Aluminium International Today July August 2022

GREENER ALUMINIUM

ANTIMICROBIAL FOCUS

AUTOMOTIVE REFRACTORIES

www.aluminiumtoday.com July/August 2022—Vol.35 No.4

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

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CONTENTS 1

www.aluminiumtoday.com

2

LEADER NEWS GREENER ALU REVIEW

7

Greener Aluminium Summit calls for action

2

GREENER ALUMINIUM

Volume 35 No. 4 – July/August 2022

13

COVER

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

GREENER ALUMINIUM

from pathways to action

AUTOMOTIVE

ANTIMICROBIAL FOCUS

REFRACTORIES

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

www.aluminiumtoday.com July/August 2022—Vol.35 No.4

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

Production Editor: Annie Baker

17

Throwing off the shackles

21

Why inert Anodes are a Capital idea

23

Role of Al on the road to sustainable aluminium production

Sales

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

OPINION PIECE

A L U M I N I U M I N T E R N A T I O N A L T O D A Y J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 V O L . 3 5 N O 4

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

27

30

Production Executive: Martin Lawrence

Stealing back profits with aluminium bricking machines

Managing Director: Tony Crinion CEO: Steve Diprose

Jack Homewood Tel +44 (0) 1737 855028 Fax +44 (0) 1737 855034 email subscriptions@quartzltd.com Annual subscription: UK £257, all other countries £278. For two year subscription: UK £485, all other countries £501. Airmail prices on request.

Single copies £47

Aluminium’s journey to ZERO carbon

REFRACTORIES

Advertisement Production

Circulation/subscriptions

Aluminium decarbonisation -

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32

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NEW TECHNOLOGY

Cover picture courtesy of Kunshan Jihan Een Enterprise Co., Ltd.

17

32

A new refractory solution to increase productivity

ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION DIE

37

H ealthy and efficient self-cleaning cabin filtration

THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES

Supporters of Aluminium International Today

39

Aluminium use in the aerospace and automotive industries in USA

44

ANTIMICROBIAL AL

51 44

On the surface

AUTOMOTIVE 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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48

Paving a road fit for EVs

51

Project to make the European EV industry less reliant on Alu imports

55

PACKAGING 53

and entertainment

MINING SEARCH FOR ALUMINIUM INTERNATIONAL TODAY

55

Aluminium International Today

Contents Template.indd 1

Possibilities of urban mining in relation to aluminium

CRU REVIEW 57

ISSN1475-455X

Advancing packaging sustainability in sports

Advancing aluminium: The World Aluminium Conference July/August 2022

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2 COMMENT

TOP STORIES

EGA to supply CelestiAL solar aluminium to HAI

POWERING ON As we power through 2022, there is no shortage of news and announcements about aluminium being produced with cleaner energy (excuse the puns..!)

One such announcement is the agreement for EGA to supply its CelestiAL solar aluminium to Mercedez-Benz parts maker Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI).

And it seems that solar is also the favourite for Ma’aden, who recently entered into an MoU with GlassPoint to develop the world’s largest solar process heat plant at their alumina refinery.

Following on this theme, this issue sees a guest column from a very recognisable industry figure, Tim Murray, who outlines the industry’s challenges when it comes to reaching net zero (page 27).

There is also a round-up of all the goings on from the latest Greener Aluminium Summit, which saw more than 200 delegates meet virtually to discuss technological case studies and sustainable solutions, and a selection of papers from speakers who joined us at the event.

The Alumina Chronicles Column this month focuses on the use of aluminium in the automotive and aerospace industries (page 39), and we continue to look at the opportunities for making the European EV sector less reliant on aluminium imports in an article focusing on the SALEMA Project (page 51).

I also caught up on the latest from A3 Surfaces, who were recently granted a new round of funding for the commercialisation of their antimicrobial aluminium products in Europe (page 44).

I hope you enjoy this issue! nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

July/August 2022

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Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) signed an agreement to supply CelestiAL solar aluminium to Mercedes-Benz parts maker Hammerer Aluminum Industries.

The agreement will see EGA’s CelestiAL metal return to the UAE, as well as being distributed all over the world. EGA supplies thousands of tonnes of aluminium to HAI each year. A proportion of this supply now switch to CelestiAL. Rob van Gils, Chief Executive Officer of Hammerer Aluminium

Industries, said: “This partnership with EGA enables us to contribute to a better future and shows that aluminum has a key role to play in achieving the European Union’s Green Deal ambitions to decarbonise manufacturing. I am personally excited that many parts of the premium SUVs which are so popular in the UAE will be produced by HAI using EGA’s UAEmade CelestiAL solar aluminium. I look forward to driving these vehicles on the UAE’s sand dunes.”

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: “The launch of EGA’s CelestiAL solar aluminium was a landmark in our industry’s drive to net zero.

We expect to soon be able to increase production of CelestiAL, and meet more of the significant global demand for this innovative, low-carbon metal. We are proud that HAI, and their customers like Mercedes-Benz AG, will use aluminium made with the power of the UAE sun.”

MA’ADEN and GlassPoint sign MOU to develop world’s largest solar process steam plant When complete, the 1,500 MW solar steam facility will help MA’ADEN achieve sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions by over 600,000 tons annually. This represents more than 50% reduction of carbon footprint in MA’ADEN’s Alumina refinery and 4% of MA’ADEN’s overall carbon footprint.

The MOU was signed at MA’ADEN HQ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by Riyadh Al Nassar, senior vice president of MA’ADEN’s aluminium business and Rod MacGregor, CEO and founder of GlassPoint, witnessed by Robert Wilt, CEO of MA’ADEN and Jacob Drejer, CCO of GlassPoint.

Robert Wilt, stated: “As the third pillar of the Saudi economy, we aspire to be a role model in ESG in the Kingdom. This significant development will dramatical-

ly reduce our carbon footprint and bring us closer to our mandate of carbon neutrality by 2050. As the world moves towards green aluminium, MA’ADEN intends to help lead the way in this transition.”

Riyadh Al Nassar, SVP Aluminium SBU of MA’ADEN stated: “The proposed new facility, a solar thermal plant known as MA’ADEN Solar 1, will be located in Ras al

Khair, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and will harness the power of the sun to produce steam. The steam will be used to refine bauxite ore into alumina. Alumina is a critical feedstock to Aluminium, which is one of the world’s most crucial metals for many global industries going into a future that is focused on environment and sustainability.”

Alcoa: Low-carbon EcoLumTM to Hellenic Cables Alcoa Corporation has announced that it is supplying low-carbon EcoLumTM aluminium to Hellenic Cables S.A., one of the largest cable producers in Europe with key markets in renewable energy transmission and distribution.

Hellenic Cables, the cables segment of Cenergy Holdings, operates five manufacturing plants across three countries and manufactures power, telecommunica-

tion, and submarine cables, and compounds.

The EcoLum brand is part of Alcoa’s SustanaTM family of low-carbon products, the most comprehensive in the aluminium industry, and has a carbon footprint that is approximately 3.5 times better than the industry average.

“We are very proud to partner with Hellenic Cables and assist

them in their stated mission to develop a sustainable energy future,” said Kelly Thomas, Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “We know that aluminium is a key material for a more sustainable future, and we are the company to deliver with responsible production from mine to metal, all backed by excellent quality and strong customer service.”

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Novelis to Build $2.5 Billion Recycling and Rolling Plant Novelis has announced it will invest $2.5 billion to build a new low-carbon recycling and rolling plant in Bay Minette, Alabama, USA. The highly advanced facility will have an initial 600 kilotonnes of finished aluminium goods capacity per year.

“This investment marks the start of another transformational growth phase for Novelis,” said

Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group and the Novelis Board of Directors.

“We continue to invest in each of the markets Novelis serves – from beverage can to automotive, aerospace and specialties – and in all geographies. Novelis has a track record of success in delivering customers the low-carbon, sustainable aluminium solutions they seek,

and we will continue that storied history with this investment and others to come.”

More than half of the capacity of the new facility will be used to serve growing demand for aluminium beverage can sheet in North America, which is driven by consumer preference for more sustainable packaging.

Alba Signs Agreement with Mitsubishi Power & SEPCO III Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) signed a full turnkey contract today with Mitsubishi Power, a power solution brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), and SEPCO III consortium to expand Power Station 5 at Alba, adding a new 680.9 megawatts (MW) Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Block.

Under the terms of the contract, Mitsubishi Power & SEPCO III consortium will be responsible to design, engineer, procure, construct and commission a 680.9 megawatts (MW) Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Block. Mitsubishi Power will supply a combined cycle power plant, which comprises of M701JAC gas turbine,

an air-cooled version of J-series gas turbines and a steam turbine.

To meet future decarbonization needs globally, JAC gas turbines are capable of using up to 30% hydrogen fuel by volume, to reach 100% hydrogen fuel in the future with minimal existing infrastructure modification.

AIP acquires Belgian aluminium rolling mill The history of Aluminium Duffel dates back to 1946, when the Feron family founded the aluminium rolling mill. Today they are a European leader in the manufacturing of aluminium rolled products for diverse industries worldwide, including Architecture & Design and ABS (Automotive Body Sheet). It is the company’s ambition to be a leading sustainable rolling mill who offers low carbon aluminium products to his customers.

Geert Vannuffelen, General

Manager of the Duffel mill says: “Today marks a milestone in our company’s history. We are looking forward to proceed under the new ownership of AIP, who is committed to a sustainable future for our company. We are convinced of a good cooperation between both parties and we are positive about the first steps AIP has taken to further invest in our company, which demonstrates their engagement to reach the full potential of our plant.”

Having hosted the Future Aluminium Forum since 2018, Aluminium international aims to continue to encourage industry specialists and companies to discuss their progress and developments.

“Aluminium International has a long-standing and excellent working relationship with RX Global, and this new initiative, which will

International Aluminium Institute appoints Satish Pai as new Board Chair Mr Pai is the Managing Director of Hindalco Industries, one of the world’s largest integrated producers of aluminium. He succeeds Ben Kahrs, Chief Innovation Officer, Alcoa Corporation.

Aluminium Closures Group: Celebrating 10 years of progress The Aluminium Closures Group (ACG) is celebrating 10 years since its formation in 2012. The ACG has played an influential role in promoting the benefits of screwcaps via a number of landmark events and campaigns, plus undertaking important research over the last decade.

Combilift launches two new Industrial vehicles

Irish forklift manufacturer Combilift has added yet another addition to its now extensive electric range with the launch of the Combi-FSE – a four wheeled, two directional sideloader in both 5,000kg or 6,000kg lift capacity.

Retirement wishes

The importance of Industry 4.0 for the aluminium industry Among the prominent partners at ALUMINIUM 2022 is Quartz Business Media, the publishing company behind Aluminium International Today.

Aluminium International Today has announced it will be hosting a number of sessions at the ALUMINIUM 2022 “Innovation Plaza Additive & Digital Manufacturing.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

be presented at this year‘s ALUMINIUM Show, provides the perfect platform for both portfolios to combine their industry knowledge and bring this to a wider audience.”

Rune Erdal, Norsk Hydro, a longstanding contact for the Aluminium International Today Production team, will be retiring at the end of July.

We would like to wish him all the very best!

PSI Metals and IDAP Conclude Strategic Partnership This will allow customers to benefit from two optimally coordinated software solutions and efficient end-2-end processes in the future. In addition to a joint sales force, the cooperation includes a regular exchange and SAP training of PSI employees by IDAP. July/August 2022

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Rio Tinto and Corona Canada pilot ELYSIS low carbon can Rio Tinto has announced, in partnership with Corona Canada, the launch of Canada’s first specially-marked, low carbon beverage can, manufactured by Ball Corporation. The cans, now available through a pilot in Ontario, were made using aluminium from Rio Tinto and leveraging ELYSISTM technology. As part of this limited release, 1.2 million cans were produced with a QR code to inspire

consumers to learn more about the cans’ low carbon footprint.

This pilot is a step towards putting a fully traceable beverage can in the hands of consumers. In the future, Rio Tinto will leverage insights from its START initiative to allow consumers to use QR codes to see exactly how their products were made from mine to market – including sustainability data.

Currently, around 70 per cent of

the aluminium used in cans produced in North America is made with recycled aluminium.

Pairing this recycled metal with Rio Tinto’s low-carbon aluminium – made with renewable hydropower – and metal produced using the direct greenhouse gas emissions free ELYSISTM smelting technology reduces carbon emissions by more than 30 per cent.

Global Packing Manufacturer Celebrates Construction Milestone CANPACK has commemorated the completion of the steel framing for the new 862,000-square-foot aluminium beverage can manufacturing plant during a Topping Off ceremony with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and local community officials and leaders. The future plant will be home to approximately 345 well-paying, local jobs.

“It’s an exciting time to be in Muncie to celebrate the construction milestone of CANPACK’s second US-based, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility,” said Peter Giorgi. “We appreciate the warm welcome and look forward to becoming an integral part of the Muncie-Delaware County community and contributing to the

July/August 2022

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August 10th - 12th ALUMINIUM China Hybrid event and held in Shanghai. www.aluminiumchina.com/ en-gb.html 25th - 27th MMMM 2022 Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy & Materials International Exhibition and Conference (popularly known as MMMM) is a leading biennial international event for industry professionals.

Held in Delhi, India www.mmmm-expo.com/en-GB

September 13th - 15th International Aluminium 2022 Join over 400 executives from across the aluminium supply chain for three days of analysis and insights into raw materials, primary and secondary aluminium markets. Held in Barcelona, Spain www.events.fastmarkets.com 14th - 15th UK Metals Expo UK Metals Expo is the only event that brings together the entire metals supply chain. From primary metal manufacture to supply chain management, processing metals, fabrication, surface coatings and recycling.

Held at the NEC, Birmingham www.ukmetalsexpo.com

remarkable business environment that exists throughout the state.”

CANPACK announced plans in May 2021 that it would invest $380 million to build its second aluminium beverage can manufacturing

facility in the United States, creating the local jobs by 2023. The facility is located on 139 acres of land on the southwest corner of South Cowan and West Fuson Roads in Monroe Township in Muncie.

HEINEKEN launches “Packaging the Future” HEINEKEN has launched “Packaging the Future”, a programme to accelerate the carbon transition of their packaging suppliers.

The top 50 suppliers were invited to an online summit to network and set clear targets in climate action. This is an important milestone in the company’s goal to decarbonise its own production by 2030 and its full value chain by 2040,

2022 DIARY

which is one of the 22 refreshed Brew a Better World 2030 ambitions announced last year.

“Packaging represents 27% of our total carbon footprint and our top 50 suppliers account for 85% of our total packaging carbon footprint. We want to work collaboratively across our value chain to scale our impact”, said Hervé le Faou, HEINEKEN’S Chief Procure-

ment Officer. The summit was attended by the top Executives of the largest suppliers globally. In spirit of collaboration, PepsiCo and Carrefour were invited to participate in the summit by sharing insights on their path to net zero. Two targets were communicated to packaging suppliers: - Submit a Science-Based Net Zero Target (STBi) - Transition to 100% renewable electricity.

14th - 17th 10th IBAAS International Conference & Exhibition The next IBAAS 2022 event is being planned in Raipur, India, in Hotel Courtyard Marriot, Raipur. www.ibaas.info 27th - 29th ALUMINIUM The world’s leading trade show and B2B platform for the aluminum industry and its main application industries the show focuses on solutions for automotive, mechanical engineering, building and construction, aerospace, electronics, packaging and transportation. Held in Germany. www.aluminium-exhibition. com/en-gb.html For a full listing visit www.aluminiumtoday.com/ events Aluminium International Today

07/07/2022 08:01:00

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GREENER ALUMINIUM REVIEW 7

Greener Aluminium Summit calls for action

By Zahra Awan*

The Greener Aluminium Online Summit, a one-day online event, took place on 24th May, marking its second year of action. The event aims to bring together aluminium manufacturers and environmental solutions providers to discuss how the industry must continue to adapt, minimising the impacts associated with production of the metal today, while also developing technological pathways for the future.

There were more than 200 delegates registered, from across the globe.

Attendees included representatives from Alba, Panda Aluminyum, European Aluminium, Shanghai Huafon Aluminium, as well as many more.

Opening the event was Nadine Bloxsome, Editor and Content Director of Aluminium International Today. Setting the scene for the event, she stated, “[the event will] showcase ongoing projects, new technology, investments, and challenges we face together as a sector”,

emphasising the need for a united front.

