Aluminium International May June 2023

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Volume 36 No. 3 – May June 2023

Editorial

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

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FUTURE-PROOFING

With the Future Aluminium Forum just around the corner, all the attention is on the future of our sector.

As global aluminium demand is projected to increase by almost 40 per cent by 2030, the aluminium sector will need to produce an additional 33.3 Mt to meet demand growth in all industrial sectors.

This will only be possible through the inception of streamlined technologies, digital manufacturing and sustainable solutions across the supply chain... which is exactly the kind of topics that will be presented by industry experts, producers and solutions providers at the Future Aluminium Forum in Québec City between the 10th - 12th May.

However, you might be reading this issue while attending the CRU World Aluminium Conference, which will once again be held at a beautiful location in central London.

This year’s CRU event will be co-hosted by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) and the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). The partnership with IAI and ASI will reinforce CRU’s full supply chain focus on delegation and will introduce interesting and new content about carbon accounting methodologies, as well as allowing attendees to make valuable connections with industry peers, and build their professional network in a business social environment.

I hope to see many familiar and some new faces at these events over the coming months and look forward to the discussions around how our industry is being shaped and the plans for the future. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this issue!

nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

Rio Tinto begins construction of its new billet casting center in Alma

Rio Tinto begins construction of its new billet casting center in Alma

Rio Tinto has begun construction to increase its capacity to cast low-carbon, high-value aluminium billets by 202,000 metric tonnes at its Alma, Québec smelter.

The existing casting center will be expanded to include new state-of-the-art equipment such as furnaces, acasting pit, coolers, handling, inspection, sawing and

packaging systems. Commissioning is scheduled for the first half of 2025.

The C$240 million investment will allow more of Rio Tinto’s aluminium production to be used to make billets from renewable hydroelectric power. This will allow Rio Tinto to be more agile and flexible in meeting the anticipat-

ed growing demand from North American extruders for a variety of high value-added products, primarily for the automotive and construction industries. The project is expected to generate an estimated economic impact of more than $200 million for Québec, create approximately 40 new jobs and help support existing jobs.

Alba’s Line 6 new nameplate capacity jumps to 560,000 MT

Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) has announced claims that it hit a new milestone in Reduction Line 6 with the recent creep which has seen its production capacity increase from 540,000 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 560,000 mtpa by increasing the current from 460 kA to 478 kA.

Speaking on this achievement, Alba’s Chairman of the Board Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa said:

“We have gone bigger with expanding Line 6 nameplate production capacity for the better. This new milestone is important for Alba, now and in the future as we continue to strive to improve our operational productivity and efficiency while keeping Alba on track to rank as the largest smelter in the world ex-China.

I would like to applaud our teams for creeping-up safely our Line 6 assets in the last couple of months to expand its throughput all the while optimizing our fixed cost structure.

from 540,000 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 560,000 mtpa by increasing the current from 460 kA to 478 kA.

Speaking on this achievement, Alba’s Chairman of the Board Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa said:

“We have gone bigger with expanding Line 6 nameplate production capacity for the better. This new milestone is important for Alba, now and in the future as we continue to strive to improve our operational productivity and efficiency while keeping Alba on track to rank as the largest smelter in the world ex-China.

Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) has announced claims that it hit a new milestone in Reduction Line 6 with the recent creep which has seen its production capacity increase

I would like to applaud our teams for creeping-up safely our Line 6 assets in the last couple of months to expand its throughput all the while optimizing our fixed cost structure.”

Hydro delivers first near-zero aluminium for construction market

Hydro have announced that the first aluminium profiles made with 100 percent recycled post-consumer aluminium have been delivered by Hydro to the Innovationsbogen project in Augsburg, Germany. The Hydro CIRCAL 100R aluminium used in this project reduces the

CO2 emissions by 527 tonnes and is enabling decarbonisation of Europe’s building industry.

Hydro, through its building system brand WICONA, has announced it has delivers aluminium made with near-zero carbon footprint to a building project in

Europe. WICONA will deliver door, window and curtain walling profiles made from 100 percent recycled post-consumer aluminum. Near-zero aluminium is defined as aluminium with a footprint of less than 0.5kg CO2e /kg aluminium throughout the value chain.

Alcoa: Closure of Intalco Smelter

Alcoa have announced the closure of its Intalco aluminium smelter in Washington State, which has been fully idle since 2020.

The closure announcement begins a process to prepare the site for new economic development opportunities.

“The Intalco smelter site operated for nearly 55 years, and we’ve spent significant time evaluating options for the asset, including a

potential sale,” said Alcoa President and CEO Roy Harvey. “Our analysis, however, indicates that the facility cannot be competitive for the long-term.

“The site is an important part of our history, and we are encouraged by the prospects for potential economic development via another entity that will own and control land at the site,” Harvey said. “We will continue to engage

with our stakeholders, including community members and government officials, as we make this transition.”

Permanently closing Intalco’s 279,000 metric tons of annual capacity will bring Alcoa Corporation’s global consolidated capacity to 2.69 million metric tons, including a combined 399,000 metric tons at two other smelters in the United States.

EGA joins Australian cooperative research centre

Emirates Global Aluminium has joined HILT CRC to progress research into the decarbonisation of alumina refining.

HILT CRC (Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre) is an Australian cooperative research centre bringing together industry, researchers and government to achieve technological breakthroughs in the decarbonisation of the steel, iron, alumina and cement industries. Australia is the world’s second

PACKAGING

Ball Aerosol becomes first ASI certified packaging manufacturer

largest alumina refining country and the largest alumina exporter.

Joining international research and technology providers, EGA is HILT’s first industry partner with operations entirely outside Australia. EGA’s Al Taweelah alumina refinery began production in 2019 and is the only alumina refinery in the UAE. EGA also operates aluminium smelters in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea.

Strike at Hydro Karmøy and Årdal

Following the breach in mediation between The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), the Confederation of the Vocational Unions (YS) and the Norwegian Labor Union (LO), employees organised in Industri Energi and FLT at Hydro Karmøy and Hydro Årdal will go on strike from Monday, April 17.

The strike will gradually affect the operations at Hydro Karmøy and Hydro Årdal. The impact on operations is regulated by a separate agreement, which states how operations are to be reduced in a responsible manner and how both parties shall contribute.

The affected members will go on strike gradually, as ramping

down production requires considerable work effort from the operators at the aluminium plants. This process will take several months.

Shipping activities will be strictly limited for both Hydro Årdal and Hydro Karmøy for the duration of the strike, which will lead to delays in deliveries.

BALL Corporation has announced that it has received the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certification for the Performance and Chain of Custody Standards for its Global Aerosol Packaging division.

The certification covered all nine of Ball’s manufacturing plants, aerosol packaging and slugs worldwide.

This means Ball is the first impact extruded aluminium manufacturing company that’s able to supply ASI certified aluminium aerosol cans, slugs and bottles to its customers.

Alupro calls for government action to secure an aluminium-friendly DRS

The 29 members of Alupro sent a joint letter to Thérèse Coffey MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, calling for immediate government action in order to ensure that a deposit return scheme (DRS) across England, Wales and Northern Ireland further enhances aluminium recycling rates without compromising the market.

Net Zero lab drives

decarbonisation of Novelis plant in Switzerland

Novelis Inc and its partners at the research and development laboratory Net Zero Lab Valais, have announced that they have successfully completed the first year of operations, launching key energy projects aimed at enabling scope 1 and 2 carbon neutral production at Novelis´ Sierre plant in Switzer-

land.

In the first year of the plant’s decarbonisation journey with the Net Zero Lab Valais, the company has approved an investment in a new electrical pusher furnace, which will allow the plant to preheat sheet ingots with renewable electricity instead of natural gas,

saving around 4,500t CO2eq per year and up to 180,000 CO2eq over the furnace’s lifetime.

