it’s vital the industry makes changes to reduce this figure. Relying on a lightweight, eco-friendly building material such as aluminium, could certainly help to support this.” �

Contact: For more information about Endurawood’s products, applications and the advantages of aluminium, visit www.endurawood.co.uk and download the infographic.

November/December 2020

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50

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Aluminium International Today

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CUTTING EDGE OF TECHNOLOGY Precision Cast Plate

PCP Aluminium is a world-class company engaged in the manufacturing of aluminium precision cast plates and cast molding blocks.

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RUSSIA UPDATE 53

Inside the Krasnoyarsk Aluminium plant, one of the largest aluminium plants in Russia

Western sanctions continue to limit growth opportunities

By Eugene Gerden* Leading Russian aluminium producers have called on the national government to provide additional support for them, as the ongoing sanctions pressure from West may lead to the reduction of their competiveness in the international arena and pose a threat for the implementation of their ambitious investment projects, which are scheduled for Q4 of the current year, according to recent statements, made by representatives of some leading local aluminum manufacturers and industry analysts.

As producers said in their official statement, the aluminium sector in Russia became among the industries, which were mostly hit by Western sanctions, which main goal was to withdraw the Russian aluminium products from the global market.

Still, despite the ongoing pressure from West and relatively small reserves of raw materials (as Russia accounts for only about 1% of the world’s bauxite reserves), the Russian aluminum producers have been able to maintain their production volumes and to avoid the suspension of major investment projects this year.

In addition, this year much has been done for the raise of energy efficiency of aluminium productions in Russia, which also involves a shift to cleaner manufacturing technologies.

As Victor Mann, technical director of Rusal told in an interview with the Russian Expert business paper, given that aluminum production is a very energyintensive process, a further improvement of energy efficiency in recent years has become one of the major priorities for Rusal.

Victor Mann comments: “A further improvement of energy efficiency is important for the company, both in terms of reducing its costs and carbon footprint. That is why we are investing in the modernisation of electrolytic cells. The most obvious path to energy efficiency involves the increase of the capacity of these electrolyzers, which allows to reduce energy consumption and achieve better environmental performance per unit of production.�

In the case of Rusal, the company has been conducting its own research works in this area for a long time, which led to

the development of a new technology based on inert anodes, the beginning of its massive use, according to the company, may revolutionize the entire aluminium industry both in Russia and the global scale.

According to analysts, the main advantage of the technology is the release of pure oxygen into the atmosphere instead of carbon dioxide and other substances. Rusal plans to switch its production processes on the newly development technology already shortly, which will allow the company to reduce its harmful emissions by many times.

As the company expects it will also allow to increase the purity of the aluminum produced and reduce the carbon footprint to a record low level of two tons per ton of aluminum.

In the meantime, Rusal is not the only global aluminium major, which conducts works in this field. In 2018, Alcoa and Rio Tinto announced their plans to present their own technology by 2025. For this purpose, a joint venture was established in Canada.

In regard to Russia, the raise of energy

*Russian Correspondent Aluminium International Today

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efficiency of the local aluminium sector, according to analysts, will allow to increase the domestic output and the volume of supplies for the needs of domestic customers.

Since 2016-2017 the domestic consumption of aluminium in Russia has been steadily growing with the annual growth rates of 11%.

One of the reasons for this is the ongoing process of electrification, which, according to experts of the Russian Aluminium Association, is expected to become one of the major drivers for the further growth of aluminium consumption in Russia in the coming years. At the same time, in addition to this, there is the ever growing demand for aluminum from some other industries in Russia, with the biggest being observed from the segment of oil submersible cables, auto wiring and some others.

Still, despite the gradual growth of aluminium demand and its consumption in Russia it remains still significantly lower compared to those in Western countries.

This is confirmed by the official state statistics, according to which the per capita aluminum consumption in Russia is currently estimated at 5.4kg, being

significantly lower the global average of 7.7kg. Due to low demand from domestic processing enterprises, about 80% of all aluminum produced in the territory of Russia as well as the former USSR is still exported to abroad.

Denis Manturov, the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, who oversees the development of aluminium sector in the Russian government

Russian aluminium manufacturers, from their side, expect the demand for the metal will be steadily growing from those

sectors, where aluminium consumption, so far, has been significantly lower the EU figures of the same sectors, such as the local automotive production.

According to producers, so far, many of Russian automakers have used ferrous metal, including steel in their manufacturing processes, instead of aluminum, which could be more suitable for them.

In the meantime, many of Russian independent analysts in the field of aluminium also believe one of the ways to stimulate its consumption within the country is to conduct a further standardisation work to ensure that aluminum can be used alongside steel and other materials in areas where it is underrepresented.

One of such areas is building of small pedestrian bridges, the popularity of which is steadily growing in Russia.

According to analysts, aluminum bridges are lightweight, cost less and do not require additional operating costs. Until recently, bridges in Russia have been built from steel, concrete, stone and wood, however in recent years an interest for the use of aluminium for the building of bridges has significantly increased. ďż˝

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56 PROJECT: PROPERZI

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Casting line contracts

Continuus-Properzi is proud to announce the signature of two contracts with ARZYZ METALS located 30km north of Monterrey,

Mexico for two Properzi Track & Belt Ingot Casting Lines for Foundry Aluminium Alloys with a capacity of 15 tph each.

ARZYZ METALS is a company specialised (since 1980) in the production and commercialization of non-ferrous alloys serving various industry sectors.

The Track & Belt system bought by ARZYZ METALS allows the production of ingots with a nominal dimension and weight of 10 kg. The “Properzi ingots” have the following advantageous characteristics: � 100% repeatable shape, dimensions and weight � Consistent dimensions and shape of ingot bundles with high stability � 25% less space required for storage � The cast bar is solidified with zero cracks and no dangerous voids

Skimming is not required Traceability data mechanically imprinted on each ingot � Zero de-molding problems � Minimum number of straps needed to secure each ingot bundle Different plant configurations can provide ingot production rates ranging from 10 tph or higher for secondary alloys up to 28 tph for pure aluminium.

Properzi is also willing to supply such plants on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis so that the buyer is only minimally involved with the installation of the plant. � � �

For more details please contact us at: sales@properzi.it or visit our website: www.properzi.com

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