Keynote speaker, Joachim Von Scheele, Global Director of Commercialisation, Linde Technology presented on ‘Flameless Oxyfuel and Hydrogen for Greener Aluminium Production’. Mr Von Scheele discussed the dilemmas that arise when converting to 100% renewable Hydrogen/ Oxyfuel. He proposed that companies slowly integrate renewable fuel by implementing a step-by-step strategy, which slowly phases out the use of nonrenewable fuel. He presented an example of the first 100% renewable energy fuelled steel plant – OVAKO, where 25 tonnes of ball bearing steel was heated by 100% flameless Oxyfuel with Hydrogen Fuel. This is now being phased to full scale, at the steel company. Linde is now conducting its first large scale test with aluminium following a number of successful smallscale tests.

Presenting next was Dr Fiona Solomon, CEO of the Aluminium Stewardship

Initiative. Dr Solomon discussed the future of the ASI in the next five years.

“Climate actions and risks are front and centre for the industry”; the ASI aims to address all aspects to ensure an accurate assessment of environmental sustainability is made against a company. As well as environmental sustainability, the initiative assesses other sustainability factors to “maximise each other’s [companies] successes”. She announced the ASI’s new Indigenous Peoples Advisory Forum (IPAF), which uses qualitative data to assess and ensure social sustainability. Ms Solomons also discussed the new standards that the ASI announced following their five-year review, she disclosed that the ASI will be reviewing their standards more frequently to keep up-to-date with the changes in the industry.

Next, Vice President of Alcoa, Rosa M. García Piñeiro presented on ‘The Technology Roadmap to Achieve the Aluminium Industry’s Net Zero Ambitions’.

*Editorial Assistant, Aluminium International Today Aluminium International Today

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She stated, “[Alcoa is] on a journey to reinvent the aluminium industry for a sustainable future”. Ms García Piñeiro outlined Alcoa’s investments where the company strives towards better sustainability. She disclosed that Alcoa have been investing in an R&D project – Refractory of the Future, decarbonisation of aluminium smelting and refining with ELYSIS, and developed recycled scrap aluminium through its project ASTRAEA. Following the theme of sustainable projects and products, Hans Erik Vatne, Chief Technology Officer at Hydro added: “sustainability is becoming imperative to running a business”. He discussed Hydro’s new green aluminium product: CIRCAL, which contains 75% scrap material (for more information on this topic, take a look at the March/April issue of Aluminium International Today). Mr Vatne also listed Hydro’s research projects: Carbon Capture and Storage- 55 technologies have been implemented and Hydro work with selected companies, Inert anodes experiments - these were investigated as a huge internal project; however, the concept was discarded as it was too high risk and high in cost, support for the development of ELYSIS alongside their peers and more.

Closing the first section of the event, Paramita Das, Global Marketing and Development for Rio Tinto, spoke on ‘Responsible Aluminium: Enabling Modern Life’. Stating, “Green materials need to be more than carbon free”, she discussed the importance of transparency in the industry. Ms Das went on to discuss the 10-point criteria of the START Responsible program that Rio Tinto are involved in, R&D projects like ELYSIS™ and the companies plans to invest $7.5 billion by 2030. “Green aluminium is responsible aluminium… Sustainability is a team sport”.

Speaking next was Steffen Zendler, July/August 2022

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Heavy Industry Strategy and Marketing Manager EMEA, Rockwell Automation.

In his presentation, ‘Recycling & Electrification: Roadmap for Automotive Aluminium & Aluminium Content in BEVs’, he discussed the importance of transparency, and data-based decision making. The two paired together, he concluded, help to identify continuous process and energy improvement opportunities.

Chuck Johnson, President and CEO of The Aluminium Association spoke next. He discussed the Aluminium Transport Association (ATG), a group of key aluminium players and consultants with the aim to push for sustainable solutions in the transportation industry.

He went onto conclude “as the world focuses on decarbonisation, technology advances, and consumer demand shifts, the automotive is being reimaged from the ground up and that is exciting for all of us across the industry. Aluminium companies and customers are working

more closely than ever before.”

Closing the session was David Mysko, Global Director, Bulk Metals Decarbonisation, HATCH, who spoke on “the systematic approach to identify opportunities” to ensure success. He then went onto discuss HATCH’s method of a ‘Decarbonisation Pathway’: “1. Mapping emission sources, 2.

Opportunity identification – Leveraging Expert Team, 3. Transition Assessment, 4. Opportunity Assessment.” He concluded, “ it comes down to people, in order to start a path and maintain momentum, you need to reinforce the changing value drivers…”

Following a networking break, Quantillion CEO, Hilbrand Kuiken delivered his presentation on the ‘Role of AI on the Road to Sustainable Aluminium Production’. He discussed he benefits of using “fast and powerful decision-making algorithms” in the industry and delved into the question; “how do we transform from doing one thing, to doing another that we are not used to?” He continued, “None of the goals [or changes] can be reached alone”. Mr Kuiken proposed the use of technology to assist with the industry; a Cluster Optimisation model provided evidence that AI is 20 times faster than an “individual decision”.

Allowing AI to make the decisions in the Cluster Optimisation model resulted in a 6% decrease in emissions. This proved how AI technology can be used to not only improve efficiency, but also reduce CO2 emissions.

“Knowing that the climate is ours and not yours; we need to be aware that we need to deal with issues together and rely on each other.” Hilbrand Kuiken, CEO, Quantillion.

Speaking next was Gunther Schober, Sales Manager, PSI Metals. Reiterating the importance of Technology and AI

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in the industry, he stated: “Software will not change the process, but it can optimise energy use and thus help reduce CO2 emissions.” He provided another example of where intelligent software can be implemented to reduce costs; using technology to predict when peaks of energy will arise and estimate demand to reduce sharp fluctuations, and therefore improve efficiency, sustainability, and cost of energy usage.

“700 million tonnes of emissions are from electricity,” said Pernelle Nunez, Deputy Secretary General – Sustainability, International Aluminium Institute.

Energy, an issue at the forefront of sustainability challenges. Ms Nunez outlined three possible scenarios regarding predictions of future aluminium production moving into 2050. She stated, “unless energy CO2 emissions are zero, or close to zero” we will not reach the goals we have set for 2050. Ms Nunez ended her presentation by highlighting: “Aluminium is the material of the Future”, so despite the challenges, the industry is succeeding.

Alumobility, a non-profit organisation, presented on its white paper ‘Closing the Loop on Automotive Aluminium Scrap to Minimise Carbon Emissions’. Speakers Alison Conroy, Director, Sustainability, Novelis and Mickaël Faliu, Sustainability Engineer, Constellium, discussed the importance of sustainable aluminium in the automotive industry. Looking at the circularity of the material, and its potential to be a closed loop within the automotive industry, the pair elaborated on the concept of recycling aluminium in automotives; taking out the metal for the vehicles, recycling it, put into a new vehicle and repeat. To close the loop further, they suggested that automotives start to design vehicles to be recycled.

To conclude, “the end of life us also the rebirth.”

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Paul Adkins, Managing Director of AZ Global Consulting delivered a provocative presentation challenging the usual narrative of the aluminium industry.

“There is a lot of work to do… there is a lot of hype regarding the inert anode, but its introduction will not take us to where we need to be,” he continued “why would anyone spend money [on the anodes] … the impact is not sufficient enough to implement the change”.

Nick Depree, Chief Technology Officer, EnPot, spoke on ‘decarbonisation of Aluminium Production by Demand Side response. He discussed the retrofittable heat exchange technology which enables immediate response to market conditions, full shut down modulations and potline recovery. he stated, “EnPot technology has the potential to be a very cost-effective solution to firm up to 40% of smelter power needs.”

Jonathan Watkins, CEO of Impression Technologies, discusses their Hot Form Quench (HFQ) can enable a high level of recycled content in automotive body

structures. The company was formed in 2013; “HFQ was developed to make UHSAL more formable, so that it can replace the use of steel competitively,” said Mr Watkins. The technology “support the decarbonisation agenda… it is innovative light weighting technology, saving 20-50% of weight and enables 95% embedded carbon saving opportunities.” He noted that later in 2022, there will be a demonstration if the first dull-sized A pillar in 100% recycled 6x series aluminium.

Speaking next was Manel Da Silva PhD, researcher at Eurecat, who spoke on the ‘Substitution of Critical Raw Materials on Aluminium Alloys for Electric Vehicles’.

Speaking about the SALEMA project, he explains the goals and expected results; “SALEMA will implement and validate a fully circular economy model in the car manufacturing industry for aluminium.”

He went on to discuss the projects intention to use alloys with a reduced CRM content.

Ending the conference was Michael Potesser, Managing Director at MPOT. Discussing the ‘Application and Results of MPOT Diluted Combustion in Aluminium Furnaces and the Complete Carbon Free Future Technology’, Mr Potesser went onto explain combustion theory, and the benefits of using MPOT technology. He then went onto discuss Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) technologies: MPOT – CCU, which results in zero CO2 Emissions, Improved heart transfer to furnaces, reduced fuel consumption, higher productivity, and more. He went onto discuss the MPOT-CCU in a Reheat Furnace.

Keep on reading for more in-depth editorials written by the speakers of the Greener Aluminium Event, following up on the event. �

Aluminium International Today

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Aluminium decarbonisation – from pathways to action

By Pernelle Nunez* In recent years climate change has risen steadily up the business agenda; once relegated to side sessions at industry conferences, it is now an integral part of most keynote panels with climate challenges and emissions reduction plans regularly debated by executives of multinational aluminium companies. It is readily acknowledged as a major risk for organisations across many industries and the aluminium industry is no different.

Climate change is by no means the only sustainability issue facing the sector, but it is widely recognised as one of the most pressing.

Within this context, the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the association for the global aluminium industry, set out to develop greenhouse gas pathways (GHG) for the sector to 2050 to understand what alignment with climate goals means for the sector in practice. In line with its 50-year history as the go-to organisation for open-access industry data and analysis, the IAI adopted a data-driven approach,

bringing together its long-standing life cycle and material flow modelling work to develop the first comprehensive aluminium sector pathways for the industry and other stakeholders.

Pathways for a hard-to-abate sector Aluminium is often grouped with other industrial sectors that are significant emitters of greenhouse gas emissions, such as steel and cement. These are labelled as ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors because they are energy intensive, use a combination of heat and electricity, and the cost of introducing less carbon-intensive technologies is high.

In order to meet global climate goals, all industries are going to have to reduce emissions from current levels and the aluminium sector pathways demonstrate the deep reductions needed across the sector to meet the objectives of the Paris agreement.

The IAI wanted to ensure its sector pathways analysis was rooted within an economy-wide context and a broader,

systems-wide decarbonisation trajectory.

With this in mind, two decarbonisation scenarios were developed which broadly align with the International Energy Agency’s Beyond 2 Degrees Warming Scenario1 and 1.5 Degree Warming Scenario2 which consider pathways for the global energy sector.

Establishing the sector baseline In developing the sector GHG pathways to 2050, establishing the baseline was an essential first step. In 2018, an ingot of primary aluminium had an average cradleto-gate (mine to casthouse) footprint of ~16 t CO2e/t Al based on the IAI’s life cycle work. Recycled aluminium was much less carbon intensive at 0.6 t CO2e/t Al. These figures give an emissions baseline for the sector for 2018 of 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2e – about 2% of total global annual GHG emissions3. Emissions associated with electricity constituted the largest share at approximately 700 million tonnes of CO2e, followed by process and thermal

1. https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-technology-perspectives-2017 2. https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050 3. https://international-aluminium.org/resource/aluminium-sector-greenhouse-gas-pathways-to-2050-2021/ 4. https://international-aluminium.org/resource/aluminium-beverage-can-study/

Fig 1. Aluminium sector emissions by type (2018)

Fig 2. Aluminium sector scenarios to 2050

Deputy Secretary General, Director – Sustainability, International Aluminium Institute Aluminium International Today

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Fig 3. Primary aluminium emissions intensity 2018 and for the three 2050 scenarios

Fig 4. Share of primary and recycled aluminium to 2050

Aluminium cans are the most recycled beverage containers globally, with a 71% recycling rate. They also have the highest closed-loop recycling rate, which is when the product is recycled for use as the same product, at 33%

Fig 5. Aluminium performs well against competing materials in beverage container packaging

energy at 300 million tonnes of CO2e and ancillary materials production and transportation within the supply chain at 100 million tonnes (Fig 1).

Sector emissions in 2050 With the baseline established, three scenarios for the sector to 2050 were developed as part of the analysis (Fig 2): 1. Business-as-usual – assuming minimal changes from current operating practices and additional capacity coming on stream to fulfil growing demand for aluminium to 2050.

2. Beyond 2 Degrees – aligned with IEA’s Beyond 2 Degrees Analysis from which a sector budget was calculated for the full sector scope.

3. 1.5 Degrees – broadly aligned with IEA’s Net Zero Analysis from which a sector budget was calculated for the full sector scope.

Under these scenarios, total sector emissions in 2050 varied significantly from about 1.6 billion tonnes CO2e under the Business-as-usual scenario to about 50 million tonnes under the 1.5 Degrees Scenario.

Near-zero electricity related emissions Aluminium production has always been an electricity-intensive process and under both the Beyond 2 Degrees Scenario and the 1.5 Degrees Scenario, it is the electricity-related emissions that require the greatest reduction to just 2% of 2018 July/August 2022

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levels. Whilst some moderate reductions in emissions could be made through further energy efficiency measures, the scale of the challenge – eliminating almost 700 million tonnes of CO2e emissions – should not be underestimated. In order for the sector to align with either decarbonisation scenario its overall power mix would need to be almost fully decarbonised via zerocarbon energy sources or through the installation of significant carbon capture and utilisation (CCUS) capacity.

The required reductions in overall emissions translate into a reduction in carbon intensity from 16 tCO2e/t primary aluminium in 2018 to just 2.5 tCO2e/t (2 Degrees Scenario) and 0.5 tCO2e/t (1.5 Degrees Scenario) in 2050 (Fig 3). There is minimal commercial production currently at these Paris-aligned levels; even the lowest emissions operations today will need to reduce emissions further.

Rolling out novel technologies To achieve such reductions, three pathways have been identified and focus on a suite of different technologies to address: 1. Electricity related emissions 2. Direct and thermal energy related emissions 3. Circularity and resource efficiency In some cases, these pathways require the adoption of existing technologies such as wind or solar generated electricity whilst others are dependent on the

success of nascent technologies or those yet to be applied to aluminium production processes such as inert anodes, hydrogen, CCUS or mechanical vapour recompression. Many of these new technologies are currently at research and development or pilot scale and will require significant investment and collaboration to successfully roll out across the sector at the scale and pace required.

Climate action and sustainability Whilst the industry continues to grapple with the challenges of climate change, it has already taken decisive action where possible and is investing in low-carbon technologies. From inert anode scaleup and testing to increased solar, wind, nuclear and hydropower electricity generation – there have been a number of notable announcements from companies across all producing regions on projects to help reduce emissions as rapidly as possible.

There have also been a number of collaborative initiatives at the R&D level which seek to build confidence and capacity in newer technologies, ultimately enabling further development and commercial deployment. Often such initiatives involve industrial partners working with research institutes cofunded by public and private sources.

Such models are likely to be increasingly prevalent as corporate and national climate change strategies align over the coming years and climate-aligned finance begins to play a greater role.

Whilst this climate action has been a priority for the industry, it is clear that the conversation has evolved over the past few years from being almost exclusively carbon-focused to one which accepts that decarbonisation cannot happen at any cost.

Decarbonisation plans and technologies cannot be detrimental to the overall sustainability of operations. Similarly, it is increasingly acknowledged that climate change is not the only sustainability challenge that the industry must rise to and so efforts to address emissions need Aluminium International Today

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only a part of the sector’s decarbonisation pathways. With approximately 75% of all aluminium still in productive use – in cars, buildings and infrastructure – there will not be sufficient volumes available to completely replace primary aluminium.

Recycled aluminium will increase its contribution to supply over the coming years as more scrap becomes available when products reach the end of their life and collection systems improve, but primary aluminium will continue to be needed to meet growing demand and so decarbonisation efforts across the sector must continue in parallel with initiatives to increase circularity and resource efficiency.

to be part of a broader sustainability plan and approach. To that end, we have seen companies adopt more sustainable practices in areas such as mining, water management, waste management and social impacts in parallel with their work on climate action. This integrated approach is likely to be increasingly important as stakeholder expectations around responsible production and sourcing grow.

Recycling is only part of the solution The recyclability of aluminium is one of its key benefits and is crucial to the sector’s circularity and emissions challenges.