In addition, the lab partners completed a project to transfer waste heat from the casting process in Novelis´ plant to the Technopôle – a nearby building complex.

Novelis opens New Can Customer Solution Center Novelis Inc. has announced the opening of its Customer Solution Center (CSC) for the beverage packaging market in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The center will focus on advancing aluminum beverage can innovation and sustainability solutions in response to growing market demand.

The new CSC will serve as an innovation hub in a facility designed for collaboration, most notably with beverage can makers, brand owners, other industry suppliers and scientific partners.

ALBA: Solar farm project

Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) has announced that it has secured sustainable financing loan of BD1.6 million to establish its Solar Farm Project from Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait (BBK), Bahrain’s pioneer in retail and commercial banking.

A signing ceremony was held on 12 March 2023 at Alba’s Al Dana Hall, which was attended by Alba’s Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali and BBK’s Group Chief Executive Officer Dr. A. Rahman Saif in the presence of senior officials from Alba and BBK.

Commenting on this occasion, Alba’s CEO Ali Al Baqali said: “Our vision goes beyond the Aluminium we produce or the manufacturing processes we rely on. Our ambition today, being the largest

smelter in the world ex-China, is to deliver what is best to all our stakeholders: our people, communities, customers and most importantly to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Installing the Solar Farm reflects how our climate strategy ties into our value creation story. Team-

ing up with our banking partner, BBK, we were able to finance our green project with a green loan in line with our ESG roadmap. Every small step we take collectively, will get us closer to meet Bahrain’s objectives for Net Zero Emissions by 2060.”

Alcoa expands its EcoSource™ low-carbon alumina brand

Alcoa has announced the expansion of the Company’s EcoSource™ low-carbon alumina brand to now include certain grades of non-metallurgical alumina.

First launched in 2020 for smelter-grade applications (SGA), EcoSource is the world’s first and only low-carbon alumina brand. Now, it is also being offered in non-metallurgical (NMA) grades, including hydrates and calcined materials. Hydrates are primarily used in municipal water treatment applications; calcined materials are used in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles,

glass, and flame retardants.

“We’re excited to expand our EcoSource brand to more customers as an important evolution in our product portfolio,” said Alcoa

Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Kelly Thomas. “We are offering solutions today to help our customers reduce their emissions and meet their own sustainability goals.”

EcoSource, in both SGA and NMA, is said to be sourced from Alcoa’s global refining system, which has an average carbon dioxide equivalent intensity (CO2e) that is below 0.6 tons per ton of alumina produced, which includes Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from bauxite mining and alumina refining.

IAI launches Aluminium Forward 2030 Coalition

The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) has announced the launch of Aluminium Forward 2030, a coalition of IAI’s 25 production members and 20 downstream and customer companies who have committed themselves to transforming the aluminium sector. The aim is to accelerate progress toward net zero emissions while working together on a roadmap that is inclusive of all the other UN Sustainable Devel-

opment Goals. This IAI initiative flows from discussions with various players in the beverage can, automotive, electrical, transport and construction markets and demonstrates the power of collab-

orative efforts to tackle one of the most complex global challenges.

Key leaders in major aluminium sectors, such as Jaguar Land Rover; Ball, Crown Holdings and Ardagh Metal Packaging; Cable producers Nexans; and aluminium technology company Gränges, among others, have already endorsed Aluminium Forward 2030. The coalition aims to protect and enhance the societal value of aluminium in all its applications.

MAY

10th - 12th

Future Aluminium Forum

The Forum will return in a live format to Québec City, a region where the aluminium industry has existed for more than a century and is now seeing rapid change and collaboration between manufacturers, processors, suppliers and OEMs. Held in Québec City, Canada www. futurealuminiumforum. com

16th - 18th

CRU: World Aluminium Conference 2023

The Conference will allow attendees to make valuable connections with industry peers and build their professional network in a business social environment. www.events.crugroup. com/aluminium

JUNE

12th - 16th

METEC

International buyers, users, experts and decision-makers from the metallurgy, thermal engineering and casting industry meet here at these four events at the same time and place.

Held in Düsseldorf, Germany www.metec-tradefair.com

SEPTEMBER

13th - 14th

UK Metals Expo

Returning in 2023, The UK Metals Expo will host the entire industry under one roof. According to Chris McDonald, Chair, UK Metals Council: “Anyone with a career in the metals industry will want to attend, any organisations providing goods or services to this industry will want to be represented.”

Held in Birmingham, UK www.metec-tradefair.com

For a full listing visit www.aluminiumtoday.com/ events

Innovative and basic products made of aluminium

By Richard McDonough*

Aluminium is one of the most adaptable metals used in today’s world. The sustainability aspects of aluminium allow manufacturers, fabricators, designers, and others to use this metal to create a wide variety of products. This edition of The Alumina Chronicles details a few examples of the versatility of aluminium in the United States (US) and beyond. (Main image)

Accurate Perforating

“We manufacture perforated aluminium,” said Jim Erhart, Marketing Manager of Accurate Perforating. “At its most basic, we put holes in metal, but in fact, it is much more. The process involves tools and dies that are fine-tuned to specific patterns set forth by the customer. When we perforate aluminium, it is primarily used in architectural applications and the noise enclosure industry. Applications include intricate facades, sunshades, cladding, infill panels, and railings.” (Image 1)

According to Mr. Erhart, the vast majority of the firm’s business – 95% –is in the US and Canada. “The balance goes to Mexico and Central America,” he stated. “Occasionally, we have sold our perforated metal internationally, but that is intermittent at best.”

Based on its total business, perforated aluminium represents approximately 15% of the total business at Accurate Perforating, Mr. Erhart stated: “Other materials that make up the rest include stainless steel, galvanised steel, carbon steel (hot rolled and cold rolled), nickel, brass, and copper. Our business is well diversified so if one material type or industry is down, one of the others is up, thus balancing out our portfolio.”

“We use aluminium in several ways,” Mr. Erhart continued. “On a weekly basis, we are purchasing multiple truckloads of aluminium coil. Each of these truckloads weighs approximately 45,000 lbs. and consists of aluminium from as light as 24 gauge to as heavy as ¼ wall. When

the aluminium arrives at our facility, it is inspected thoroughly for quality, including micing the material. After inspection, the material is sent to one of our 18 perforating presses. We then use the coils to ‘blank’ specific sheets for customers on many of our vendor-managed inventory programmes we have with our customers.

Mr. Erhart stated that “we also buy aluminium already in sheet form. These sheets are cut to length and width; [this] makes it most efficient and economical for our customers and machinery. A typical size is 48” wide by 96” long. These sheets are then sent through the perforated presses dependent on the customer’s application. Because our perforated aluminium often goes to contractors and sub-contractors, we take it a step further with metal fabrication to get the part ready. This could include bending, adding end margins for bolting into place, forming, welding, or powder-coat painting.”

As for why Accurate Perforating uses aluminium, Mr. Erhart said that “around 15 to 20 years ago, we shifted our business model. We used to sell most of

our perforated metal in large lots through distribution channels. What we found is by going exclusively that route, our margins continued to erode. We made the business decision to go after more direct business and began working with architects and sub-contractors. Because of this, we got into aluminium as it is the ideal choice for use in architectural applications.”

“In the architectural space, we sell to contractors and sub-contractors who use it in facades, signage, and more in the non-residential construction industry,” noted Mr. Erhart. “Perforated aluminium is also used for HVAC contractors, power generation, decorative fence panels, noise cancellation panels, and the automotive industry for functional and decorative use.”

Accurate Perforating shipped approximately 5,000 tonnes of perforated aluminium in 2022, according to Mr. Erhart. That usage level was lower last year as compared to the previous year.