Recycled metal has on average a much lower carbon footprint than primary metal and so through increased recycling, it is possible to reduce the overall sector footprint. Currently, recycling reduces the need for over 20 million tonnes of primary aluminium and so avoids approximately 300 million tonnes of associated emissions. Looking ahead to 2050, there are certainly savings to be made through more efficient use of aluminium, increased collection rates across all end-use sectors and the elimination of losses from the system, but it is important to remember that scrap is in itself a finite resource and is

Opportunities in a sustainable world Recyclability, along with its light weight and conductivity, mean that aluminium is a material valued in a number of growing end-use sectors including transportation, electrical infrastructure and packaging. Green policies provide significant opportunities for aluminium and the industry should look to maximise these, substituting where possible for other materials based on aluminium’s superior sustainability credentials. For example, in transportation, the shift towards electric vehicles is likely to

increase aluminium demand by 12 million tonnes 2020-2030 as electric powered vehicles contain between 60 to 80 kg more aluminium than those powered by internal combustion engines. Similar opportunities exist in the packaging sector where both recyclability and light weight are in high demand and present potential for increased substitution of plastics and glass. In the electrical sector, aluminium’s importance in photovoltaic cells and power distribution provide further opportunities for the metal as a material of the future with increasing electrical infrastructure required as part of transitions to lowercarbon energy systems.

There are significant opportunities for aluminium in societies that are aiming to become more sustainable. Aluminium has strong credentials as a material of the future, performing well compared to competing materials in a number of enduse sectors (Fig 5). The industry is well positioned with clear pathways, guidelines and standards to help deliver on the increasing transparency and data-driven approaches demanded by stakeholders.

It is clear that aluminium is an essential material for a sustainable future, but in order to continue being a material of choice, it must itself be sustainable. �

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Throwing off the shackles How technology can transform aluminium smelters into flexible power users

We talk often of the environmental credentials of our wonder-metal, aluminium. Strong, infinitely recyclable, lightweight and loved by electric vehicle manufacturers the world over. It is the process required to create aluminium that needs to decarbonise. Depending on what country the metal originates from, the timeframe for that transformation is, well… yesterday.

We spoke with technology company EnPot’s CEO Karyna Young and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Nick Depree about what it will take to seamlessly shift smelters into the brave new world of low emissions aluminium production.

The time is now A few years back, the words “low emissions aluminium production” were reserved for hydro-powered aluminium smelters only.

And that was okay. Fast-forward to today however and the picture is changing.

The production of the electricity consumed during the smelting process generates 60% of the sector’s 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions1 .

Renewable energy is now rapidly replacing fossil-fuel power plants. Decarbonising power generation will, in turn, rapidly decarbonise aluminium production and emissions along with it.

“Aluminium smelting as we know it today can and will decarbonise. We are seeing this already. We have such a significant opportunity to bring emissions under control through supporting the transition away from power generation via fossil fuels,” said Dr. Nick Depree. This is not a case of sitting back and waiting for the world’s previously untapped wind, solar and hydro to be harnessed for energy. There are tangible steps that aluminium smelters are taking now, to not only take advantage of variable renewable energy (VRE), but to also to help firm VRE in national electricity grids.

Step one is enabling flexible power use at smelters through modulation. “We are seeing increased appetite for modulation from smelters right around the world.

From some just wanting to dip their toe in the water by making small changes, to Aluminium International Today

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smelters incorporating power modulation technology across their whole operation”, says Dr Depree.

The eponymous EnPot technology (short for Energia Potior: “to master energy”) is an innovative technology that enables smelting cell heat balance control at aluminium smelters. It was extensively developed by the Light Metals Research Centre at the University of Auckland, New Zealand since 2004, and has now been commercialised by EnPot Ltd. EnPot technology Heat balance control allows smelter power usage to be modulated both upwards or downwards by up to 30%, without disturbing the delicate heat balance required to make aluminium. This is made possible by retrofitting pot shells with enhanced temperature regulation via insulated heat-exchange jackets.

It’s a simple concept with significant impact. Enpot allows smelters to modulate power around +/-20% immediately and at any time, to work with power supply variability, and increase the use of VRE in their energy mix, as and when it makes sense for them. This is of immense value

to electricity grids grappling to support, or ‘firm’, a greater mix of intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, tidal and hydroelectric power.

A larger modulation window of up to 30%, when utilising some process changes, can be used as a solution for longer term issues such as dry periods in hydro generation. Additionally, smelters can offer full power curtailment in times of emergency power shortages for several hours, much longer than at present without this insulating ability.

The great balancing act It is the firming of unpredictable clean energy sources that has become the main cost in renewable dominated energy grids, not to mention the technical difficulty that is often involved. Firming of VRE can be performed by several technologies such as battery storage, pumped and stored hydro or gas turbine peaking plants.

“Grids these days are more of a balancing act than ever before”, said Karyna Young, CEO of EnPot. “We’re seeing an increase in power cuts, or “emergency outages” in previously secure power grids, as some operators struggle to effectively respond July/August 2022

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Detailed image of EnPot Shell Heat Exchanger Technology

Ducted network for a section of aluminum smelting cells with installed EnPot heat exchangers

New Zealand’s Waitaki Dam is one of more than 100 hydroelectric power plants in use in the country.

Cost comparison of VRE firming technologies – battery storage, pumped hydro, and EnPot

to the fluctuations in demand and supply of variable renewable energy During summer heatwaves and winter deep freezes, these cuts can have potentially catastrophic consequences.

“Aluminium Smelters are usually the largest single users on a local power grid, so this puts them in a valuable position if that load can be made flexible. All of a sudden, being one of a local grid’s largest customers can be turned into a major competitive advantage that is of immense value for grid operators. It’s a win-win for all players,” said Karyna.

For the world’s leading economies, having a constant supply of reliable electricity has always been a given.

Economic success relies on power, and as the energy transition picks up pace, the phrase “grid resilience” is becoming an increasingly hot topic. Last year, for example, China had power outages in as many as 20 provinces as the country struggled to balance its electricity supply due to coal shortages amid a surge in power demand.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), almost a third of the world’s electricity generation comes from renewable sources, and that figure is set to July/August 2022

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grow by 8% in 2022. This is good news, as long as existing grids can integrate these new energy sources with well thought out firming solutions. Demand side response, where available, is an important tool which can be leveraged without investing heavily in expensive battery energy storage.

A just transition The concept of a “just transition” means the transformational change required to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, including a complete revamp of our energy system, should leave no-one behind. A sustainable future can not be for rich countries only. Money matters, and clean reliable electricity also needs to be affordable electricity.

The last year has seen a significant shift in public perception and political motivation globally regarding decarbonisation of industries and reduction in fossil fuel usage. This has led to significant chunks of corporate and public funding being made available for decarbonisation initiatives.

“It is not lost on forward-thinking governments, determined to fast-track their countries’ decarbonisation agenda, that variable renewable energy via smelter modulation is a cost-effective and rapid

way to green their grids,” said Karyna.

“EnPot technology is currently operating at TRIMET aluminium smelters in Germany, but its potential application is huge, with 43 of the world’s 195 countries boasting aluminium smelters. Those that choose to operate flexibly can offer a competitive solution for power grids wanting to increase their use of renewable energy,” she said.

A 2019 IEA report on China Power System Transformation and advanced flexibility options directly refers to EnPot, suggesting that conversion of China’s smelters with EnPot technology would lead to a significant reduction in China’s CO2 emissions. The IEA recommends; “specific government interventions may be necessary to enrol particular largerscale load resources (e.g. aluminium smelters), including the design of financial incentives for retrofits and/or participation requirements2 .”

EnPot technology shows the potential to be the cheapest method to firm up to 40% of smelter energy needs (by 20% up or down on demand) and the capability to provide energy services similar to both grid-scale batteries (100% of capacity for a short duration) and pumped hydro (lower Aluminium International Today

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capacity for longer duration). This chart shows an amortised cost comparison of several technologies available for VRE firming.

A tale of two energy markets EnPot has recently modelled two very different energy markets3, one coal dominated and another hydro-dominated.

Both show there is significant available value in the market when generating capacity, and hence power price, is highly variable. This value is only likely to increase as VRE replaces coal and gas for either base load or peaking generation.

There are many ways in which the value of smelter modulation can be captured by the smelters and grid operators, once EnPot has been installed. Some smelting companies are already experienced power traders and can buy and sell power and firming capabilities to economic advantage, trading this off against varying metal production.

Many smelters, however, would prefer to continue steady operation as often as possible, maximising their metal production, and modulating when requested by grid operators. In this scenario, they would more likely negotiate either scaled payments for providing this service on demand or negotiate overall

lower annual power prices given the value to the grid operators - such as the avoided cost of investing in other firming methods.

Firming power grids for decarbonisation “EnPot technology is the cheapest and easiest method to start firming variable power generation, because it utilises massive existing assets and infrastructure in aluminium smelters,” said Karyna Young. Of course, firming power grids has a great advantage beyond the economic benefits to smelters and generators – the key goal is to reduce the ‘scope 2’ carbon emissions accrued from power generation.

“Combined with increased governmental, corporate, and consumer desires to decarbonise, smelter power modulation as a tool becomes a very attractive proposition,” Karyna concludes.� https://energiapotior.com/

1. https://international-aluminium.org/resource/aluminium-sector-greenhouse-gas-pathways-to-2050-2021/ (2018 data) 2. China Power System Transformation, IEA, 2019 3. Depree, N.B., Thomas, D.P., Wong, D.S. (2022). The Contribution and Economics of Demand Side Response Towards Decarbonizing the Aluminium Smelting Industry. In: Eskin, D. (eds) Light Metals 2022. The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-925291_74

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Why Inert Anodes are a Capital Idea

By Paul Adkins* The entire primary aluminum industry has been watching carefully for any news from Elysis, the Alcoa/Rio Tinto joint Venture working to develop an inert anode. First announced in 2018, this project created a new level of interest in inert anodes following almost 20 years of speculation, trial and error and most of all, lack of a breakthrough.

Since 2018, Elysis has kept an extremely tight rein on information. Even the usual “leaks” have not materialised. That’s left a vacuum, and as someone once said, speculation loves vacuums. There have been all sorts of expert opinion on the various questions arising from the possibility of an inert anode becoming commercially available.

Technical experts have had plenty of time to consider these questions and challenges. How does a technology which occupies a vertical plane fit into an existing pot that operates on a horizontal plane? What if the raw materials required to make an inert anode generate other unpleasant side effects, or are simply too scarce or require mining in pristine areas? And anyway, who is going to teach potline crews how to deal with the various operating vagaries? Although potrooms look like they are sitting there happily bubbling away generating pure aluminum, that’s because the crews know exactly how to keep things that way.

There’s no doubt the road ahead of the inert anode will be a difficult one. There’s speculation that Rio or Alcoa will retrofit an existing plant with the new technology, to make said plant into a model that Elysis can use to promote and market the technology. The concept of showcase plants is not new in the primary aluminum industry. Even then, we don’t know what market development strategy might get rolled out. The betting appears to be on technology licensing, which is also a very common practice in aluminum. But other options remain. Since the life cycle of an inert anode is said to be many times more than that of a carbon anode, could one centrally-located anode manufacturing

plant supply the entire world? (At least until enough smelters switch or new plants are built.) That model would gain synergies in procurement of raw materials, and would partially protect the technology from reverse engineering.

Speaking of which, it’s my bet that whatever market rollout model Elysis decides on, China will not feature anywhere in their plans. Remembering that the Elysis CEO Vincent Christ used to work with Pechiney, and Pechiney got seriously burned by their technology being

illegally copied by some inside China, I can’t imagine any scenario where China will be a customer. Indeed, there are new moves inside China to tackle the inert anode, after previous attempts failed.

So, there are many questions that we are all grappling with on the inert anode. I don’t claim to have any inside information, but I would like to offer one specific thought about this new technology.

To me, it doesn’t matter what your view is on the technology, and it doesn’t

matter what outcomes you are looking for if you are examining the technology for your smelter, there’s one overarching fact – inert anodes are a capital idea. But in this case, capital means finance.

The easy aspect of this statement is if you are considering building a new smelter. Your investment is going to be in the billions of dollars, regardless of whether you opt for existing technology or the inert anode. In a new smelter scenario, the only way forward that will deliver a return on investment in a decent time frame is to build a single potline now, and purchase anodes. You save yourself the cost of a full anode plant, though you still need a rodding shop and you still need to deal with spent anodes and any scrap anodes. Once the inert anode is proven and fully understood, you go ahead and build line two. (Naturally your new smelter is running on renewable electricity and green alumina.)

In this scenario, you still have the question of operating costs. You have made your capital cost decisions, and it’s not too difficult to assess the operating costs of a potline that runs on existing prebake technology. Since you have a potline running, you can afford to wait and assess the case for the inert anode. Right now, nobody knows what the real costs will be – whether it is the cost of the raw materials, the cost of manufacturing the anode, the increased cost of electricity, or the cost of disposing of the inert anode at the end of its life. However, it is worth pointing out that these questions apply for those who might consider retrofitting their plant.

Retrofitting is not an easy decision, but whichever way you look at it, it’s a decision involving major capital investment. Even a relatively small plant with say 400 pots will be faced with a major capital decision, since it’s not just the point of electrolysis that shifts. The meeting point where the electricity meets the alumina will shift to a vertical plane, but presumably the rest of the pot will need re-designing. Will centre point feeding still work or will a new feed mechanism be needed? Since the inert

*Managing Director, AZ Global Consulting Ltd Aluminium International Today

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anode is said to produce pure oxygen, shouldn’t that be harnessed, bottled, and re-sold? And what do you do with the fume extraction system? By the way, what do you do with your anode plant?

The anode plant takes up a large amount of land when the baking ovens are considered. Do you still need a rodding shop? And what sort of anode cleaning and disposal system will you need once the inert anode has reached its end of life. (Remembering, the new technology is called “inert” but it’s not like these anodes will last forever.)

There’s one other piece of equipment that many people neglect to include in their considerations. When I worked at Tomago Aluminum in Australia, we had to silos located at the Newcastle port, where calcined coke was stored. The site also contained Tomago’s three alumina silos, and came with a conveyor system that brought the material from the ship to the silo. These calcined coke silos were matched by two other silos located at the plant ahead of the anode plant.

There was a coal tar pitch silo by the anode plant as well. If a smelter is considering retrofitting the new technology, will it still need calcined coke

silos, and will any new raw material still be delivered in the same form factor, and handle the same way ahead of any manufacturing? Or do we need to build an entirely new storage system? If inert anodes are to be made at some outside location, what does one do with the equipment at the port?

It’s impossible to put a dollar figure on the cost of a retrofit might be, since there are too many variables, but essentially, the question comes down to capital. A project to retrofit the inert anode will be assessed along with every other RFC (Request for Capital).

Most companies use standard decision trees and templates for capital investment – does the investment improve revenue,

reduce costs, sustain operations or meet some other strategic imperative? For the inert anode, it may improve revenue if a green premium can be applied to the metal produced, but the problem is, it won’t move most smelters far enough down the carbon emissions tree. What I mean is, the inert anode will reduce your emissions by about 1.5 to 2 tons of CO2 per ton of metal produced. If you are sitting at 8 or 10 tons of CO2 emissions per ton of aluminum produced, the inert anode will not get you down to the threshold of 4t CO2, much less zero to 0.5t CO2 that more and more consumers are demanding.

There may be other considerations that come into play when considering the capital investment, perhaps political or geo-political issues, but on face value, only those companies who currently sit down at 4 tons CO2 will likely ever make the investment. And that’s without knowing what the operating costs will prove to be.

Somebody has to be the first mover, but if I were the Board, I would be asking should we be that first mover?

So, regardless your opinion of the inert anode and its ability to transform our industry, it’s going to be a decision that must meet the rules of capital investment. �

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Role of AI on the road to sustainable aluminium production

By Quantillion Technologies* Industry 4.0 is currently one of the most talked about topics in the aluminium industry, with such elements as automation, robotics, IIoT, ML, AI and AR leading the way towards the ‘smelters of the future’. Next to that Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices are becoming increasingly important, with the push towards sustainability coming from customers, governments, and potential investors. Getting hold of clean energy is only one side of this journey. The other side concerns process optimization opportunities arising from new technical developments.

At Quantillion, we strongly believe that making use of Industry 4.0 technologies is not only complementary to, but necessary for achieving sustainable production.

Without an Industry 4.0 approach, it will simply not be possible to deliver these long-term goals with existing potline technology and control practices alone.