“In 2022, our aluminium business was down a bit as compared to 2021,” stated Mr. Erhart. “2021 was unique in

* 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. © 2023 Richard McDonough

Aluminium was utilised by Accurate Perforating for railing infill panels for 2929 Weslayan in Houston, Texas. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Accurate Perforating.)

the metal industry due to supply chain woes. Because of this, we had an influx of new customers who couldn’t get perforated aluminium from their regular suppliers. This led to an increase in overall consumption of aluminium.”

Mr. Erhart explained that Accurate Perforating has always used aluminium in its production, noting that “the customer decides which substrate to use for the specific application that is required. Metal substrates typically cannot be interchanged.”

Recycling – even of the smallest pieces of aluminium – is a key component of the operating profile of Accurate Perforating.

“All our metal is recycled,” said Mr. Erhart. “Naturally, the perforating process creates scrap; the tiny shapes that are punched out of each sheet or coil are captured and then picked up by local metal recyclers.”

“Aluminium, like all metals, is great because it is infinitely recyclable,” continued Mr. Erhart. “When we think about that, we were ‘green’ before anyone was calling it that.”

Challenges outside of the aluminium industry have affected the firm. High interest rates in the second half of 2022, Mr. Erhart stated, began to impact the company’s non-residential construction usage. He stated that “this sector is our primary driver for perforated aluminium.”

“2023 will be an interesting year for aluminium,” Mr. Erhart continued. “Due to high interest rates, we expect the first half of the year to be slow for non-residential construction…If interest rates fall, we expect construction to be busier and our perforated aluminium business will pick up. But because of those uncertainties, we are predicting the aluminium side of our business to be down approximately 5%. This will be made up by other materials and industries (carbon steel, stainless steel, etc.) which we planned for at the end of 2022. We are predicting that our overall business will be up in 2023 by approximately 3%.” (Image 2)

Ball Corporation

The Ball Aluminium Cup continues to be an important product manufactured by Ball Corporation. In a news statement dated 16 March 2023, Ball Corporation released its Climate Transition Plan and 2022 Annual Combined Financial and Sustainability Report. That news statement indicated that the firm has started a second manufacturing line of this aluminium cup “…and now has the capability to produce 9-, 12-, 16-, 20- and 24-ounce cups, offering a fully recyclable cup for any event or occasion.”

These aluminium cups are helping to drive sustainability at sports and

entertainment venues across the country, according to statements issued by the firm. In addition to their use in commercial environments, individual consumers are also able to buy the cups for personal use.

“It has been inspiring to see continued excitement and growing demand for the Ball Aluminium Cup since we first introduced the product to consumers in 2019,” Dan Fisher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ball Corporation, said in a news statement issued on 20 October 2022. “As a company, we are relentlessly focused on advancing the circular economy. We believe that the expansion

Solutions: Sustainability. The Edison Awards stated that “the Ball Aluminium Cup is an aluminium alternative to your typical, single-use disposable plastic cup. Unlike plastic though, aluminium can be recycled over and over again without losing quality or value. It is a true, sustainable alternative to existing singleuse competitors. Additionally, it delivers a significantly better drinking experience.”

(Image 3)

Kali Butterfly

Whilst a beverage cup is one of the most basic products created from aluminium,

of our innovative aluminium cup will continue to drive meaningful change toward both helping our customers reach their sustainability goals and solving the packaging waste crisis.”

“We are excited to expand the Ball Aluminium Cup portfolio and offer our venue and food service customers a full suite of sustainable beverage packaging solutions – from aluminium cans to bottles and cups,” Emily Fong Mitchell, President and General Manager of Ball Aluminium Cups noted in the same news statement. “At Ball, we’re committed to increasing access to the infinitely recyclable aluminium cup, which helps our customers meet growing consumer demand for truly sustainable products.”

In 2022, this specific product was recognised as a Gold winner by the Edison Awards in the field of Consumer

jewelry is one of the most creative products based on aluminium. Kali Butterfly is one of the businesses actively using aluminium in design work in this field.

“Kali Butterfly specialises in handmade

Image 1. (Above) Accurate Perforating created perforated panels made of aluminium that were installed at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Accurate Perforating.)

Image 2. (Right) Aluminium was used by Accurate Perforating for this decorative façade element at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Accurate Perforating.)

anodised aluminium jewelry as well as aluminium chainmail costume pieces for music videos, film, and stage productions,” said Vanessa Walilko, Owner and Designer of Kali Butterfly. “Our customers are

outfit last year and the scale shoulder piece he wore when he won the Royal Rumble this year.” (Image 4)

Aluminium is the key ingredient for Kali Butterfly.

“Every piece of jewelry and every costume piece is made with aluminium,” stated Ms. Walilko. “We die-press aluminium sheet for our aluminium shapes. We then turn aluminium wire into rings to connect each shape together in lightweight, colourful jewelry. Our costume pieces are made in the same way – aluminium shapes and rings woven together using the same chainmail techniques as medieval chainmail.”

“I love making jewelry that is colourful,

usage has steadily increased each year I’ve been in business.”

“We’ve always used aluminium,” she noted. “No other metal can achieve the colours that anodised aluminium can.”

Challenges in recent years have affected how this one-woman business conducted its operations.

“The ongoing Pandemic has made direct sales more difficult,” said Ms. Walilko. “I used to sell at art fairs around the nation and in Canada, but I had to change direction when COVID-19 canceled shows and made the shows that did run unsafe. That forced me to figure out more avenues online to reach customers.”

“Last year, I started selling aluminium jewelry supplies and I’ve seen that aspect of my business grow,” Ms. Walilko continued. “I anticipate that side of my business to continue growing in the future.”

She noted that “I feel very grateful that my suppliers have had minimal increases in their prices which means that I’ve been able to keep my prices stable. There have been some supply chain issues with getting the right anodised aluminium sheet, so my buying habits have changed. I typically buy more at once so I can sustain creating certain designs during periods when raw materials are unavailable.”

Sustainability is important to Ms. Walilko. She explained that the jewelry

located mostly in the US.”

“My jewelry customers are typically professional women from 25-55 years of age who are looking for jewelry that’s colourful and easy to wear,” Ms. Walilko continued. “My costume customers are all over the map. I’ve made clothes worn by the Japanese pop singer Salia when she released an album in the US. I’ve made chainmail for Pippin on Broadway and for their touring company. I’ve also made scalemail for Cody Rhodes of the WWE [World Wrestling Entertainment] twice –the scale shoulders on his WrestleMania

playful, lightweight, and also accessible to the average consumer, and aluminium is the only metal that allows me to do that,” Ms. Walilko continued. “I also love being able to make metal statement pieces in costumes that are also wearable. When I made the chainmail for Pippin on Broadway, they needed chainmail that was sturdy and lightweight to be wearable for the actors in their choreography. Aluminium, again, is the only metal that can achieve those results when customers are looking for colourful pieces.”

According to Ms. Walilko, “aluminium

created by Kali Butterfly can be – and is – recycled.

“One of the things that I love about using aluminium is that once you remove the findings (usually made from zinc or steel), the entire piece can be recycled,” stated Ms. Walilko. (Image 5)

Image 3. (Left) The Ball Aluminium Cup is an integral part of the Climate Transition Plan of Ball Corporation. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Ball Corporation.)

Image 4 (Below) Aluminium was used to create this piece of jewelry – the “Red Queen Collar” – by Kali Butterfly. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Kali Butterfly.)

Image 5. (Below right) This aluminium piece is called “Octopus, Octopus!” According to Kali Butterfly, “Chainmail octopus [was] made by connecting over 12,000 rings by hand.”

(The photograph was provided courtesy of Kali Butterfly.)

Stillion Industries

Aluminium is utilised for a number of devices critical to business operations, yet typically unseen by the average person. Such is the case for many of the products produced by Stillion Industries. The company is headquartered in Dexter, Michigan, due west of Detroit.

“As a machine shop, we use aluminium to make parts for other customers as well as for our own product line of metal disintegrators,” stated Keith Stillion, President of Stillion Industries. “Some examples of those components include the Arc-er head body, the auto feed base casting, and the cross-arm adjustment for our larger machines. We also make our graphite electrode holders out of aluminium.”

Sales are made throughout the world.

“Our customers are businesses in industries from automotive to mining,” said Mr. Stillion. “Approximately 20% of our annual machining is done with aluminium.”

He indicated that Stillion Industries uses aluminium because “…it is easy to work with and lightweight.”

Usage of aluminium at this company was about the same in 2022 as it was in

2021. Mr. Stillion stated that “our level of aluminium-related production has remained similar in past years.”

Supply chain difficulties have affected many in the aluminium industry, including Stillion Industries.

Mr. Stillion said that “we have experienced issues related to the supply

chain, specifically the closure of businesses has forced us to seek alternative suppliers.”

He indicated that the aluminium utilised in its products is able to be recycled. He also explained that sustainability efforts of the firm include sourcing all of its metals locally and recycling all scrap, also locally. (Image 6) �

SPOUTS & FLOATERS

Image 6. Stillion Industries used aluminium to manufacture a number of products, including a cross-arm structure (left) and an auto-feed mount.

(The photographs were provided courtesy of Stillion Industries.)

CROSS FEEDER

T-PLATES

THIMBLES

CASTING TOOLING GRAPHITE RING

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Learn more: www.refra-hybrid.com/en

AUTONOMOUS CHARGING & SKIMMING MACHINES

Focus on US Extrusions

By Myra Pinkham*

While it is expected that demand for US extruded aluminium will soften this year, longer term, the outlook appears to be bright, despite end use market demand continuing to fluctuate.

“Clearly the US extrusions market has been facing a number of challenges over the past few years,” Jeffrey Henderson, president of the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), pointed out, not the least of which was the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, he said, once everyone started to get back to work, and extruders were looking to do whatever they could to catch up with the resultant pent up demand; including increasing the additional US production capacity with a total of 27 new extrusion presses expected to be installed just this year and approximately 36 being installed in the next two years.

According to Stephen Williamson, CRU’s aluminium research manager, the majority of this new US capacity will be made up of large presses which will be used to produce extrusions either for automotive, aerospace and defense applications.

“At this time last year everyone was generally happy, just frustrated that they couldn’t get enough metal and didn’t have enough workers,” Lynn Brown managing

principal of Longpoint Associates, said. “But while extruders had very robust order book this time last year, that isn’t the case this year, Brown observed. Daria Efanova, head of research at Sucden Financial, agreed, noting that while over the long term the market is expected to remain expansionary, recently US aluminium extrusions demand has been easing.

Even last year was a tale of two halves. Matthew Abrams, CRU’s North American aluminium extrusions market analyst, declaredthat post pandemic lead times for some extrusions, depending upon its size and its application, were out almost a year, with the industry average being at least 20-30 weeks. But toward the end of 2022, with inflation and interest rate hikes coming more into play, extrusion demand has started to slow down pretty quickly, in certain end use markets.

As a result, despite a very strong first half, data from the Aluminum Association indicated that for 2022 US demand for extruded products was only up 1.4% year over year, and Abrams is predicting that there will likely be further downward pressure at least through the third quarter of 2023, which could result in a 2% year on year decline.

Clearly extrusions demand was very soft during the first quarter of this year. According to Mike Stier, vice president of strategy and finance for Hydro Extrusions North America, US extrusions demand was down about 8-10% year on year during the first quarter due to a combination of declining real demand and inventory correcting . He explained that last year when lead times were very long many customers engaged in prebuying extrusions to protect their supply chains.

There are other factors that have been influencing this. For example, Efanova noted that since it takes two to three quarters for monetary policy tightening to be felt by consumers, the US is just starting to see the first round of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes filter into the real economy.

Ever since the second half of last year, US soft alloy aluminium extrusion lead times have come in very steadily, and, according to Abrams, as of mid-April they had narrowed to approximately 4-8 weeks. It, however, has been a different story for larger press sized, hard alloy extrusions. The lead times for these are still out almost a year due to a combination of higher defense spending, and commercial

Aerial View of Hydro Plant. Image courtesy of Hydro

airframe builders, Boeing and Airbus having stepped up their build rates in line with the return of air travel.

For most of this year, the shortfall in US extrusions demand is said to be coming from the building and construction sector. This isn’t surprising given thatconstruction, particularly the housing market, has been one of the first segments of the US economy to feel the brunt of the rising interest rates and slower consumer demand, according to Efanova

She said that in the next two to three months there could be a slight uptick in extrusions demand from the construction sector, given that there are already some early signs of US mortgage rates stabilizing and even reducing. But while that could bring some consumers into the market, Efanova questions whether it will be sustainable. “We will continue to see US home builders’ confidence at lower levels over the course of the year, and, even with demand recovering slightly, housing inventories will remain constrained for prospective homebuyers.”

But on the plus side, some newly built homes contain more aluminium extrusions than they had in the past. Multifamily residential construction has largely remained resilient, and nonresidential construction, which, according to Abrams,accounts for about 25% of US building and construction extrusions demand will see a net positive this year, especially once US infrastructure construction picks up, assisted by the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill.

All of this, as well as strength from other end use markets, is expected to somewhat offset the drop from the housing market. Longpoint’s Brown said this is definitely true when it comes to the automotive industry, particularly rela to electric vehicles (EVs). He maintains that even with supply chain issues affecting

semiconductor chips and certain other automotive components, business isn’t soft for any extruders who have significant automotive business.

Hydro’s Stier agreed, noting that automakers have been, and will continue to, add aluminium extrusion applications in their vehicles, both for lightweighting and for EV applications, resulting in a longterm upside for automotive extrusions demand. Efanova said that while this has been the case for both Internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and EVs, the largest acceleration in automotive extrusion demand is for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). BEVs require extruded aluminium for the battery, motor housings, and other structural components. In fact, Efanova said BEVs use twice as much aluminium as ICE vehicles, which is a net positive for extrusions even with the loss of engine block components.

This is supported by a new survey that Ducker Carlisle conducted for the Aluminum Association which concluded that the aluminium content per average North American vehicle will increase by 100 net lbs per vehicle (PPV) from 2020 to 2030. He also predicted that the aluminium content of BEVs will increase from 242 PPV to 885 PPV (85% more than ICE vehicles); extrusions will be the fastest growing product,rising by an average of 34 PPV between 2020 to 2030.

Brown noted that while the US BEV share is currently far behind that in Asia and Europe, its share is already growing fairly rapidly. In fact, the US Environmental Protection Agency is projecting that, with its proposed new emissions standards, the BEV share could rise to 67% of all US vehicles by 2023.

However, there are some challenges, including range anxiety as a result of the lack of battery charging infrastructure. Efanova also pointed out that the environmental policy in the US is different

than that in Europe. The policy in the US focuses on incentivizing the manufacturing and sales of EVs rather than prohibiting the use of ICE vehicles. These incentives, such as those in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), aim to promote an uptake in US EV production and sales in the coming years.

Brown said that this will be positive for the extrusions industry as the BEVs’ battery boxes could require 100-200 lb of extruded aluminium , as well as side rails or rocker panels, with big aluminium losses in EVs in comparison to ICE vehicles, as they have castings used for the engine block.

Extrusion demand is also being propped up by certain other end use markets. Brown observedthat the industry has been seeing good demand for solar energy installations and will see more with the renewal of tax incentives and other provisions in the IRA. “Commercial trucks and trailers continue to be strong as well, as we are still moving a lot of freight across the continent,” Stier said.

But some of this demand is being met with imports, AEC’s Henderson said, given that Section 232 tariffs upon aluminium extrusion imports have been dropped. “As a result, US consumers are paying inflated prices because of the Section 232 but we don’t have an offsetting tariff to protect us from import,” which he says have been flooding the market, although, he continued,the AEC are talking with the Commercial Department on this issue.