At Quantillion we have been using AI and a digital twin of smelter operations to optimise production processes. We see production environments as a cyberphysical area where humans, machines and equipment need to work together in the most optimal way. These optimisation gains are directly related to the increases in sustainability of operations. But how do you do it? Where do you start? How can we leverage the power of AI on the road to sustainable aluminium production?

In this article we will showcase an example of an AI solution which helped in improving sustainability of industrial operations as well as explain the steps that need to be taken when it comes to implementation of AI-based solutions in the heavy industry.

Hilbrand Kuiken, CEO Quantillion Technologies

At Quantillion, we are putting fast and powerful decision-making algorithms at the heart of production processes. Our products make it easy for operators and machines to make smart decisions, fast.

Hilbrand is the CEO of Quantillion.

He is an entrepreneur focusing on data intelligence that enables real time autonomous decision making in complex environments. Hilbrand loves working with passionate people in creating real value for the clients. He believes data is not about analytics but about doing!

FAST. SMART. SUSTAINABLE.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Artificial intelligence (AI), also known as machine intelligence, is an advanced technology that has already started to fundamentally transform many industries, including the heavy industry.

Based on a study published in scientific journal Nature Communications in

2020, AI could help achieve as much as 79% of Sustainable Development Goals.

It has already proven itself in several other industries and is now becoming an important contibutor to solving a number of issues that are critical for sustainable metal production.

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SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

The heavy industry has sustainability at the top of the agenda!

Net zero A transformation that affects all countries and their industrial sectors (including aluminium), as per the 2050 Paris Agreement.

Decarbonisation Aluminium customers are setting bold decarbonisation targets with a long-term goal of creating a CO2-free production process.

Circularity Recapturing materials and well sorted scrap can improve the circularity of aluminium.

SHIFTING FROM A ZERO SUM GAME TO A NON-ZERO SUM GAME

Since sustainability goals are not individual goals it is crucial to change the way we work towards them and more importantly the way we think about these goals. � We have to address the sustainability challenges from total value chain perspective. � We should look for optimisation benefits through collaborating on a cluster level across value chain and industries. � We should not think of AI as the ultimate solution, but as one of the several means to achieve the goal.

WHAT OTHER APPLICATIONS ARE THERE FOR AI-BASED SOLUTIONS IN FACILITATING SUSTAINABLE METAL PRODUCTION? Output prediction and demand forecasting to eliminate excessive material use and/or waste.

Identification of opportunities for emission reduction.

Precise, real-time action recommendations to achieve a balance in energy use. Early error detection/ prediction in the casting process to reduce metal scrap.

EXAMPLE: AI HELPS TO REDUCE HEAT LOSSES

For an industrial cluster of companies in the Netherlands Quantillion developed a decision making model to reduce the total heat loss. By collaborating over multiple nodes, we were able to reduce the total emission from heat loss by 6%. It shows how non-optimal individual actions can be improved by making use of reinforcement learning. � The AI model was 20 times faster than a liner one making it more suitable for the real operational use. � Collaborative decision making outperformed individual decision making. � No infrastructural changes were needed. � The benefit was shared amongst multiple players and not only on the individual level.

*If you would like to know what Quantillion’s AI solutions can mean for your plant and how to get there reach out to us! info@quantillion.io +31 85 060 52 88 quantillion.io

WHAT ARE THE STEPS FOR SUCCESSFUL AI-BASED SOLUTION IMPLEMENTATION? Quantillion originally started with automating transport logistics within primary aluminium. Since then we have grown to be a strong integration provider acting as a key link between the smelters and their numerous equipment suppliers.

The journey that we go through with the smelters consists of the following main steps: July/August 2022

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1. Simulation of the current environment and future processes.

2. Preparation for IT integration of multiple types of equipment and manufacturing execution system.

3. Roll out and deployment of most suitable (AI) solution(s).

4. Further connection of other processes and equipment.

Aluminium International Today

08/07/2022 11:04:29

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OPINION PIECE 27

Aluminium’s journey to ZERO Carbon

By Tim Murray*

Today sustainability and going “Green” have become of paramount importance to the world. This has challenged all companies review their business models and, in many cases, reinvent themselves.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the large industrial industries such as aluminium. Being the former CEO of Aluminium Bahrain I can tell you aluminium is an amazing material that is used in almost everything we touch, whether it be your iPhone, a soda can, or the car you drive. In addition, we cannot forget the critical role aluminium will play in the Electric Vehicle (EV) revolution given its lightweight properties, conductivity and ability to be infinitely recycled.

Fortunately for the world aluminium is the second most abundant element on the planet however the process to produce primary aluminium generates large amounts of CO2 emissions. The process of smelting aluminium from the processed bauxite (i.e. Alumina) is power intensive process resulting in the generation of CO2 emissions especially when using energy from fossil fuels.

Today the world produces approximately 68 million metric tons (mt) of primary aluminium annually with an average CO2 footprint of 17 mt for every 1 mt of aluminium produced (yes you read that correctly!). So this equates to 1.2 billon mt of CO2 generated from the production of primary aluminium each year.

The average CO2 footprint for a smelter varies drastically depending upon the power source used, for example aluminium produced from coal-based electricity generates around 20 mt of CO2 whereas the if it is from renewable power (e.g. Hydro or Wind) then there is only 4 mt of CO2 .

The vast majority of the 68 million mt tons of primary aluminium is produced using coal fired power stations, typically in China and India. In terms of aluminium produced from renewable power there is approximately 15 million mt produced annually (or only 22% of the total). So we have a long way to go to shift to all renewable power.

Even if a smelter has renewable power there is still 4 mt of CO2 produced.

Obviously, the ability of an existing smelter to change their power source is not really an option. So how can we address the 4 mt which is not related to power generation?

The below chart breaks down the elements which make up the remaining 4 mt of CO2 from aluminium production.

The biggest area of CO2 emission reduction relates to the use of the Carbon Anode in the aluminium electrolysis process (accounts for 1.8 mt of CO2 for every 1 mt of aluminium production). I will do my best to explain the aluminium electrolysis process in simple terms. In order produce aluminium you need to split the aluminium from the oxygen in

Alumina. This is done in a reduction cell (commonly called a pot) where Alumina (which looks like sand) is continuously fed into molten liquid bath in which a Carbon Anode is submerged then hit with large amounts of electricity to complete the process (on average 15 mega-watts of power is needed to produce 1 mt of aluminium).

As a result of the electrolysis process the aluminium reduces to the bottom of the pot (hence the term Reduction Lines) and the remaining oxygen eats away the Carbon Anode in the pot. This is a continuous process which runs 365 days a year 24 hours a day and you need to replace the Carbon Anode every 27 days.

Ok, I know this was way too much technical talk but hopefully you understand why a Carbon Anode is important.

It is possible to replace the Carbon Anode with what is called an Inert Anode, a technology developed by Alcoa many years ago. However, this technology has never been fully scaled for commercial production. The Inert Anode is made of specialty alloyed steel bars thereby replacing the need for the Carbon Anode in the process. I know this sounds simple and you may ask why are we not doing this? The simple answer it is not so easy! But there is a company called Elysis (located in Canada) which is a joint venture between Alcoa, Rio Tinto and the Canadian government focused

ZC

*Tim Murray, CEO of Cardinal Virtues Consulting (former CEO of Aluminium Bahrain).

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28 OPINION PIECE

on having this technology commercially demonstrated by the end of 2023.

The next area to reduce CO2 emissions is from the production of Alumina (1.3 mt of CO2 for every 1 mt of aluminium) by replacing fossil fuels in the process by using green hydrogen. This is possible by upgrading certain production equipment in an Alumina refinery but will require CAPX investment. A lot of work is being done on this by the major Alumina producers but it will take time to implement and will also be subject to the ability to competitively source green hydrogen.

Reducing CO2 emissions from freight is the next area of focus (.6 mt of CO2 for every 1 mt of aluminium production). You may ask how is it possible to eliminate freight as smelters need raw materials?

Well there are a couple of things that can be done to eliminate roughly 50% of the CO2 emissions. The first thing companies can do is optimise shipments to have more larger cargoes which lowers the total number of shipments and also saves money. You may ask why companies are not already doing this if it saves money?

Again the answer it is not so easy to manage complex supply chains and the recent issues from the COVID pandemic July/August 2022

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have made it even worse. However as the world returns to normal there is a big opportunity to better optimise shipping sizes which will reduce CO2 and save money.

The second thing companies can do is focus on using cargo ships which have the ability to do backhaul shipments. Today once a ship delivers its cargo it usually brings back the ship empty. If companies are able to carry a backhaul cargo, they fully utilise their ship and avoid another ship making that journey. Torvald Klaveness out

of Norway is a good example of a company utilising this strategy with their custom built Cabu ships. As example they bring Alumina from Australia to the smelters in the Middle East and then return bring back caustic soda from the Middle East to be used in Australia Alumina refineries.

This again is another example of reducing CO2 emissions and saving money.

The last area of CO2 emission reduction I have labeled as “Other” (.3 mt of CO2 for every 1 mt of aluminium production). This is primarily related to the use of vehicles within a smelter which are powered by diesel as well as gas powered furnaces primarily used in the Casthouse area. In both of these areas there are solutions to have an electric option. However, this would be for new purchases whereas to replace existing equipment will be cost prohibitive.

As a world we need to accept that going “Green” may require investment where there is not a financial payback.

There needs to be a balance between what companies (and the end consumer) are willing to pay and what are companies willing to do invest even without a clear financial payback. In addition, the industry needs to more calculated risks in embracing new technologies.

I know some people may say why do we need smelters and why can’t we just do more recycling to support market demand. Personally, I think all the new recycling initiatives are wonderful and we as a world should do our very best to maximise recycling but unfortunately it is not enough. It is not a mutually exclusive solution; the answer is we need both.

In closing, going “Green” will not be easy and require sacrifice no matter what industry you are in. We need to challenge the norm and take on the mindset “The only easy day was yesterday”! �

Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 11:31:02

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Lightweight, high-strength aluminium is as strong as steel and only 40% of the weight, providing a power-to-weight ratio that increases safety, productivity and ROI

Stealing back profits with aluminium bricking machines

By Heather Harding* To minimise profit-stealing downtime, plant managers need reliable, efficient maintenance methods that get production back up and running quickly. This requires the right equipment – made from the best materials.

Bricking machines, suspended platforms and kiln access ramps safely speed up the refractory installation process, saving thousands of dollars in lost revenue. These useful tools are available from equipment manufacturers but can also be engineered in-house. Small differences in construction and materials can add up, though, so it’s important to thoroughly consider all options.

For many cement and lime producers, using their in-house engineers to construct kiln maintenance equipment made from steel is the go-to material because it is readily available.

However, there are more efficient materials.

Lightweight, high-strength aluminium, for example, isn’t typically used by inhouse engineers, but offers productivity and safety benefits that make it an ideal choice for kiln maintenance equipment construction. This material is as strong as steel and only 40% of the weight, providing a power-to-weight ratio that increases safety, productivity and ROI. Partnering with an equipment manufacturer that uses high-strength aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminium can be the best choice for a facility’s bottom line and efficiency. Here’s how.

Get Going Fast With every minute of downtime leading to a loss in revenue, the performance of a bricking machine or kiln access ramp during refractory installation is a manager’s top concern. Setup and teardown times are equally important when it comes to overall productivity. Getting crews in and

out faster requires a machine that is just as easy to put together as it is to remove once the job is done. Much of this comes down to construction materials: heavier materials – like steel – simply take more time and energy to erect.

For example, a steel kiln access ramp can take a full crew six to 12 hours to assemble, increasing downtime both before and after maintenance and negatively impacting cost efficiency. The weight of the steel components also requires the use of heavy-duty equipment and complex hoists and rigging methods, increasing cost and risk of injury.

A similar ramp manufactured with lightweight, heavy-duty aluminium can be assembled in as little as 1.5 hours – depending on burn floor configuration – with a small crew and only light equipment, such as a forklift. Maintenance equipment that employs a modular design can further increase installation efficiency.

*Bricking Solutions, Managing Director July/August 2022

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Aluminium International Today

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REFRACTORIES 31

With equal strength and significantly less weight, equipment manufactured with aircraft grade aluminium offers some of the highest load capacities on the market

These lightweight components can be transported into the kiln by just one or two people and can be quickly erected using pin connections, rather than nuts and bolts. By eliminating the need for extra equipment and manpower in the assembly process, aluminium ramps, bricking machines and platforms increase productivity and safety while reducing overall costs with every setup and teardown.

More Durability = More Productivity In addition to faster setup, plants will see increased durability from high-strength aluminium kiln maintenance equipment.

With equal strength and significantly less weight, equipment manufactured with aircraft grade aluminium offers some of the highest load capacities on the market.

Some custom-made bricking machines can hold as much as 6,000 kg (13,200 pounds) with an optional capacity upgrade, allowing them to easily handle three full pallets of brick.

This is up to twice the capacity of the alternative steel machines – maximizing productivity without risking safety.

Industry-leading specialty manufacturers

who incorporate high-strength aluminium into their kiln maintenance support equipment designs do so because of its increased load capacity over other metals.

These companies use certified engineers and aluminium welders to ensure their products address the unique needs of each kiln site.

The products are manufactured to international safety standards and are subjected to rigorous safety tests to ensure the materials and designs won’t falter even when working at capacity.

The result? Custom engineered bricking machines with a 3-to-1 safety factor.

Crews with that kind of assurance can work with confidence knowing their bricking machine, kiln access ramp or work platform can comfortably handle heavy loads.

Greater Profits When it comes to increasing efficiency during refractory installation – and in other areas of kiln maintenance – strong, lightweight aluminium equipment is an easy decision for plants looking to minimise downtime and get processing back on track. �

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Aluminium International Today

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July/August 2022

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32 REFRACTORIES

A new refractory solution to increase productivity

Calderys is an expert in specialty bricks, refractory monolithics and casting, with a comprehensive portfolio to support customers in many sectors. For aluminium customers – and secondary remelters

particularly – a new product is tackling a long-term problem of operating in harsh environments.

We spoke to Sebastien Duguet, Aluminium Market Manager for Calderys,

who explains how ALKON® SOL CAST HT is helping customers save time after relining and repair work.

WHO ARE YOUR TARGET CUSTOMERS FOR ALKON® SOL CAST HT? ALKON® SOL CAST HT is ideal for harsh environments where the refractory operates in extremely hot temperatures – greater than 1200°C. Generally, the customer that ticks the box will be a secondary aluminium producer – those who re-melt aluminium scraps to make new products. Customers that are mainly melting very corrosive alloys with a high level of magnesium, with high melting rates, heavy charge and heavy skimming tools.

Once the liquid aluminium has melted, the contact areas inside – the hearth, the ramps, the sill, the bath walls – face combination of flame impact & thermal shocks,

July/August 2022

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mechanical wear, and corundum growth, that is when aluminium alloys react with the refractories and destroy them. So, customers rely on a special product for protection, and ALKON® SOL CAST HT is pushing the limits the process operation can achieve.

Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 13:00:13

33 HOW EXACTLY DOES ALKON SOL CAST HT HELP? ®

Customers want to get their production back up and running as quickly as possible.

They can’t reduce the time it takes to cool the furnace, they can’t save time on demolition and they can’t change the time it takes for installation. The only stage where you can save time is the dry out – and that’s the tricky part for refractory monolithics.

A normal solution would take six days to dry, because most monolithics are cast with water that takes time to evacuate without risking an internal failure of the material. But ALKON® SOL CAST HT uses a sol binder, which means the cast can heat up quicker from 200 degrees to 700 degrees, and it’s dry between 24 to 48 hours later.

A standard cement-bond monolithic repair solution - needing 5-tonne or 10-tonne monolithic - might take ten days, but ALKON® SOL CAST HT can save five days while delivering a high quality performance.

And that’s key for secondary aluminium producers with only half of production loss. For medium or large repairs, or emergency repairs, time is of the essence.

Some customers might be able to divert production to another line, but for those who can’t, they are not producing at all. Depending on the size of the furnace, the loss per day could be as much as €20,000.

Customers can make substantial savings to their bottom line not only by reducing the time it takes to make repairs, but by choosing a product that will extend the lifetime of the critical area of their equipment.

Also, less gas is wasted for the simple reason that the heating-up and dry out period with such a product is only two days, rather than six days for the standard.

SO THIS MAY ENCOURAGE MORE PRODUCERS TO SWITCH FROM BRICKS TO MONOLITHICS?

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE MAINTENANCE PROCESS? Typically, the maintenance work involves replacing some parts of the refractory lining. The most common repairs are to the sill – the bottom part of the opening, where you are charging the material - and the ramp next to it. Sometimes, repairs are needed to the hearth or on the walls or spout.

There are four phases. First, the customer needs two or three days to cool down the furnace to a temperature where they can safely enter the area, then to remove the faulty or damaged part. Third, they cast or install new products. Finally, they have to dry it all by heating the furnace back up.

It’s a long process and Calderys’ product goes some way to resolving frustrating and costly restart delays.

Aluminium International Today

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Yes, producers can take advantage of the characteristics of monolithics. In secondary melting furnaces, the usage of phosphate bonded bricks is still largely used. The main reason is that up to now monolithic products were losing their corrosion performance after being exposed to the high temperatures of a melting furnace, up to 1600°C with the impact of burner flames. The “P-bond” bricks were therefore keeping a technical advantage over monolithic solutions, even the best ones, in harshest melters. This is no more the case with ALKON® SOL CAST HT, and thus you can combine the best of bricks and monolithics.

So it is seen as an advantage that

monolithics can propose large panels – of 1.5 meters squared, for example – and thereby reduce the number of joints in contact with the liquid aluminium, providing more stability, as there are fewer joints, which means less infiltration and less exposed edges and less risk of early degradation. Other known advantages of monolithics are the shorter lead time, superior hot mechanical strength, easier installation as well as higher freedom in lining design. Last but not least, ALKON® SOL CAST HT is borrowing other usual benefits of bricks: longer shelf life and of course the higher speed to heatingup.

July/August 2022

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34 REFRACTORIES

CAN YOU SUMMARISE CALDERYS’ DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF ALKON® SOL CAST HT?

WHAT MAKES ALKON® SOL CAST HT UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE?

Calderys is a leader in monolithics in the aluminium industry, with a range of 50 products dedicated to the aluminium alloys KONtact, under the umbrella name ALKON. We have a deep understanding of the corrosion of aluminium alloys on refractories that was built over the past four decades. We had already mastered the use of non-wetting systems and we wanted to develop a product that would solve the issue of working in high temperatures while keeped protected from the destructive corrundum growth. ALKON SOL CAST HT can work up to 1600°C It was a long process – almost four years. We finally selected a product and then carried out more than 15 trials, starting in March 2021, with recognised players in this market. They all had interests in different benefits. One needed something strong and resilient, another needed something that could be installed and dried out quickly, one was sensitive to the high temperature and corrosion resistance, another valued the speed it offered, but was less concerned about the corrosion resistance.

Over 15 months, we did more than 140 tonnes of industrial testing. The feedback from customers was all positive. In fact, we didn’t need to make any changes to the product after the pilot. And those customers we piloted it with have come back to us to use it for their other furnaces. We are really pleased to have added this to our ALKON® range. It’s not intended to be one product to replace others, but it should be used in conjunction.

A patent was filed in December 2021 and ALKON® SOL CAST HT launched commercially in April 2022.

There are refractory products that work at a high temperature with aluminium – but on bricks or ramming mix. This is the first product for monolithics that brings with him all the best of monolithics: superior mechanical strength, ease of installation etc.

There are refractory monolithics that work with aluminium with fast dry out - but on chemical bonds with low service temperature, 1250°C maximum.

There is nothing like ALKON® SOL CAST HT – it combines the best of monolithic and brick in one product.

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Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 13:00:21

ALKON SOL CAST HT ®

THE NEW REFRACTORY SOLUTION TAILORED TO THE HARSH ENVIRONMENTS OF SECONDARY ALUMINUM PRODUCTION • REDUCES DRY-OUT TIME • INCREASES ALUMINUM EQUIPMENT’S LIFETIME • WITHSTANDS HIGH TEMPERATURE, CORROSION AND THE HARSH WORKING ENVIRONMENT OF ALUMINUM PRODUCTION

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AUTONOMOUS CHARGING & SKIMMING MACHINES

NEW TECHNOLOGY 37

From left to right Carl Lapointe, Product Engineer Pascal Tremblay, Assistant General Manager Denis Dumais, Vice-president, Innovation Director Éric Lavoie, Technical Director

Healthy and efficient self-cleaning cabin filtration

By Carl Lapointe*, Denis Dumais**and Eric Tremblay*** “Working together” is the mantra that resonates within our own teams as well as the greater Quebec aluminium industry.

Indeed, the market potential tied with our ambition to win value-added collaborations is a model of choice for small and medium-sized companies alike.

Propulsa, an innovative filtration system company in the Saguenay, benefits from such a collaboration with EPIQ MECFOR – a manufacturer known for its specialised heavy equipment – and with Rio Tinto – notably through the support of Regional Economic Development (RED) and operations teams.

The collaboration of these three players has allowed the installation of the very first EPURA self-cleaning filtration system with an independent carbon cartridge on a EPIQ MECFOR anode hauler. This innovation is currently being tested at Rio Tinto’s Grande-Baie plant over the next few months.

A winning synergy In the process, one of the best possible uses for testing the performance of the EPURA filter was undoubtedly with a piece

of heavy industrial equipment such as an anode hauler. Anode haulers operate in an industrial environment where airborne carbon dust is omnipresent. Moreover,

since the anode hauler circulates in the pot rooms with aluminium dust, cabin filtration has to be efficient in order to ensure the health and safety of the workers at all times. This is why this type of vehicle is often subject to frequent filter and carbon replacement – to maintain good air filtration. There were no better conditions to challenge the performance of EPURA’s self-cleaning technology with the addition of a rechargeable carbon cartridge.

After receiving a presentation on the product, the EPIQ Machinery team was delighted with the product and agreed to participate in advancing this new technology.

“Within a limited area, we are located near EPIQ Machinery, a leading North American manufacturer of this type of equipment, and Rio Tinto, a primary aluminium producer well established in the region. Fortunately, all our partners have shown an uncommon openness to collaborate on this project,” says Denis Dumais, Vice President of Innovations at Propulsa and the visionary behind this invention.

*Product Engineer, EPIQ MECFOR **Vice President of Innovation, Propulsa ***Mobile Vehicle Investment Plan Manager P-155, Rio Tinto Aluminium International Today

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38 NEW TECHNOLOGY

Innovation means adapting the design Thanks to the close collaboration between EPIQ Machinery and Propulsa, the main integration challenges related to space and electrical input were met.

First, we had to analyse the available space to limit the changes to the design of the EPIQ MECFOR hauler. There was an issue with the size of the new system.

On the anode hauler, there was only one possible place where the system could be installed without affecting the operator’s field of vision. It was necessary to design a suitable support and redesign the box to install it in according to the orientation.

“Visibility for the operator is uncompromising. This is an unmatched feature of EPIQ MECFOR’s design for this type of equipment. Also, the normal functions of the vehicle and the cab’s tipping feature, which eases maintenance and upkeep, were not to be altered in any way,” says Carl Lapointe, Product Engineer at EPIQ MECFOR. In a second step, the Propulsa team had to re-evaluate the available power supply for its system. In fact, the EPURA system is normally powered with 24 volts.

However, for the installation on the anode hauler, it was necessary to select a highperformance fan powered with 12 volts.

Finally, the EPURA system has its own man-machine interface that allows to follow the evolution of the filter’s condition live and ensure optimal filtration at all times. This provides a practical aspect when the system replaces a filtration system on an existing vehicle.

Greener and more efficient air filtration EPURA’s patented technology is in its early stages of commercialisation. It’s already available in two versions: EPURA cabin and EPURA engine. The one being tested at Rio Tinto’s Grande-Baie plant is the EPURA July/August 2022

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cabin system with a carbon cartridge.

This system allows for continuous and constant pressurisation of an operating cabin thanks to a high-performance fan – regardless of the level of filter clogging.

It’s also equipped with an independent and refillable carbon cartridge for capture of gases.

In fact, the carbon filter is the new element in the EPURA product line. This first project with EPIQ Machinery and Rio Tinto is therefore essential. The goals and expectations of this prototype installation are high: � demonstrate competitive economic advantages � ensure performance from a health and safety perspective � impact the environment as little as possible For these reasons, a very close follow-up on the product performance is planned.

Once a week, a Propulsa technician will inspect and collect data on the general condition of the system. While the customer will perform in-cabin gas tests to ensure that HF and SO2 exposure limits are met at all times. Although extremely confident, it’s only at the end of the threemonth prototype study that confirmation of EPURA’s performance and efficiency will be possible.

Simplified maintenance with optimal performance for workers’ health One of the goals of the EPURA filtration system is to simplify maintenance and eliminate filter changes. Using pressure sensors, the system detects when the filter has a high degree of clogging and performs a self-cleaning. The operator is assured of quality air. Fail-safe mechanisms always monitor the system.

A first reading from the sensor determines if the self-cleaning process should be initiated. In the event of a failure, there

is another indicator that allows action to be taken without risking the health and safety of the operators.

Unlike the competition, the selfcleaning filter is independent of the carbon cartridge. This design allows only the carbon to be replaced.

Therefore, since there’s no longer a contaminated filter to change and dispose of, the annual reduction of contaminated waste year for a fleet of industrial equipment is considerable. The only waste will be the carbon cartridge – not the entire filter.

We believe that for end users, there are significant gains in terms of operations (equipment availability), maintenance, worker health and safety, and the environment. For all these reasons, we’re confident that the return on investment for the customer will be quick.

Conclusion Patented in more than 32 countries, Propulsa’s unique air filtration technology provides particularly significant improvements for industrial vehicle owners. EPIQ Machinery is pleased to contribute to the growth of this innovative filtration technology. We’ve recognised the added value of the product for harsh, high-density dust environments, and we’ve convinced our customers.

We’re proud to be part of innovations that improve our client’s daily lives. In the end, everyone wins. Propulsa will continue to perfect its technology, EPIQ Machinery will offer state-of-the-art equipment, and Rio Tinto will obtain a high level of air quality in its equipment cabins in a consistent, worry-free manner. It’s one of Quebec’s great success stories that’s contributing to the advancement of our aluminium industry through innovation, open-mindedness, and collaboration between suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and primary producers! � Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 11:39:04

THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES 39

Aluminium use in the aerospace and automotive industries in USA

By Richard McDonough*

This photo shows the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) instrument before the enclosure panels were attached. According to a statement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States, “The long tube in the foreground is the EMIT telescope baffle. The telescope resides in the large aluminium cube behind the baffle, and the spectrometer assembly is attached to the back of the telescope.” (The photograph was provided courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA, May 20, 2022.)

Aluminium is a critical piece in both the aerospace and automotive industries in the United States of America. This news column details activities among several key entities producing and utilising aluminium in these two industries as well as some

of the more modest players that provide critical elements using aluminium within the automotive and aerospace industries in the U S. “Over the past decade, the aluminium industry has invested more than (US) $6.5

billion in US manufacturing to support growing demand for the metal,” according to a statement from The Aluminum Association. “Aluminium is the fastest growing material used by automakers and is expected to grow to 514 pounds per

*Do you have questions about the aluminium industry? Governmental regulations? Company operations?

Your questions may be used in a future news column.

Contact Richard McDonough at aluminachronicles@gmail.com. © 2022 Richard McDonough Aluminium International Today

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40 THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES

vehicle by 2026 – up more than 25% in just ten years.”

Among recent developments cited by The Aluminum Association is an expansion project announced by Novelis in January of 2022, that includes “…a (US) $365 million investment to build a highly advanced recycling centre for automotive in North America near its automotive finishing plant in Guthrie, Kentucky. The project is expected to be completed by 2024.”

In addition, the trade organisation for the American aluminium industry highlighted an announcement in May of 2022 from Novelis for “…a (US) $2.5 billion investment to build a fully integrated aluminium manufacturing facility including recycling/casting, hot rolling, and finishing for beverage can and automotive markets in Bay Minette, Alabama. The facility will be powered by renewable energy, use recycled water, and operate as a zero-waste facility.”

The State of Alabama welcomed this development located in Baldwin County.

“With this massive investment and these large-scale hiring plans, Novelis will launch a high-tech aluminium mill that will generate significant economic impacts throughout the region for generations,” said Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama.

“Novelis is a world-class company, and we know that it has selected a prime location in Sweet Home Alabama and specifically Baldwin County as home for its growth plans.”

Whilst the Baldwin County facility will primarily serve the growing beverage can market, according to a news release issued on May 11, 2022, from the Office of the Governor of Alabama, “the plant will also serve the automotive market, where aluminium is the fastest growing material, as automakers make plans to achieve their sustainability goals. Aluminium produced

by Novelis can be found in more than 225 vehicle models produced by leading automakers around the globe.”

A number of other investments were announced in 2021, according to The Aluminum Association, that will also expand aluminium operations in the automotive industry. These developments included an expansion of a rolling mill in Kentucky and the upgrading of a hot mill in Pennsylvania.

“Aluminium offers the fastest, safest, most environmentally-friendly and valueadded way to decrease mass and increase vehicle performance, boost fuel efficiency, extend battery range, and reduce emissions,” according to a statement from The Aluminum Association. “Aluminium builds a better vehicle...period. Aluminium is the fastest growing material in the automotive market today, expected to grow around 12% on a per vehicle basis July/August 2022

Richard M.indd 2

by 2026. And, by extending battery range, low-weight aluminium will play a key role in the electric vehicle revolution. The most innovative vehicles of today and tomorrow are designed with aluminium.”

Earlier this year, the trade organisation issued a news statement highlighting the 2022 Roadmap for Automotive Aluminum, a document that it indicated identifies pathways and prioritises opportunities for critical collaboration among aluminium suppliers, recyclers, automakers, policymakers, nongovernmental organisations, and other industry stakeholders to drive innovation throughout the next decade.

“The Roadmap for Automotive Aluminum lays out the value-driven steps needed to make large-scale closed-loop aluminium recycling a reality,” said Charles Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Aluminum Association.

“As aluminium use continues to grow, more efficient ways to separate, recover, and reuse aluminium scrap in automotive components is of utmost importance, particularly in support of aggressive net zero goals put forth by automotive customers.”

Trond Gjellesvik is President of Hydro Aluminium Metals, North America.

(The photograph was provided courtesy of Hydro Aluminium Metals.)

The news statement continued by noting that “Members of The Aluminum Association are eager to work with automakers on focused projects to transform manufacturing processes and deliver the vehicle solutions that will drive efficient transportation for years to come.

The 2022 Roadmap for Automotive Aluminum is a unified blueprint that lays a foundation for the industry to grow and diversify within the automotive market and will serve as an actionable, living document, that will be revisited over the next decade.”

In the area of aerospace, a statement from this trade organisation noted that “Aluminium powers flight – aluminium alloys are the overwhelming choice for commercial planes and military cargo/ transport aircraft. And, NASA spacecraft and space shuttles…rely on aluminium to enable space exploration.”

“Entering mainstream use during and after World War II, it is no exaggeration to say that modern aviation and aerospace exploration would not have been possible without aluminium,” the statement from The Aluminum Association continued.

“Lightweight, strong, and durable, aluminium launches flight and sends us to the moon...and beyond.”

Hydro “Hydro Aluminium Metals (Hydro Aluminium) manufactures 3000 and 6000 series aluminium extrusion ingot that is utilised in a number of automotive applications,” stated Trond Gjellesvik, President of Hydro Aluminium Metals, North America. The firm is a division of Norsk Hydro ASA, a global company headquartered in Norway. “This includes heat exchange products and tubing applications; crash management systems, battery tray components, rocker sills, and other structural components; as well as a number of other non-structural applications such as trim pieces, sunroof rails, and the like.”

“In addition, we provide primary foundry alloy used in casting applications, including aluminium wheels, brake calipers, and other cast automotive applications,” Mr. Gjellesvik continued.

“In Europe, Hydro Aluminium produces aluminium sheet ingot that is transformed into automotive sheet which is exported to the United States for use by several leading OEMs.” The firm indicated that its customers include aluminium extrusion companies located throughout the US as well as suppliers to the automotive industry located in Canada and Mexico.

In addition, the firm also indicated that it supplies some material to Hydro’s Extrusion division.

According to Mr. Gjellesvik, Hydro Aluminium “…provided over 65,000 metric tonnes of aluminium extrusion ingot and foundry alloy ultimately consumed by the US automotive industry. In addition, our colleagues in Hydro Extrusions also supplied significant amounts of material Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 11:42:54

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42 THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES

to the industry.”

Hydro Aluminium, like many manufacturers, saw impacts from restrictions related to the COVID-19 Pandemic in recent years.

“We saw activity level in 2021 increase, following the COVID-related downturns seen in 2020,” said Mr. Gjellesvik. “In general, the market for aluminium products grew by between 13% and 15% in 2021 over the levels seen in 2020, and Hydro Aluminium saw similar growth.”