On the other hand, Henderson noted that extrusions are included in the recent announcement of a 200% tariff on imports from companies that use Russian aluminium, “But the question is how the Customs Department will police that,” he said, stating that there will need to be a tracking system where importers will not only have to declare what metal they are bring into the US but where the billet and

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ingot for those products came from.”

In any case, there is a general consensus that this stepped up tariff will have little impact. Matt Meenan, a spokesman for the Aluminum Association, noted that in recent years many US aluminium companies have diversified away from Russian metal, which accounts for about 3% of all US aluminium imports. Nevertheless, he said that the US aluminium industry stands united in any, and all, efforts deemed necessary by the US government, and its allies, to address the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Another upcoming issue for US aluminium extrusion companies is sustainability and the push for green aluminium. Meenan said that the US aluminium industry was an early mover in addressing its carbon footprint, with voluntary carbon emissions reduction efforts, and continues to take action to become more sustainable.

However, the impact of the “green aluminium” push upon the US extrusions market is still somewhat in early stages. “It is an issue that extruders are very aware of and that they don’t want to get behind on,” Abrams said. The development of “green aluminium” has somewhat been

slowed by defining “green aluminium.”

While there still aren’t any green aluminium premiums, Williamson said they should be coming soon and that once that happens it will create more consumer pull.

Stier said that some green conversations are already occurring, some of which are being supported by the passage of the IRA. “Over time the IRA will spur some green investment, but it is still too early to see that quite yet,” he said that most of the movement related to improving the industry’s carbon footprint through Scope 3related to the raw materials being used.

Efanova noted that the US extrusions market is looking to introduce more recycled products, as well as use more secondary aluminium billet. She said that the roughly 625,000 metric tonnes of North American secondary aluminium billet capacity that is expected to come online in 2024 is a good indication that more companies are choosing to use secondary aluminium, including billet produced using alternative energy sources such as wind and solar, for their extrusions to lower their carbon footprints.

This has been a focus for Hydro, which recently announced one year after

breaking ground, that the company is planning to startup its state-of-the-art aluminium recycling plant in Cassopolis, Mich., this fall. “A strong recycling and remelt plant gives us the capacity we need to support our extrusions production with recycled product,” including the use of more post-consumer scrap, Stier said.

He continued that the plant is being complemented by the sourcing of greener ingot and billet to feed its cast houses. “Using ingot and billet produced from clean energy sources contributes to a lower carbon footprint. He said Hydro has promised to have 4 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of aluminum, vs. the global average of 17 kilograms, helped by their use of solar, wind and hydroelectric power.

While there are some near-term concerns due to certain geopolitical and economic issues, Williamson said that he believes that the mid- to long-term outlook for the US extrusions market is strong, noting that this will be supported by investments that extruders are making in their plants, equipment and workers. Efanova agreed, predicting that US extrusions demand will enter a new stage of growth starting in 2024. �

Ensuring extrusions meet the mark in meticulous surface quality

By John Courtenay*

John Courtenay, Chairman of MQP, grain refiner specialist for the global aluminium industry, said: “Aluminium is used in the manufacture of a wide range of extrusions due to its lightweight, highly recyclable properties and the addition of grain refiner is required to cast crack-free billets, minimise defects and improve surface quality.

“The issue is that the potency and efficiency of grain refiners varies significantly, plus companies need to know the grain refiners they use to cast their extrusions will fit their environmental and sustainability obligations, partly in how they improve efficiency, but also in the metal that’s used in the manufacture of grain refiner. In today’s climate, they also want to save money by reducing addition rates.”

MQP is increasingly working with major casthouses in the business of producing alloys with high tensile strength - typically higher than 400MPa (UTS) – together with enhanced recyclability, machinability and corrosion resistance. These properties are essential for high stress components such as extrusion-based crash management systems, BIW structural components and battery boxes for electric vehicles.

The challenge is that casthouses are increasingly having to add more zirconium to melts to achieve this high tensile strength, but through MQP’s research at BCAST, it was discovered that zirconium has a poisoning effect on grain refiner. Using state-of-the-art electron microscopy, a need was identified for an ultra-potent 5:1 grain refiner to overcome the Zr poisoning effect, resulting in the development of Optifine 5:1 125. This enables casthouses to successfully cast high strength zirconium containing 6000 and 7000 alloys mitigating the zirconium ‘poisoning’ problem.

“One of the major US players is currently trialling Optifine 5:1 125 to ensure optimum melt quality for a range of extrusions,” said John. “These vary from automotive extrusions such as trims and rails on SUVs and wall sections for trains, to big and wide aluminium extrusions such as offshore helidecks and micro extrusions that weigh no more than 15g/m and

provide high-precision tolerances from +/0.05 mm. These need a very fine, equiaxed grain structure for improved engineering performance.

“Grain refiner is, arguably, a casthouses’ second biggest consumable spend after refractories and by using Optifine instead of standard grain refiner, reducing the cost of grain refinement by 50% saving up to three dollars per tonne, resulting in savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in a medium-sized plant.

“This particular customer also offers low

carbon aluminium that carries a footprint of 4.0 kg CO2 or less per kilo of aluminium, compared to the 16.7 world average. Using Optifine 5:1 125 means they can even more effectively meet their pledge to offer certified low carbon aluminium products with a transparent footprint. It’s manufactured using hydro-electric power or wind power, which results in far lower polluting CO2 emissions, and we also recycle customers’ scrap to make this product.” �

*Chairman of MQP Optifine is today used in 42 major casthouses worldwide in the production of over six million tonnes of aluminium alloys a year.

Low magnification examination of longitudinal sections from rod showing the cleaner and more uniform structure of Optifine 5:1 125

0417W Al-5Ti-1B (63%)

6878T Al-5Ti-1B (125%)

High magnification examination with SEM of longitudinal section. The 63% efficiency sample shows salt reaction products surrounding the forming TiB2 particles. In the Optifine 5:1 125 sample the TiB2 particles are more perfectly formed with little or no salt reaction product present

0417W (5:1) (63%)

6878T (5:1) (125%)

Circular, Inclusive, and Net Zero

Zahra Awan* spoke with Jerome Lucaes** to find out more about his plans for the business and his motivation to help build a more sustainable metals and mining, and manufacturing sector.

Empowering business transformations with real climate impact, Fast Forward Zero was founded in 2022 by business and sustainability expert, Jerome Lucaes, is one of the few business leaders with real experience and premium sustainability achievements that have been transformative for the metals markets and their supply chains.

Inspired by his 25+ years’ of experience and determination to create a better society, Jerome resigned from a lucrative corporate position to help business leaders transition faster to Net Zero Carbon and transform in a more inclusive way.

WHAT INSPIRED THE START-UP OF FAST FORWARD ZERO?

JEROME LUCAES (JL):

I started and created the company in December 2022, and it went public at the beginning of February. In 2022, I made the decision to embark on a new life of changes (and uncertainties), after voluntarily resigning from a comfortable corporate position.

Frankly, regaining freedom of time and having new experiences have been more rewarding than the money I lost! I’m not doing it because it’s fashionable; I’ve spent the past 15 years convincing people, shaping coalitions, pioneering, contributing to serious sustainability and decarbonisation challenges.

What inspires me is my determination to be useful to society. I am at a point in my career where I have accumulated a unique set of expertise and experiences. I started working on climate science issues 30 years ago: At University, doing climate change modelling, in business-oriented roles, business development strategy, sales and marketing, product development in the metals industry.

With my scientific background and business experience, I wanted to link the two together. I want to say to the world that: There is an urgency, backed by science. My mission is to help create a zero-emissions society.

COULD YOU PROVIDE A BRIEF OUTLINE AS TO WHAT THE FAST FORWARD ZERO IS, AND WHAT IT INTENDS TO ACHIEVE?