“The global semiconductor shortage also created well-documented difficulties for automakers, which of course trickled down to our activities as well,” continued Mr. Gjellesvik. “We also see two key growth factors gaining steam – electrification and interest in low-carbon products. Because of the properties of aluminium – light weight, corrosion resistant, formability, and strength – it is almost tailor-made for use in Battery Electric Vehicles [BEV].”

He explained that “as BEV production ramps up in the US, we see very high interest from automakers in using aluminium in their vehicles.

At the same time, we also see OEMs having an increased focus on the carbon footprint of their products. Again, aluminium has a key role to play, particularly aluminium produced from recycling. Hydro is a leader in the production of low-carbon aluminium, and our CIRCAL product, which we have now begun production of in 2022 in the U S, has the lowest carbon footprint in the industry as it contains at least 75% post-consumer scrap.”

Airbus Aluminium is a critical component for many of the world’s aerospace companies, including those with operations in the US. Airbus SE (Airbus) is one of the largest global aerospace firms with 180 locations worldwide. The firm’s head office is in Blagnac, a suburb of Toulouse in France, whilst headquarters for the Americas is in a Virginia suburb of Washington, District of Columbia.

“Airbus uses aluminium as a major material for its product design, leveraging its characteristics of strength combined with light weight,” according to a statement from Airbus. “Aluminium is mainly used for aerostructure elements such as fuselage or wing skins and mechanical parts.”

“Since last decade, aluminium has increasingly been competing with carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) as a material of choice for aerospace,” the statement from Airbus continued.

“The aluminium material share on our products is typically between 25% and 70%, depending on the aircraft type and mission.”

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The COVID-19 Pandemic affected the aviation and aerospace industries throughout the world.

“Despite aluminium supply having faced some challenges since 2021 (for various reasons including a magnesium shortage, lack of resources due to COVID, and logistics constraints, among others), Airbus managed to secure its supply successfully,” according to the statement from Airbus. “In 2022, Airbus will fully restore its pre-COVID aluminium consumption due to industry recovery, and Airbus’ ramp-up plans due to the high demand for Airbus’ leading product portfolio. The aerospace industry will continue to use aluminium for many years to come.”

Sustainability is part of the operations of this aerospace firm.

“Airbus and the industry will further work to improve its performance in terms of sustainability,” according to the statement from Airbus. “Also, leveraging aluminium’s high recycling potential.”

Boeing One of the largest aerospace companies in the world is The Boeing Company (Boeing).

The firm recently moved its headquarters from Chicago, Illinois, to Arlington, Virginia, a community just across the Potomac River from Washington, District of Columbia. The 2021 Annual Report for Boeing described the firm as a leading global aerospace company that develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries.

“Boeing utilises a wide range of aluminium parts from large machined parts such as frames, webs, and ribs, to

fuselage and wing structures, to small detail parts and brackets,” according to a spokesperson from Boeing. “Fuselage skin material is also aluminium for our commercial airplanes, except for the 787 Dreamliner.”

The business is a large purchaser of aluminium for itself and for its suppliers.

“We have a buy-sell strategy for aluminium raw material for plate, sheet, and extrusion,” explained the spokesperson from Boeing. “We aggregate our demand and purchase from aluminium producers and sell to our machine part suppliers.”

The recent years have seen many changes in the economic climate throughout the world.

“Our aluminium-related business is tied to our airplane production rates,” stated the spokesperson from Boeing. “Rates in 2021 have been lower than before the COVID-19 Pandemic, but are recovering.

The impact of COVID-19 on air travel reduced demand and slowed down production. We expect steady growth as production rates ramp up.”

Sustainability at Boeing includes “…a bigger focus on recycling and recycled content in aerospace alloys,” according to the spokesperson from Boeing.

Jones Metal Products Jones Metal Products of West Lafayette, Ohio, is one of a number of American businesses that utilise aluminium to manufacture products for the aerospace and automotive industries.

“In the aerospace market, we make deep drawn aluminium parts for aircraft seats and body frames, leading edge wing parts, and light reflectors,” stated Dan Erb, President of Jones Metal Products.

“We work with all the major business

Part of an .040 inch thick 6061-T6 aluminium seat frame for a Cessna aircraft.

(Photograph was provided courtesy of Jones Metal Products.)

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THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES 43

aircraft companies, repair stations, Boeing parts, and Airbus parts.”

The level of sales dipped during the COVID-19 Pandemic, but is rebounding in 2022. Mr. Erb indicated that 2019 was a strong year for aerospace sales, with (US) $7 million in sales. He noted that sales dropped to about (US) $5 million in 2020 and the same amount in 2021.

“Everything negative over the last two years can be directly tied to COVID 19,” explained Mr. Erb. “People quit flying.

Airlines didn’t need as many planes, our orders were reduced or pushed out. As COVID receded, the next issue became the availability of material. This happens at the end of any economic slowdown.

People start placing orders and material suppliers have very little inventory. It also takes time for mills to ramp up production.

Lead times that were once 30 days have become 180-360 days out.”

Sales are anticipated to see a substantial increase in 2022.

“We are currently forecasting over (US) $8 million in sales in 2022 if this year stays positive in the second half,” said Mr. Erb. “We will end the year up 40% over last year.”

The biggest challenge continues to revolve around the supplies needed to manufacture the finished goods of Jones Metal Products.

“Material availability remains the biggest issue in aerospace,” noted Mr. Erb. “We have countered this by buying more inventory and keeping a safety stock. The quality of our material has been a huge issue. Many of our parts require a high visual quality standard. We are getting sheets every day with more scratches, dings, and dents. This has driven our scrap of raw material to at least double what it used to be.”

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Stellantis Stellantis, a global automotive manufacturer, produces a variety of vehicles in the US, including vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram nameplates. Aluminium is used in such products as hoods, doors, fenders, lift gates, and tail gates, according to a representative of the firm.

“In 2021, Stellantis’ North American plants produced more than 1.8 million vehicles under the aforementioned brand names,” according to a representative of Stellantis. “Production in 2021 compared to 2020 was flat.”

Stellantis has found aluminium to be an important part of its sustainability efforts.

“Scrap is separated and recycled,” noted the representative of the firm. “Use of aluminium supports light weighting of vehicle platforms…” which help to meet the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. These standards are set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the US Department of Transportation to regulate how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel.

TAPCO utilises aluminium to manufacture pedestrian crossing signage.

(Photograph was provided courtesy of TAPCO, July 22, 2019.)

TAPCO Beyond using aluminium in automotive vehicles, there are a number of industries in the broader transportation industry that utilise aluminium.

One of those industries that may be overlooked, yet is critical to the auto industry, includes signage and traffic devices along roadways, parking lots, and garages. Much of the raw material used in these signs is aluminium.

TAPCO is an American business based in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. The company indicated that it utilises aluminium to manufacture such items as safety signs, flashing beacons, dynamic message signage, cabinets for traffic signals and Intelligent Warning Systems (IWS), poles and bases for traffic signals and IWS, and parking gates, among other products.

Customers for these items include, according to TAPCO, local governmental departments of public works and state departments of transportation; schools, universities, hospitals, and other institutions; large manufacturing, industrial, mining, and corporate campus facilities; military bases, national parks, and other Federal governmental facilities; airports, seaports, and freight terminals; and parking facility operators.

“Unit volume for our aluminium products has been on the rise along with the rest of our IWS business,” stated Michael Long, Manager of Product Management at TAPCO. “Sales revenue has increased at an even higher rate as a result of raw material price increases being passed along to the customer.” � July/August 2022

06/07/2022 11:43:07

44 ANTIMICROBIAL ALUMINIUM

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened awareness around how diseases and viruses spread across surfaces. One company that was already at the forefront of antimicrobial surface technology is A3 Surfaces, based in Québec.

Nadine Bloxsome* originally visited the company back in 2019 and now, after recently being granted a new round of financing of $4 million to support the commercialisation of its products in Europe, she spoke with Jean-Sebastien Lemieux** to find out how the technology has developed and why aluminium is the material of choice.

Q. GREAT NEWS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT GRANT TO SUPPORT THE COMMERCIALISATION OF A3 SURFACES ALUMINIUM ANODISING TECHNOLOGY. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE COMPANY’S PLANS GOING FORWARD? SHORT AND LONG TERM?

Q. ALUMINIUM INTERNATIONAL TODAY FIRST PROFILED A3 SURFACES BACK IN 2019.

HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED SINCE THEN? WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOST GROWTH?

On the surface A. What it means is that it allows us to keep moving forward with our project and the thing with A3 Surfaces and the innovation and technology is that it is so innovative, so new, and it has such a huge potential.

It is so different from all the competition that it is going to be a big deal, but a big deal requires a lot of fuel. Right now, we’ve put a lot of things in place, so we are ready to supply products to the world and at the same time, we need to increase our brand awareness and make partnership deals. We have short term, long term and very longterm ways to commercialise our products, so in order to do this, we need means and money. This money is going to support us to make sure we bring all the aspects of the project together.

A. It is simple, in a manufacturing business, you have selling and producing. In some companies, you can sell more than you can produce and sometimes you can produce more than you can sell! Different problems, but problems all the same.

You must have the selling and the production balanced, so you can bring them up together. What we did, since 2019, is that in 2019, we didn’t have a manufacturing plant and we started the project of installing production capacity.

First it was moving into a new building, ordering a production line and putting together a team who can make this production line work. It’s more complex than a dishwasher! It’s equipment, it’s a process, a chemical process. Making a few parts in the basement of a university is one thing, but making millions of parts is quite a big deal.

The progress that was made since 2019 to now, was to install that production capacity.

That’s the main thing that happened. Today, we have a factory that can produce parts.

We are producing at a certain rate, and we are producing inventory that we send to Europe. Right now, we have more production capacity than we are selling, so this grant will allow us to continue on the selling side, in order to sell our production capacity.

*Editor, Aluminium International Today **Jean-Sebastien Lemieux, General Manager, A3 Surfaces July/August 2022

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ANTIMICROBIAL ALUMINIUM 45

Q. CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THIS TECHNOLOGY WORKS AND WHY ALUMINIUM PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE? WHY IS ALUMINIUM THE MATERIAL OF CHOICE FOR A3 SURFACES? A. ‘Why aluminium’ is a good question and the best innovations are often the simple ones! I often refer to wheels on a suitcase…20 years ago no one had wheels and we all carried our suitcases around. But then, someone one day thought adding wheels would be a good idea and now, do you know anyone who doesn’t use a suitcase with wheels?!

The innovation is the same for us, we took an existing active ingredient and we embed it in the anodizing layer of aluminium. The anodization creates a surface with trillions of little holes, and we found a way to embed these molecules in the anodizing layer.

So, that’s why aluminium, because it creates a surface that is prone to receive the little molecules that will kill bacteria and viruses. The patent that we have filed and what we have invented is a way to make sure these molecules permanently Aluminium International Today

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stay there. As long as the anodization layer is there, then you will be able to efficiently kill bacteria and viruses.

So, ‘why aluminium’? Because of the surface finish anodizing creates.

The other thing that is special about our technology is that there is a lot of technology out there for antimicrobial right now, but there is no technology that can match our technology on both how permanent it is and the speed of action.

There’s a lot of solutions that make you think you are safe in using them, but most other ‘permanent’ technologies can take up to one or two hours before it will kill the bacteria on the surface. Now, if you have this surface on a door in your office for example, if there is a virus transmitted onto the surface, with competition products, if you touched this door five minutes after, then you would likely come into contact with the virus.

However, with A3 Surfaces technology, within 30 seconds, 99.4% of the virus and bacteria will be killed. Between 0 – 30 seconds, it’s going so fast that we can’t even measure it!

The technology allows us to reduce cross-contamination, which is why it is so unique.

The challenge that we have is to tell the world and convince the world that this really does exist and really does work. This is the challenge we have ahead of us.

Coming back to why this money will be helpful, it is a big project with a lot of things to do in order to share the technology and encourage people to partner with us in order to accomplish our mission!

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46 ANTIMICROBIAL ALUMINIUM

Q. WERE THERE A LOT OF ADVANCEMENTS MADE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC? DID THIS SITUATION HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE FOR SUCH ANTIMICROBIAL SURFACES?

***NB guessed three miles, which was a good guess!

A. The market for antimicrobial used to be a market, which we could call niche, but it’s a big niche in medical areas, because it’s an area that has always been more aware of the impact. Now, COVID put a big spotlight on this, and I would say the market that it opened is in public transportation and retirement homes.

It also opened the market to public areas, such as planes and cruise ships. Do you know how many kilometres of handrails there are on a big cruise ship?*** It can be four kilometres, so about three miles, but that is for an average boat.

On a cruise ship, you tend to have older people who are more sensitive to catching viruses and when you go on a cruise, you don’t want to spend your trip in

your cabin because you’re sick! So, it has opened cruise ships up to providing safer areas for guests and guests will have more satisfaction and get more out of their trip.

It can also limit the time for cleaning, if the surface is permanently antimicrobial, so there are plenty of benefits.

And that’s just on one boat! There are hundreds of cruise ships all over the world and handrails can easily be made of extruded aluminium, so this is one of the products we are trying to commercialise.

So, to answer your question, transportation and public areas are markets we are seeing the most demand.

Cities are even starting to specify ‘antimicrobial’ in their applications for new transport!

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Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 13:03:59

Furnaces International brings readers a selection of technical features focusing on all aspects of the international furnaces market, as well as industry news, investments, and the latest products and projects Published quarterly in a digital format, Furnaces International and the new monthly newsletter, are sent to the inbox of over 25,000 industry professionals.

As publishers of Aluminium International Today, Steel Times International and Glass International, we are able to compile this knowledge and bring you the latest developments on: • Energy Efficiency • Hot Repairs

• Maintenance • Heat Treatment

• Thermal Processes • Testing and Measurement

Look out for the December issue which contains The Furnaces International Buyers’ Guide. It is the essential guide to furnace manufacturers and suppliers of furnace equipment and services to the industrial heating/ process industry.

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CONTACT US NOW: Esme Horn

Sales Manager +44 (0) 1737 855136 esmehorn@quartzltd.com

Nadine Bloxsome

Editor, Furnaces International +44 (0) 1737 855115 nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

Zahra Awan

Editorial Assistant +44 (0) 1737 855038 zahraawan@quartzltd.com

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27/10/2021 11:47

48 AUTOMOTIVE

Paving a road fit for EVs Times of great change amplify the need for communication and collaboration. The automotive industry is in the midst of a great transition to the next generation of propulsion systems. The demand for electric and sustainable vehicles is growing rapidly as consumers become more conscious of their effect on the environment.

One group working to meet these

challenges head on is the Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG). The ATG aims to provide the greater automotive industry with credible research that quantifies the increasingly beneficial value aluminium offers in sustainability, performance and safety. The resources the ATG offers represent the aluminium industry’s unwavering commitment to helping automakers design the most

advanced vehicles ever imagined. And the Roadmap for Automotive Aluminium is the detailed plan of action on how to drive innovation in the increasingly electrified automotive industry.

Mike Keown* spoke to Zahra Awan** on the latest from the ATG following their participation at the Greener Aluminium Online Summit which took place on the 24th May 2022.

COULD YOU PAINT A PICTURE OF THE ATG? The ATG is a committee or subsection of the Aluminum Association. It is made up of the major players in the aluminium industry.

We aim to represent the entire value chain involved in the transportation industry; committee members include: Constellium, Novelis, Commonwealth, Hydro, Kaiser, Rio Tinto and Real Alloy Currently 90% of the market is represented by secondary recycling, alloys and rolling, and we are working to grow our connections in the extrusion market.

WHAT INSPIRED THE FORMATION OF THE ATG? The ATG has been around for decades, but the inspiration comes from listening to our automotive customers. They agreed that it would be better for them to work with us as a collective, as an industry.

Chuck Johnson, The Aluminum Association CEO recently said, “the greatest power an association has is to convene as an industry.” So, the Aluminum Transportation Group brings all of the members–who otherwise compete fiercely with each other in the marketplace–together and aligns them in pre-competitive work that unifies our industry to best serve our automotive customers with industry-level solutions.

WHAT IS THE ROADMAP FOR THE ATG? The 2022 Auto Aluminium Roadmap is a unified blueprint that lays a foundation for the industry to grow and diversify within the automotive market.

It is the conduit through which communication between all automotive aluminium stakeholders can communicate to achieve the industry’s goal of delivering consumers the most efficient, safe and fun to drive vehicles ever made.

The Roadmap is a message to the industry saying, hey, we’ve heard you and here’s how we’re planning to work together moving forward.

HOW ARE THE END USERS OF ALUMINIUM – THE AUTOMAKERS – REACTING TO THIS ROADMAP? With enthusiasm–this is something they asked of us, so we pursued it together. They were part of this project from the beginning.

In March 2021 we gathered automakers, aluminium producers and other key stakeholders for a 3-day brainstorming session that formed the foundation for this Roadmap.

We set both short-and long-term goals to really help us drive the future of aluminium, focusing on technology to enable this future.

We will continue to work on the strategy because this is not just a publish once and done type of initiative. This is a living, breathing document that we will check and adjust along the way.

It will not become a stale document. It will forever be revisited and repurposed as a guide for all ATG activity.

*ATG Chair **Editorial Assistant, Aluminium International Today July/August 2022

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49

ARE THERE CHALLENGES THAT YOU FACE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY TO TACKLE MORE ATTENTIVELY? The main challenge is how to help the environment and meet consumer demand through the application of automotive aluminium.

To address this challenge, collaboration between recyclers, OEMs and producers is key. The more we communicate, the better we can work together to address the needs of the environment and consumers.

In the ATG’s 2022 Roadmap for Automotive Aluminium, we discuss the future needs for recycling and sustainability in the automotive aluminium sector, and the principles and processes discussed here are applicable to all automotive aluminium. The goals outlined in the Roadmap for aluminium recycling and sustainability range from an improved, more efficient infrastructure for aluminium scrap recovery to increased utilization of scrap and the wide promotion of automotive aluminium as a sustainable solution across all manufacturing phases.

For example, developing the next generation of high-speed, alloy-selective, low-cost sorting technologies for shredded aluminium scrap is a priority as the aluminium industry looks ahead to prepare for an incoming wave of scrap. There is opportunity to work with automakers

to improve vehicle end of life (EOL) recycling, decrease carbon emissions from wrought aluminium production, and align with competing materials on a

common baseline for comparing carbon levels for material processing.

HOW IS THE TRANSITION TO BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES DRIVING ALUMINIUM TECHNOLOGY NEEDS? Next generation vehicles need next generation technology. Aluminium already offers significant advantages for BEVs, and the industry is working with its partners to develop the next generation of alloys to meet the needs of automakers and ultimately consumers. So, in the Roadmap we outline three main goals for future vehicles: 1. Reduce Overall Part and Sub-system Costs: Develop cost-effective aluminium solutions to meet all structural and safety requirements of battery enclosures.

2. Create Alloys Specifically for Electric Vehicle Batteries: Balance customer design requirements for stable dimensions/tolerances with material properties and cost of processing.

3. Tailor Designs for Battery Enclosures: Improve alloys and processes to enhance battery component functionality and flexibility.

Our automaker customers are very innovative. Some automakers are implementing aluminium die casting processes to remove and reduce large amounts of components in vehicles. And beyond technology, we look at cost—batteries are expensive and heavy. We wanted a clear picture of how lightweighting with aluminium fit into the BEV picture, so we teamed up with FEV consulting to conduct a study. And the four major takeaways we learned from the study are: 1. The aluminium content of today’s battery electric vehicles is greater than their internal combustion engine powertrain counterparts of similar size and mission.

2. The aluminium content of today’s battery electric vehicles increases with

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increasing vehicle size and performance expectations.

3. Despite expected improvements in battery cost and storage density, aluminium lightweighting solutions are expected to remain economically attractive for at least the next decade.

4. Lightweighting battery electric vehicles with aluminium provides additional economic benefits when the entire sales fleet is considered, creating additional economic benefits and further increasing the economic viability of aluminium lightweighting.

This is the first tangible piece of research in the Future Vehicles theme area of the Roadmap, and we look forward to continuing this research in future iterations.

July/August 2022

06/07/2022 14:00:04

50 AUTOMOTIVE

WHAT IS THE END GOAL THAT THE ATG IS AIMING FOR? I think for us the end goal is to continue to stay close to our automaker customers but also to the consumer and address what they want and what they need. We will look at this, not only from a technological/innovative perspective, but also from an environmental perspective. And we achieve these goals by continuing to invest in different initiatives.

The aluminium industry has invested or committed $6.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing since 2013, with nearly $3.5 billion in domestic aluminium manufacturing announced in last 12 months. And part of that $3.5 billion is one of our members, Novelis, and the recent announcement to invest $2.5 billion in a low-carbon aluminium recycling and rolling plant.

WITH THE TRANSITION TO ELECTRIFICATION WHAT DOES THE ALUMINIUM GROWTH PICTURE LOOK LIKE? As I said before, next generation vehicles need next generation alloys that are light, yet strong to help extend EV range and/or reduce battery costs since less energy is needed to move lighter vehicles. And that’s why aluminium growth is projected to continue accelerating. A third-party survey of automakers by Ducker projects 570 pounds in total aluminium content per vehicle by 2030, a 12% increase from 2020. And the BEV study conducted by FEV North America affirms this projection showcasing aluminium’s important role in the transition to electrification.

We conduct this survey every few years to ensure that we have a clear picture of aluminium content in the market and are already underway with Ducker on the next survey of automakers.

ADDRESSING THE ENTIRE ALUMINIUM AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO THEM ALL? The road to modern mobility is paved with aluminium. And ATG is here to support you. We believe that aluminium builds a better, more sustainable and safer vehicle.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS? We can’t try to boil the ocean because when you try to boil the ocean, you end up getting nothing done.

We developed a Roadmap that has realistically achievable objectives for the next 5 to 10 years, with a focus on what we have control of, that we can really advance the ball down the field. That is really the backbone of our Roadmap. I love that we can wrap our arms around it and use it as a conversation starter with industry stakeholders. It’s the foundation for the future of automotive aluminium.

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06/07/2022 14:00:06

AUTOMOTIVE 51

Project to make the European EV industry less reliant on Alu imports

By Massimiliano Saltori* Aluminium is an essential metal for European electric automotive production.

A new EU-funded project is now betting on a circular economy approach to keep the industry clean and low cost.

Over the past year, the electric vehicle market has experienced remarkable growth, showing no signs of slowing down soon. Globally, two million electric cars were sold just in the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 35% from the prior year, despite strains on supply chains worldwide.

The transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles (EVs) is perhaps one of the most fundamental innovations in our ongoing fight against climate change. Yet, electric cars require several critical raw materials (CRMs) and specific alloys that were not as essential in previous generations of automobiles.

One of the main metal components used in EV production, aluminium, is particularly susceptible to CRM shortages.

Bauxite ore, its most important element, is imported into the EU by 84% via African countries, while magnesium and silicon, other key ingredients, are overwhelmingly sourced from China.

As a result of the current geopolitical climate, European policymakers are planning to resume CRMs extractions domestically within a few years – in the case of magnesium, as early as 2025.

However, primary production and mining could also increase emissions, sabotaging Europe’s plan to become carbon neutral by 2050.

A solution to this issue may now lie in SALEMA, a recently launched EU-funded research project. For this initiative, which started in May 2021, 16 partners from six European countries have joined forces to make the EV industry greener while also reducing the EU’s dependence on imported CRMs. The project will last three years and develop in six different demo sites.

“Aluminium is fundamental for future electric cars because of its main characteristic: lightness,” explains Ruggero Zambelli, quality manager at RAFFMETAL, one of the project’s partners and Europe’s largest producer of recycled aluminium

foundry alloys. “The weight of the battery is one of the main problems in electric vehicles today. A lighter chassis made of aluminium makes that less critical, giving the car a longer operating range.”

In electric vehicle production, aluminium

*European Science Communication Institute Aluminium International Today

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52 AUTOMOTIVE

has become particularly important, even though its use in automobiles is not new. About 15% of the body of a massproduced car is made of aluminium. However, this percentage is higher than 50% for EVs. As Zambelli illustrates, this is among the characteristics that make EVs fundamental for the future of transportation: “In cars that run on traditional internal combustion, aluminium is used in the engine while it’s employed to construct the chassis in electric vehicles. Aluminium also has high thermal conductivity, making heat dissipation from the battery easier. That way, there’s a gain in battery autonomy and driver’s safety.”

“Aluminium has always been recycled, but mostly to produce low-quality components: no mechanical requirements or primary casting,” says Manel da Silva, manager at the EURECAT Technology Centre, one of the leading R&D centres in southern Europe. “We are now planning to develop alloys for stamping, extrusion and die casting – which, until now, had to be made with primary aluminium. This will allow us to enter into applications that were impossible before.”

More specifically, SALEMA will demonstrate the feasibility of these new alloys for electric vehicles using five case studies based on different aluminium car parts: the shock tower, the frontal frame,

RAFFMETAL has been in the recycling business for 40 years, producing aluminium alloys only from recycled scrap metal. Consequently, its knowledge of scrap metal fusion is particularly relevant to the project. Aluminium is one of the most recyclable resources available on the market to the point that 75% of all the aluminium ever produced is still around today in one form or another. To date, however, recycled aluminium has mostly been used for applications that do not require mechanical processing.

the B pillars, the battery box, and the so-called body in white (the assembled external parts of the car before the painting process).

In addition to conducting basic research to develop partially recycled alloys, EURECAT is expected to assist aluminium producers in adapting their manufacturing process to the upcoming changes. This will include die casting and stamping procedures. These newly developed alloys will also be made with a low content of CRMs, which means they will use fewer

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resources.

In addition, aluminium’s longevity will enable magnesium and silicon to be reused, as explained by Christian Leroy from The European Aluminium Association, another of SALEMA’s partners. “SALEMA is betting on two different ways to replace these elements: one is recycling scrap aluminium, extracting the CRMs already present in it. The second step involves replacing them with other non- critical elements, such as iron.

There are iron-based alloys with magnesium that can have excellent mechanical properties.”

In the next three years, the new SALEMA alloys will be used for the five case studies mentioned above and evaluated in terms of their performance - with the goal of identifying the most promising processes to fast-track market uptake. If successful, the adoption of a circular economy model for aluminium in the car manufacturing sector could lead to a new era of sustainable aluminium production.

This novel approach, however, may have benefits beyond the automotive industry.

Besides aviation, rail transportation and packaging, the building industry is also a prime candidate. “Aluminium’s corrosion resistance is certainly appealing to the construction industry,” says Leroy. “It also guarantees stability, long life and overall safety when used with other older materials, such as glass. That alone makes aluminium a crucial element in this sector.”

A project like SALEMA confirms how new challenges can lead to breakthroughs even in already well- established industries.

The malleability of aluminium has been well known for centuries, yet, paired with the latest knowledge, it’s accelerating the development of crucial low-carbon technologies. A win-win situation for the economy and the environment on both counts. �

Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 11:49:30

PACKAGING 53

Advancing packaging sustainability in sports and entertainment

By Dan Fisher*

Not only do sports and entertainment venues have massive influence and reach, but they also have the power to unite communities around the world behind a common interest. This means that there is an opportunity to leverage this platform to drive positive change and accelerate solutions to society’s most pressing issues.

As hubs of cultural and community moments, sports venues – and their teams and players – have the power to be true vehicles for change on sustainability, in particular. From committing to meeting net-zero emissions, utilizing renewable energy, serving food and beverages in 100% recyclable containers, and sourcing sustainable food, some sports and entertainment venues are already creating a microcosm of what is possible in a more sustainable world. At the same time, they are also educating fans on how simple actions – like recycling, making more conscious purchase decisions and using less water – can help them reduce their own impact on the environment.

At Ball, we’re finding innovative ways to further our own commitment to helping consumers live more sustainably through partnerships with stadiums, sports teams and athletes around the world that increase use and recycling of aluminium beverage packaging – cans, cups and bottles. Aluminium is an innovative and 100% recyclable material, and we’re proud to leverage our years of expertise to both improve our product stewardship and find new ways to advance sustainability with the material. In addition to upstream enhancements like achieving Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Certification for all of our beverage packaging plants, we also invented a first-of-its-kind product – the Ball Aluminum Cup™ – to help advance sustainability and reduce plastic waste at concerts, sporting events,

picnics, parties, tailgates and more.

Showing up and seeing results Since the Ball Aluminum Cup’s introduction in 2019, it has played a role in advancing sustainability and enhancing recycling at dozens of stadiums, concerts, sporting events and more. From the aluminium cup’s availability at the past three Big Games to its upcoming presence at the Formula 1 race in Miami, the cup is helping consumers celebrate more sustainably.

With each of our partners, we have seen exciting progress aimed at strengthening

in-venue aluminium recycling, providing fans recycling education, and showcasing aluminum beverage packaging – cans, bottles and the Ball Aluminum Cup – as the most sustainable choice for in-venue drinks. In fact, the cup is now made with 90% recycled content which helps reduce its carbon footprint. As one example of offering sustainable choices to venues, last year we established a first-of-itskind partnership with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to bring the aluminium cup to three marquee venues in Denver, Los Angeles, and London and advance these goals.

*President and CEO, Ball Corporation

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54 PACKAGING

At Denver’s Ball Arena, for example, the partners have been able to bring fans a more sustainable in-stadium experience.

By introducing multiple sizes and formats of infinitely recyclable aluminium cans, cups and bottles, Ball Arena has eliminated more than 350,000 single-use plastic cups and bottles and is on pace to eliminate more than 1 million single-use plastic cups and bottles in 2022. Ball and KSE have also spearheaded The Green Assists program, which is focused on recycling and education, and launched consumer activations such as Team Aluminium, a program that makes recycling easy for fans by enlisting ambassadors to collect recyclables using backpacks.

Additionally, this year’s Big Game at SoFi Stadium marked the third year in a row Ball has teamed up with Bud Light to bring the Ball Aluminum Cup to fans both in the stadium and at home. Building upon our efforts at Raymond James Stadium in 2021 and in 2020, when the aluminium cups were part of Hard Rock Stadium’s initiative to phase out 99.4% of single-use plastics that year, we were excited to also engage the wider Southern California community with a series of

events including the Rams Tailgate Tour and the Chargers Bolts Experience at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

We even saw a few outstanding athletes – and outspoken sustainability advocates – like Sage Erickson and Cooper Kupp enjoying and celebrating with the Ball Aluminum Cup, marking another exciting milestone for sustainability in the sports and entertainment industry.

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Looking forward to a more sustainable sports and entertainment industry We are so proud of each of our partnerships and the ways they help to educate fans on aluminium recycling, inspire communities to make sustainability a cornerstone of their everyday lifestyles, and assist organisations and teams to reach their sustainability goals.

It’s going to take a collective effort to create a lasting impact on our planet.

Venues like Ball Arena, events like the Big Game, and all the related community events show the magnitude of the sports and entertainment industry in driving sustainability. It also reminds me how fun it can be to unite behind a cause, in addition to a team.

While we at Ball are so proud of what we have accomplished with our partners over the past few years, we recognise there is so much more to be done. It is not enough that aluminium is a sustainable and infinitely recyclable material – we also need to make sure aluminium cans, cups and bottles truly get recycled. Those in our industry must work together to continue improving aluminium sustainability and increasing the use of aluminium across industries to move towards a truly circular economy, where materials can be – and actually are – used again and again.

I’m looking forward to taking what we’ve learned and accomplishing even more through collaboration. Together, we can cheer on our teams while making a true difference for our planet. � Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 14:05:38

MINING 55

Possibilities of urban mining in relation to aluminium

By Dr Subodh Das* Urban Mining denotes the process of using the anthropogenic stock as a source for the exploration, extraction, and refining of various raw materials, i.e., treating the anthroposphere as a ‘mine’.

The anthropogenic stock is the sum of all materials used or stored by humans over time. This may include buildings, infrastructure, industries, products (in and out of use), Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), waste tailings, and landfills.

The potential material recovery from the urban mine depends on the outflow of materials from these sources into the waste stream, along with tailings and landfills. Although there is an overlapping of the concepts of recycling and landfill mining with urban mining, the formers are indeed a part of an urban mine.

Quantitatively, urban mining is a sum of end-of-life recycling of various products and some scarce material recovery from landfills and tailings.

Urban mining is an integral part of the circular economy principles. The circular economy rejects the linear ‘‘take-makewaste” business models. It promotes longer use of products by reusing and repairing them, reducing waste generation, and using more secondary raw materials in production cycles for resource conservation and economic growth.

Urban mining and the metal sector The metal economies, especially nonferrous metals are the most significant beneficiaries of urban mining, supported by the fact that the metals are often 100%

Nonferrous metals contribute the most to the recovery from urban mining in value terms. No-ferrous metals are usually less prone to corrosion and have a longer life. Nonferrous metals can be recovered, segregated, and processed as new metals and can also be commercialised directly as a mixed nonferrous scrap. In both ways, non-ferrous metals, especially copper, aluminium, and lead continue to dominate the urban mining space.

recyclable and most of the landfilled and discarded wastes contain metals. With the growing awareness about a circular economy and reclamation of waste, the concept of urban mining is gaining ground from the point of view of metal and rare earth element recovery.