JL:

Fast Forward Zero help investors and other business leaders build collaborative coalitions to shape better systems to achieve carbon neutrality.

It’s clear that we need to reach Net Zero carbon emissions. We all need to take steps towards this transition. FF0 focuses on metals and mining and their supply chains, automotive, food and beverage, electricity, transportation, and consumer electronics; we either help the businesses that produce and transform those materials lower their emissions, or we assist those who are buying the products and the materials to source and develop sourcing strategies to lower carbon emissions. Our aim is to decarbonise the entire supply chain.

The decarbonisation journey is not easy and requires collective effort. Collaboration is key; there is a need for coalitions for the industry to work innovatively and solve complex issues.

Fast Forward Zero aims to inspire and connect partnerships between universities, researchers, companies, and in the future providers of new technologies, to assist in

the transition to net zero production. Another type of collaboration to consider is supply chain collaboration. Large companies have the common challenge of reducing the carbon footprint of their supplier purchases. Asking their suppliers to reduce their footprint without economic benefit is not exactly an attractive offer, so it is important to establish the right ecosystems for these supply chains. Decarbonisation is key, and this is what we aim to achieve at Fast Forward Zero.

WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABILITY?

JL:

There is a clear definition for sustainability, which is when a human activity does not harm and can be done without harming those involved (environmental, social, governance: ESG). As well as not compromising the potential of the activity to continue for generations to come.

Any sustainable business or product must demonstrate that it is serving the needs of society with a minimal impact on the planet and on the people.

We’re talking about Net Zero, carbon transformation, and climate management (environmental sustainability), which is the most prominent sustainability topic these days. However, it is completely interlinked with all the other sustainability topics: Governance and social sustainability. Each aspect has its challenges, and all the challenges must be tackled at the same time.

We also need to understand that we cannot get to zero carbon if we are committing to changes that are shifting to alternative unsustainable solutions. For example, electrical vehicles are not a solution to reducing carbon emissions when considering the consequences of consuming 10 or 20 times more lithium.

This is why, at Fast Forward Zero, we believe in a net zero transition that is inclusive of all the other sustainable development goals.

DO YOU THINK THERE SHOULD BE A SHIFT IN THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY? SHOULD THE INDUSTRY PRIORITISE SUSTAINABILITY OVER ECONOMIC BENEFITS?

JL:

There should definitely be a shift.

The first shift, which is already happening, is to get people, business leaders and investors to understand the problem and the solution to the problem. The second is prompting companies to ensure their ecosystems and their supply chains, are aligned to avoid conflicting priorities. The third thing is to move away from the focus on short-term benefits.

Moving away from short-term benefits, I believe, is key. The typical quarterly results deadline is a killer with regard to the sort of decisions that are beneficial for societies, the company, and the planet in the long term.

This sort of shift requires a total mindset change.

This is why FF0 was formed. To help companies accelerate their transition. It’s about helping them with expertise, smart business strategy, and technical Support. It’s about collaboration.

Whilst the climate crisis is top of the business agenda, routes to low carbon models remain complex, overwhelming, conflicting, and business specific. At Fast Forward Zero we understand these complexities and draw on decades of experience to create relevant solutions for businesses, investors and associations.

We want to empower business transformations with real climate impact.

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Hydro’s HalZero technology reaches a new milestone

Hydro is entering a new development stage for its HalZero production technology. The company will invest in a test facility supported by the Norwegian government. With this step, Hydro is on track to deliver pilot production of zero-carbon primary aluminium by 2030. Nadine Bloxsome* spoke with Hans Erik Vatne** to find out more about the next steps of this project and the planned timeframe for reaching a Net Zero aluminium industry.

HalZero is a brand-new process for production of primary aluminium. Instead of carbon dioxide, only oxygen is emitted from the process. If Hydro succeeds in this development, it could revolutionise the aluminium industry.

Decarbonising industrial sectors is one of the most important contributions to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Hydro has been working on early phase development of the HalZero technology at Hydro’s Technology Center in Porsgrunn, Norway for seven years. The Norwegian government, via state enterprise Enova, has granted NOK 141 million for the construction of a test facility. The total investment is expected to be approximately NOK 400 million.

“We are very happy with the support by ENOVA,” says Hans Erik. “They have funded around 30% of the total costs of

this pilot phase and have good incentive programs for different technology readiness levels (TRL). The higher the TRl level, the higher the cost of piloting. We will therefore most likely seek partnerships for taking this technology to industrial scale.”

Zero-carbon aluminium has properties that are essential in the green shift. The metal is light and is weather resistant, which is significant for, among other things, electric cars, building facades and solar panels.

Development of HalZero is part of Hydro’s technology roadmap to reduce the emissions associated with aluminium production. HalZero is primarily suited for new production capacity. Hydro is working in parallel to develop carbon capture and storage for its existing aluminium smelters while increasing the use of renewable

electricity and testing green hydrogen in the value chain.

“We are preparing the final investment decision with the aim to start construction towards the end of 2023,” explains Hans Erik. “We plan to produce the first metal from the pilot in 2025. In parallel we are preparing for a scaled-up next stage pilot that will be larger and more integrated. The detailed time plan for this is not ready. Given a successful testing and pilot phase, and that necessary support and framework conditions are in place, a full verification of HalZero at industrial scale is planned by 2030.”

The aluminium industry needs optionality to increase its chances of reaching Net Zero by 2050. Working on several decarbonisation routes in parallel increases the chances of success and the speed at which we will be able to reach

*Editor, Aluminium International Today **Chief Technology Officer and Head of Corporate Technology Office at Norsk Hydro

Herøya, Prosgrunn plant where HalZero is being developed. Image courtesy of Hydro

FACTS ABOUT THE HALZERO PROJECT

� HalZero is a new production process for primary aluminium that emits oxygen instead of carbon dioxide (CO2)

� In the HalZero process, alumina is chlorinated and becomes aluminium chloride in a process that also produces carbon dioxide. Instead of releasing the CO2 to the atmosphere, it is sent back into the process and reused in the chemical reaction in a closed loop. This makes the electrolysis process completely greenhouse gas emission free.

� The HalZero process differs significantly from the current production of primary aluminium and is being developed for use in new production facilities.

the ambitious climate targets.

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“We will continue our efforts within recycling as circularity is a prerequisite for a sustainable aluminum industry,” says Hans Erik. “We need to be sure that all this excellent aluminum that can be recycled over and over again is recycled at high rates and optimum yields. In this area, advanced sorting technology (to separate different alloys from one another) is key. In addition to using more end-of-life scrap, we are working to switch to renewable energy – green hydrogen, electrification or other – in our casthouses to decarbonise the recycling process and reduce the footprint of our products towards zero.”

“We see CCS as the solution to preserve the value of our well-operated and well-invested Hall-Heroult smelters, as there is no carbon-free technology available at present and because changing to a new carbon-free technology would be extremely costly and thus take very long,” continues Hans Eirk. “Hydrogen is a potential fuel in our casthouses and possible for anode baking furnaces but has no role in the electrolysis process itself. At the same time, we continue to optimise and continuously improve productivity and energy consumption in our existing Hall-Heroult plants through new technology elements, use of digital solutions like digital twins incorporated directly in the control systems of the cells and improved cathode solutions, as these smelters will still be around for many years.

This technology as well as the highly skilled workforce in our smelters have enabled us to reduce emissions significantly. This is important, since any one kilo of CO2 that is not produced in the electrolysis process, will be one kilo less that we need to capture.’