An urban mine mostly comprises the below sources that contribute to the recovery of metal: � Building and construction � Automotive � Packaging (beverage packaging such as UBCs) � Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) � Mine tailings � Process wastes in refineries and smelters (red mud, fly ash, spent pot lining, dross) � Landfills Recovery from landfills, mine tailings, and process wastes is scarce and is gaining ground on an experimental basis.

Potential reclamation of aluminium from urban mines Aluminium is one of the highly recycled non-ferrous metals and has the maximum potential to be reclaimed through urban mining.

A large amount of automotive and construction scraps is recycled across the world from urban mines. However, the recycling rate of aluminium packaging wastes especially, used beverage cans (UBC) is still far lower than expected and has the potential to rise to a much higher level.

As an instance, the current consumer UBC recycling rate in the United States is hovering around 45%. The industry recycling rate increased in 2020 to 59.7%.

For an industry that produces more than one hundred billion aluminium cans per year translating into the consumption of about one can per day for every American, this is undeniably low. This compares to a much higher rate of 97% in Brazil and close to 80% in Scandinavia, and Japan.

Aluminium cans are a leading example of closed-loop recycling, with a high recycled

*Phinix LLC Aluminium International Today

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56 MINING

Management Pathway

2000

2005

2010

2015

2017

2018

Generation

3,190

3,330

3,510

3,670

3,820

3,890

860

690

680

670

600

670

-

-

-

-

-

-

390

410

440

510

550

560

1,940

2,230

2,390

2,490

2,670

2,660

Recycled Composted Combustion with Energy Recovery Landfilled Source: https://www.epa.gov/

Aluminium Metals in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

aluminium content and the ability to be back on store shelves as fresh cans within 60 days. Notwithstanding that, more than 50 billion cans, around $800 million worth of aluminium – were diverted from the recycling stream in 2020 to the landfill that could have otherwise been responsibly recycled and made into new cans. This loss has a significant negative impact on the environment as well as on the economy.

As per the latest data from EPA, in 2018, aluminium waste generation was 1.3% of total MSW generation at 3.9 million tons. This included 1.9 million tons of aluminium containers and packaging and two million tons of durable and nondurable goods. Further, as per the EPA data, in 2018, the total recycling rate of aluminium containers and packaging was 34.9%. Within this number, the most recycled category of aluminium was beer and soft drink cans, at 50.4% or 0.67 million tons.

The total amount of aluminium combusted in 2018 was roughly 0.6 million tons, about 1.6% of all MSW combusted with energy recovery. In 2018, landfills received about 2.7 million tons of aluminium or about 1.8% of all MSW landfilled that year. This is a huge volume to be ended in landfills every year. Table 1.

As CMI has pointed out, if the aluminium UBC recycling rate were 70% in 2020 instead of 45%, more than 25 billion cans would have been recycled.

These 25 billion fresh cans would have generated revenue of more than $400 million for the US recycling system and the saved energy could power more than one million US homes for a year. The figure for the lost value of UBCs gets bigger if we look at the current (2021-22) market price of aluminium.

Aluminium beverage cans contribute just 3% of the weight of all recyclable wastes generated at US homes. Yet, UBCs account for nearly half of the revenue from recyclable materials from singlefamily homes.

These statistics come from the landmark study published by The Recycling Partnership’s 2020 State of Curbside report and justifies the significance of an effective recycling loop for the UBCs July/August 2022

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The fate of the landfilled UBCs The recycling possibilities of UBCs go beyond curbside recycling to reclaim all the cans that have been landfilled in the US for decades. As per the last estimate, more than 30 million tons of aluminium scraps are buried in the nation’s landfills over the past three to four decades. If recovered and processed, they can compensate for a large volume of freshly mined metals.

As the US is increasingly focusing on secondary sourcing of aluminium and closing most of its primary smelters, the country’s landfills can be the next best source for reclaiming the aluminium mostly buried in the form of UBCs. Challenges Landfill mining is a complicated process and can be expensive enough to consume about 80% of the project budget. The cost of excavating trash, sorting out the materials such as metals, and then reburying the rest tends to exceed the revenues from selling recovered materials.

Boring into a landfill will release the methane generated inside it and this will be counterproductive if the gas is being used as a fuel. Increasingly, this methane is being combusted for steam generation and to heat large institutional buildings.

Also, the material recovered from a landfill will certainly be more contaminated than end-of-life wastes. They might not be an attractive option to the remelt operators.

Not only lack of profitability but also regulatory hurdles for accessing and processing the landfilled material are a hindrance to raw material recovery from landfills. This comes with numerous political, economic, environmental, and legal liabilities.

These are some of the factors that pose challenges in extending urban mining to reclaim resources from landfills. At present, urban mining centers around recycling and diverting wastes from ending in landfills. Landfill mining is still in the experimental stage and needs further research and development to be standard practice.

The bottom line There is a gap between the raw material production potential given by the urban mine and the recovered raw material

volumes. This follows from numerous challenges, ranging from organizational to technological to economic – facing the recovery of raw materials from a highly diverse and highly complex resource base across the world.

There is an urgent need to develop technology to clean and beneficiate the waste from urban mines. Without technical innovations, urban mining remains just wishful thinking. It is a practical concept that must be strongly structured within a circular economy strategy.

The concept needs to be addressed scientifically with regard to terminology, targets, technologies, challenges, and opportunities.

The extraction and processing of materials during urban mining are based on economic feasibility. There is a standard mechanism for enhancing the concentration and extraction of given elements. Therefore, the process needs a pragmatic approach rather than an ideological one. A planned urban mining ecosystem can reduce dependence on organic raw materials, cut carbon emissions considerably in industrial production, fortify recycling supply chains and finally strengthen the circular economy goals. � Reference: 1. h t t p s : / / w w w . e p a . g o v / s i t e s / d e f a u l t / files/2016-03/documents/land-rcl.pdf 2. h t t p s : / / w w w . u r b a n m i n i n g . i t / p u b l i c / documents/simposio/editorial-wastemanagement-2015.pdf 3. h t t p s : / / e u r e l c o . o r g / w p - c o n t e n t / uploads/2018/09/p5.pdf 4. https://secat.net/wp-content/uploads/ Recovering-Aluminum-from-Used-BeverageCans.pdf 5. https://www.rts.com/blog/what-is-urbanmining/ 6. https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/content/ dam/isi/dokumente/ccn/2020/Fraunhofer_ISI_ Urban_Mining.pdf 7. LANDFILL MINING: Process, Feasibility, Economy, Benefits and Limitations, July 2009, René Møller Rosendal 8. 2020 State of Curbside Recycling Report, THE RECYCLING PARTNERSHIP 9. Defining a Closed-Loop U.S. Aluminum Can Supply Chain Through Technical Design and Supply Chain Innovation, JACK BUFFINGTON, RAY PETERSON (TMS) Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 11:59:05

EVENT REVIEW 57

Advancing aluminium:

CRU conference hall

The World Aluminium Conference

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1. Chris Bayliss, Director of Standards at Aluminium Stewardship Initiative 2. (Left to Right) : Zaid Aljanabi, Head of Aluminium, Consulting, CRU, Virginia Gum Hamisevicz, Vice President, Government Relations and International Programs, The Aluminium Association, Emanuele Manigrassi, Manager EU Public Affairs, European Aluminium Association, Laurent Ruessmann, Partner, FieldFisher 3. Paul Williams, Research manager, Aluminium, CRU Group

The CRU World Aluminium Conference returned after its absence due to COVID19. The two day event held its conference in London between the 17th - 18th May 2022. Zahra Awan* was in attendance.

Opening the conference was CRU, Head of Aluminium, Paul Williams, who introduced the Key Note session: ‘Advancing Sustainable Aluminium in Primary, Rolled and Extruded Product Markets’.

Speaking first was Emilio Braghi, Executive Vice President & President, Novelis Europe. Holding high regard to “aluminium cans [which] are winning in the recycling race”, he discussed the key pillars for circularity: Legislation, Market Commitment and Technology.

Legislation was a reoccurring theme at the event as Associations, Governments and Policymakers are pressed to provide more to encourage the circularity and recyclability of aluminium. He stated: “Primary aluminium is the way to grow, recycled aluminium is the way to succeed.”

Next on the podium was John Slaven, COO, Alcoa presenting on ‘Reinventing the aluminium industry for a sustainable future’. He highlighted that that as an industry we need to “build foundations

from our mind to our metal, to promote and ensure the best sustainable green production.” He went on to discuss the importance of decarbonising smelters, an idea reiterated by Tim Murray, Cardinal Virtues Consulting later in the day. Mr Slaven also discussed the R&D project, Elysis, a joint venture between Alcoa and Rio Tinto. Elysis has already formed a relationship with Apple and Audi with regards to introducing Net-Zero aluminium products.

Following the theme of low-carbon primary aluminium was speaker Paul Warton from Hydro, Executive Vice President Mr Warton has previously spoken to Aluminium International Today on Hydro’s steps towards sustainable aluminium (March/April issue). Covering the automotive industry as well as Hydro’s own ventures to decarbonise the production on primary aluminium, the audience were shown a glimpse into the mindset of the company, with the emphasis on the importance of “upstream to downstream [production is equal] – we need to deliver sustainable solutions.”

Head of Aluminium, CRU, Paul Williams spoke next to give an Aluminium Market Outlook, with a focus on ‘Long

Term Growth Clouded by Weakening 2022’. Due to the current conflict in the Ukraine, COVID-19 and inflation, the industry is seeing ‘some demand growth destruction’. Mr Williams concluded that the aluminium industry is set to remain in a deficit for 2022. He also added that the market needs Russian aluminium.

However, long term, “aluminium is a winner from the ESG/Green Energy Transition”, the packaging markets are strong and are “likely to cushion any global downturn.”

Following from these discussions, Alba announced its intentions to appoint a consultant to conduct pre-feasibility study for a line 7 smelter. Speaker, Hisham Alkooheji Director of Marketing MEA-Asia (Left), joined via a live link and discussed the renewable fuel alternatives that the company are investigating, such as solar energy.

After a break, the conference continued to discuss the ‘Demand and Sustainability Outlook’. Here, Ball Cooperation European Public Affairs and Sustainability Manager, Claudia Bierth stated that those who can, should “ban landfills”; whilst Nathalie Bacca, Corporate NFM Purchasing Manager Copper and Aluminium Rod,

*Editorial Assistant, Aluminium International Today Aluminium International Today

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58 EVENT REVIEW

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4. Mark White, Innovation Director, DSW Automotive. 5. CRU panel session 6. Dagný Ósk Ragnarsdóttir, Director of Business Analaysis and Market Development, Landsvirkjun. 7.Nathalie Bacca, Corporate NFM Purchasing Manager Copper and Aluminum Rod, Nexans

Nexons expressed the need for high quality recycled aluminium cables for customers.

This later resulted in a debate on the purity of aluminium when scrap is used, which suggested that aluminium containing scrap cannot be a high enough quality for conducting electricity. Rob van Gils CEO and Managing Partner, Hammerer Aluminium Industries joined the panel and added: “There is not enough scrap available” to meet the demands. Further, detailing the complex challenges faced when dealing with scrap aluminium.

Next, a discussion on ‘Trade and GeoPolitical Risks’ was held with speakers from: � Head of Aluminium, Consulting, CRU � Vice President, Government Relations and International Programs, The Aluminium Association � Manager EU Public Affairs, European Aluminium Association � Partner, FieldFisher A key topic emerging from the presentations was the challenges of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). This proposed solution proved to be a point of disagreement across the panel during the Q&A. Laurent Ruessmann from FieldFisher, stated: “ Like a dear caught in headlights… we [those who proposed CBAM] were fixated on one concept, to fix carbon leakage, but

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we have not seen it in action,” meaning logistical issues arose, and yet it “is coming to its final destination.” Virginia Gum Hamisevicz The Aluminium Association saw the challenges posed by CBAM as an opportunity to “influence” the review, despite it coming to a close, to get what is best for the industry. This seemed like the only option as currently “it is the aluminium industry who will be hurt the most by the concept,” said Emanuele Manigrassi European Aluminium Association.

To conclude, the final session of the day discussed topics on decarbonisation at a focused level. Tim Murray, CEO, Cardinal Virtues Consulting, discussed the opportunities available to assist with ‘Smelter Decarbonisation’. He suggested that alongside electric furnaces, electric vehicles should be used on the shopfloor.

He stated that “doing anything green is not easy, and it’s going to be expensive,” but it is necessary.

Continuing with the conversation on Electric Vehicles were speakers Torbjörn Sternsjo, Senior Advisor to the CEO, Gränges and Professor Mark White, Innovation Director, DSW Automotive.

Mr Sternsjo once again highlighted the dilemma when dealing with recycled aluminium, stating: “You need very pure aluminium for EV batteries, meaning you have very limited options when considering scrap – recycled aluminium.”

He continued, “We need to improve

primary aluminium production to be greener so that we can decarbonise” the EV industry. Mr White elaborated on the many uses and growing uses of aluminium in the EV industry, adding once again that the demand for greener aluminium is only set to increase as consumer demands are growing.

The CRU World Aluminium Conference 2022 will continue into its second day tomorrow, where delegates can expect more discussions on the challenges and solutions regarding the aluminium industry, as well as great opportunities to network with key industry players and specialists.

The event attracted well-known executives and decision-makers from the primary, secondary, extruded, rolled products, end use, trading, and financial sectors, creating an environment conducive to networking.

Regularly attracting more than 300 senior decisionmakers, representing 160+ companies from 36 countries, the event is was a great opportunity to network face-to-face or with the click of a button.

The hybrid event went into its second day discussing the topics of: � Sustainability and certification � Global Economic Outlook � Green Stability in a volatile world � Prices and Premium outlook � Raw Material

Aluminium International Today

06/07/2022 13:54:26

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27 – 29 September 2022 Exhibition Center Düsseldorf, Germany

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60 EVENT REVIEW

Starting off the conference, Miles Prosser, Secretary General, International Aluminium Institute (IAI) compared aluminium’s sustainable characteristics to other high demand materials – copper, steel, glass and plastic (polyethylene terephthalate – PET). From IAI findings, “aluminium out preforms glass and plastics in closed loop recycling,” said Mr Prosser. “Today more than 70% of the material used in aluminium cans is recycled into new products – almost double that of glass (34%) and plastic (40%).”

Chriss Bayliss – Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) commended the industries shift in focus to the sustainability of their products. He said “I am proud o see so many members proud to be certified by the ASI… Now I want to see companies that aren’t up to the standards come forward to work with us to improve their

sustainability.” He also called out the importance if #nature and biodiversity” and “human rights” when discussing sustainability.

Speaking next, on the “bleak image” of global economics, Alex Tuckett, Head of Economics, CRU. Warning the audience of the recession risks; heightened by Covid-19 in China, Ukrainian conflict, Inflation and Monetary Policy, Mr Tuckett attempts to provide solutions and a few buffers that the economy has against the great threats, such as excess savings that people have built up. Dagný Ósk Ragnarsdóttir, Director of Business Analysis and Market Development, Landsvirkjun added to the list of issues that the industry will face – “the demand for aluminium will increase beyond Iceland’s capacity… it is not easy to expand Iceland’s production and no new smelter is on the horizon.”

The economic struggle was reemphasised by the ninth session, ‘prices and premiums outlook’, the session was discussed by: Aline Carnizelo, Portfolio Manager - Pala, Colin Hamilton, Managing Director, Commodities Research - BMO Capital Markets, Duncan Hobbs, Research Director - Concord Resources Limited, Xiao Fu, Head of Commodity Markets Strategy - BOCI Global Commodities, Nicholas Snowdon, Metals Strategist - Goldman Sachs, and Max Layton, Managing Director, Commodities Research - Citi Global Markets.

The CRU conference illustrated the aluminium industries shift towards committing to sustainable manufacturing.

The industry will face hardships as the global economy struggles, but the industry is hopeful for aluminium as the material of the future. �

For more information visit: https://events.crugroup.com/aluminium/home?utm_medium=Referal&utm_source=cru_homepage&utm_ campaign=banner

CONNECTING THE INTERNATIONAL ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY MAGAZINE Published six times a year in both print and digital, AIT is an English language journal dedicated to the production and processing of aluminium.

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