“I am optimistic about the goal of reaching Net Zero by 2050,” says Hans Erik. “We now have several initiatives in the industry for new carbon-free technology, where inert anodes and HalZero are well-known examples. The industry needs to pursue different solutions, as decarbonising smelting is very challenging both technically and economically. One or more of these solutions need to succeed in a 10-year horizon. In addition, we depend on cost-efficient methods for CCS to utilise and preserve the value of the huge legacy investments in our industry.” �

Image courtesy of Hydro

When sustainability becomes a duty

Life cycle assessment and recycling management make automotive and industrial companies fit for the future. By Dr Jens Ramsbrock*

In March 2020, the European Commission adopted the new Action Plan for Circular Economy. It aims to promote sustainable product design while reducing waste in resource-intensive sectors – including electronics and ICT, battery and vehicle manufacturing, and the plastics industry – as part of the European Green Deal.

The revision of EU legislation on batteries is just one building block in this context. On the one hand, it is intended to make life cycle assessments (LCA) mandatory and, on the other, to regulate the use of resources. Thus, the new Batteries Directive illustrates the challenges facing the automotive sector and industry in general

with regard to LCAs and effective circular economy. In order to prepare companies for these new legislative requirements and corresponding customer needs, it is useful to always embed a LCA in the context of sustainability management and circular economy. In addition to in-house expertise, especially in engineering and automotive,

*(Geophysicist and Sustainability Economist), Senior Expert Sustainability and LCA at ARRK Engineering

ARRK Engineering can draw on the knowhow and product development history of its parent company Mitsui Chemicals Group, all of which is incorporated into the optimisation of the LCA results.

Two developments in the 1970s gave rise to the first life cycle analyses as we know them today: on the one hand, the worldwide increasing volume of waste, which is pushing more and more disposal systems to their limits, and on the other hand, emerging energy bottlenecks and the associated realisation that a large proportion of the raw materials used are not available in unlimited quantities. Accordingly, LCA at that time focused on the effective use of resources and the reduction of emissions from products. Over the years, the concept of Life Cycle Assessment, also known as LCA, has

been continuously expanded and refined. Today, it encompasses a holistic analysis of the product system from cradle to grave – ideally even from cradle to cradle as an approach to a continuous circular economy. Regulatory instruments such as the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and the accompanying legislative tightening, e.g. the revision of battery legislation currently underway, are now making LCA mandatory in an increasing number of sectors and industries.

Pressure from legislation and customer requirements

Among other things, the new EU Battery Regulation stipulates that rechargeable industrial and commercial batteries with

for the CO2 footprint must be complied with. According to DIN EN ISO 14040 and 14044, the LCA required to determine these and similar values consists of four phases: Definition of target and scope, life cycle inventory, impact assessment, and evaluation. Depending on the defined scope, the analysis covers all relevant input and output flows. These include raw materials and material procurement, energy, transport, (partial) processing, waste, emissions and discharges into water and soil – both during production and the use phase, right up to end-of-life scenarios.

On the one hand, legislators are increasingly demanding life cycle assessments in various sectors. On the other hand, the analyses can also be useful or even necessary for a second reason: More and more processing companies are demanding corresponding evidence in order to make their own production more resource-efficient and to equip themselves for future requirements. Even now, this is clearly noticeable in the automotive industry. ARRK Engineering has already linked the balances with an in-house team of experts who work with selected areas in the cross-section of the company and can be called in for projects as required. At the beginning, the object of consideration must be sensibly and clearly defined and the methodology to be applied must be determined. Then, all the relevant information, including any interdependencies and interactions, must be collected before dedicated software – with access to eco-impact data – can start the calculations. The third step is interpreting the results and deriving feasible optimisation proposals as well as any further LCA determination loops.

A lot of know-how and intuition required

internal storage must have a CO2 footprint declaration as of 1 July 2024. As early as 1 January 2026, a label indicating the performance class for CO2 intensity will be mandatory, and finally, as of 1 July 2027, corresponding maximum values

A typical challenge that requires a lot of know-how and finesse from the implementing experts can clearly be found in the nature of new products: As a rule, hardly any data is available for the use and end-of-life phases before the launch, since they result from the final recycling rate of individual components and materials as well as from actual usage behaviour. Therefore, it is common to use estimates or model calculations in this respect. It must be taken into account that many parameters affect individual phases and process steps in different ways. If conditions change, e.g. due to the development of new recycling processes, these in turn would have to be retroactively incorporated into the LCA.

In addition to ecological factors, social aspects are also becoming increasingly important in public awareness and thus

SUSTAINABILITY - LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)

also for many companies. In order to also meet these new demands, an extension of the methodology offers the potential to take these additional parameters into account, in the sense of a so-called SocialLCA (S-LCA) in accordance with the UN Environment Programme. Improving the eco-balance with the help of the circular economy

The use of lightweight materials in the automotive industry serves as an illustrative example of how technological progress shifts energy consumption and environmental impact from one phase of the product life cycle to another. For example, a vehicle consumes less energy in the form of fuel during the use phase due to its reduced weight. However, the energy input in the manufacturing phase can increase due to raising parameters such as pressure and temperature, which are necessary in the individual production steps of e.g. CFRP components. Yet, current research results from Chalmers University of Technology indicate that energy consumption and the CO2 footprint in the production of CFRP components may be significantly reduced in the future, with circular economy plays a decisive role. By producing carbon fibres using lower-

energy methods such as microwaves as an alternative to classic melting furnaces, the overall eco-balance of lightweight vehicles can be improved. This gives them an advantage over vehicles made from conventional materials. Likewise, there are various aspects of the entire life cycle of a vehicle that should be taken into account: It is worthwhile not only to look at the recycling process, but also to focus on the service life or production.

Comprehensive competencies from engineering to materials management

In order to master the challenges of life cycle assessment, a precise definition of goal and scope as well as an alignment of expectations and the underlying methodology are essential. Implementing companies such as ARRK Engineering are not dependent on any particular software. The analysis can be carried out flexibly with the client’s preferred tool. In doing so, the LCA specialists not only draw on their own engineering know-how, especially from automotive development, but also on indepth expertise in the areas of sustainable materials and the associated compliance requirements as well as environmental

sustainability. These aspects, which are closely intertwined with the principle of the circular economy, are always taken into account within the scope of LCA and thus form the optimal basis for comprehensive approaches to optimising the respective product systems and developing new strategies.

Furthermore, as part of the Mitsui Chemicals Group, ARRK Engineering has direct access to the group’s highly developed and sustainable materials and production processes. For example, Mitsui Chemicals has developed a process for producing carbon fibres using microwaves, which saves up to 50 % energy compared to conventional processes. In addition, the group is currently building up a database for recycled materials, which is intended to drive the implementation of circular economy in many areas.

ARRK Engineering incorporates all these competences directly into the life cycle assessments carried out, thus creating sustainable added value for companies from industry as well as the automotive sector.

Contact: www.arrk-engineering.com

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Waste or Raw-Material

The challenges of production wastes and the chances born within. An interview with Mr. Patrick Pollmann

International S.A.

- Group CEO of TAHA

Q: MR. POLLMANN, IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES THE ALUMINIUM SECTOR IS FACING WITH REGARDS TO THE SAFE REMOVAL AND RE-PURPOSING OF WASTE?

The elimination of waste through re-use or re-purposing is key towards driving sustainability within the industry. Fundamentally, we need to move away from a mindset of seeing by-products as production wastes, towards a mindset where all byproducts are alternative raw materials with a viable commercial market of their own. This will only be achieved through the concerted efforts of a wide range of industry players and innovative ideas.

The most notable waste streams currently include red mud, spent pot lining (SPL) and aluminium dross. Today, red mud is partially utilised in cement and in the construction of roads, as well as other lower volume applications. However, the development of further uses is required to address the large amounts of red mud already in global inventory. Interesting developments include the use of red mud in farm soil and I am excited to see what the future holds for this resource.

As for SPL, it is estimated that about 40% to 50% are already sustainably used in the production of cement, steel and mineral wool. Industry leaders such as Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA) have constructed SPL treatment facilities capable of converting 100% of their SPL into raw material for cement production. For aluminium dross, the industry has already reached a point where no landfilling is necessary. However, while there is a myriad of treatment options available, unfortunately most are comparatively energy intensive, and landfilling is still commonplace.

Q: HAVE YOU SEEN ANY DEVELOPMENTS OR INVESTMENT OVER RECENT YEARS WITH REGARDS TO DROSS RE-PURPOSING AND/OR STORAGE? IF SO, WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOST DEVELOPMENT?

Historically, the investment focus has been on metal recovery with little regard to residual use. The most widespread legacy technology, recovery of metal using rotary tilting furnaces under salt cover results in the creation of salt cake, a toxic waste that has been and continues to be landfilled.

In the last decade there has been notable effort directed towards cleaning salt cake. While salt cake treatment is necessary for the safe reclamation of the large inventories of salt cake already in landfill, I believe that the industry should focus on investing in the prevention of creating salt cake in the first place.

Recent notable investments in preventing the creation of salt cake and eliminating landfilling have been carried out by our technology licensee Runaya in India. Today, Runaya processes 67% of India’s primary aluminium dross sustainably and at the end of last year Runaya initiated additional investments into Hot Dross Processing, which will increase their capacity by a further 25%.

Q: HOW IMPORTANT IS RE-USING AND RE-PURPOSING OF WASTE IN THE MOVE TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN?

Without re-using or re-purposing of waste it is not possible to be fully sustainable. It always depends on the time span, but even seemingly abundant raw materials and land are finite. Furthermore, to reduce emissions as much as possible and as quickly as possible, re-purposing waste to replace finite primary resources is essential. Let us use the example of a dross residual-based steel slag conditioner, such as TAHA International’s Alobriq S.

This product allows steel plants to reduce or even eliminate the use of fluorspar, alumina, and aluminium, all of which carry a significant carbon footprint. Rather than being disposed in a landfill as salt cake, the non-metallic dross residuals can be used in steel slag conditioner to reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions footprint of steel making.

It is also worth noting that ALBA’s dross is treated by TAHA International without any process waste. All nonmetallic residuals after metal recovery are utilised in the steel industry as steel slag conditioner and synthetic slag. This, paired with ALBA’s recent investment into their new first-of-itskind zero-waste SPL treatment plant, has allowed ALBA to completely eliminate waste from the two biggest “problematic” by-product streams that a primary smelter faces, showing great leadership in furthering primary aluminium’s environmental sustainability.

Whilst energy conservation and the efficient use thereof is part and parcel for core operations in the aluminium industry, it is important to also bring this thinking into the treatment of byproducts. The beauty of utilising the inherent energy within the dross, as is the case with TAHA International’s Hot Dross Processing Technology, goes beyond just the environmental benefits. By not cooling and not reheating the dross our customers realise direct operational savings. Becoming more sustainable does not always cost more.

Q: HOW IS TAHA WORKING TO DEVELOP THESE TECHNOLOGIES?

TAHA is a specialist in sustainable aluminium dross processing. With our patented Hot Dross Processing technology our customers obtain industry leading metal recovery rates without the need of re-heating the dross or the addition of any salt or fluxes. By using the energy already present within the dross we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dross processing by over 80% compared to alternative technologies. Because we don’t use salts or fluxes, we are left with a comparatively clean nonmetallic residual for which we have developed and commercialised several conversion technologies. We offer our customers and operate ourselves process solutions to make fertiliser, steel slag conditioner and synthetic slag from the dross residuals after metal recovery. The beauty of all these products is that 100% of the residuals including bag house fines are utilised.

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN FOCUS AREAS FOR YOUR COMPANY? ARE THERE ANY NEW PROJECTS, INVESTMENTS OR DEVELOPMENTS YOU CAN SHARE WITH AIT READERS?

We pride ourselves in being at the technological forefront of dross processing and invest in research and development to continue to bring innovations to our customers. We are currently working on the next generation of metal recovery equipment with a focus on increasing automation, data collection and smart analysis. These improvements will bring additional operational cost savings to our customers. Furthermore, the data analysis provides cast houses with an increased insight into the results of cast house practices, allowing further optimisation to reduce the overall burn loss by decreasing dross generation and further increasing metal recovery rates.

On the residuals side we are continuously improving our established dross-based products to fully satisfy our customers’ needs. To expand the portfolio and appeal to an even broader range of potential customers we have developed a process to manufacture high-purity Aluminum Tri-Hydrate (ATH) from non-metallic dross residuals.

The beauty of these products is that 100% of the residuals including bag house fines are utilised. Hence waste from the process is eliminated, which makes TAHA’s dross processing solutions true zero-waste. TAHA has seen an increased interest in and demand for implementing sustainable solutions for what was traditionally seen as a waste. Today, with projects across three continents we are proud of the growth trajectory we have experienced.

With the process and economic viability proven on a lab scale we are currently working on upscaling to a pilot plant. The exciting thing about ATH is the breadth of applications it has, such as a fire retardant or as an intermediary product in a variety of chemical production processes including the production of Aluminium Flouride making it a viable product across a vast geography.

Apart from the ATH project we are also working on two new processing plants. So, keep your eyes open for news of some major leaps forward in the aluminium dross sector.

Think global, act local –Green Silicon Metal from Iceland

With approximately 11% of the country covered in glacial ice and with around 30 active volcanoes, Iceland is also divided by two major and active fault lines and is surrounded by the Greenland Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. Icland has learnt the meaning of selfsustaining in a sustainable manner through force of nature. Now, the rest of the world needs to follow suit.

The PCC Group with more than 3,300 employees focuses on sustainable ‘future aligned’ products and applications in the field of chemical feedstocks and specialties, silicon and silicon derivatives and is active in the field of container logistics. Since 2018, PCC BakkiSilicon hf. is operating a Silicon Metal production plant in Iceland. Zahra Awan* spoke with Rolf Prack** on PCC’s applying, and executing, the philosophy of the sustainable, carbon neutral alloy product: Silicon Metal.

WHAT DOES PCC IN ICELAND AND WHAT IS SILICON METAL USED FOR?

PCC BakkiSilicon hf. has built one of the ‘world’s most advanced and most environmentally compatible Silicon Metal production plants, [in Iceland] in 2018.’[1] Silicon Metal is used in many applications in various industries. It is a key component in the production of semiconductors, which are used in electronic devices such as computers, smartphones, and televisions. It is used in the production of various chemicals, including silicones, silanes, and silicates. Silicon Metal is used in the manufacture of solar cells, which convert sunlight into electricity. In aluminium, it is used as an aluminium alloyant to improve the strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance. It also helps to reduce the melting point of the aluminium.

*Editorial Assistant, Aluminium International Today

** Director Sales and Strategic Procurement, PCC BakkiSilicon

WHY ICELANDIC SILICON METAL?

“The production of Silicon Metal is extremely energy intensive. The key to a truly green product is therefore renewable energy. In our production in Húsavík, we use 100% renewable energy from geothermal- and hydropower. Our energy is a gift from Mother Earth”.

“We will be carbon neutral by 2025, 25 years ahead of the goal of the EU to become climate neutral.” Said Rolf Prack.

In 2015, renewable energy provided almost 100% of electricity production in Iceland: 75% from hydropower, 27% from geothermal power [4]. Strictly using renewable energy is unique to Iceland; few, if any, can recreate its unique abilities. However, although its dedication cannot be replicated globally, there are still ways to benefit from Iceland’s experience, and now products.

WHAT IS THE GOAL?

Rolf Prack stated: “We aim to be the most sustainable producer of Silicon Metal and strive to become even carbon negative, we say planet positive, by 2035. Everyone talks about the necessity of reducing the carbon footprint and reducing CO2 emissions, but many have dismissed the role and importance of Silicon Metal in the process of aluminium alloys. One example is the shift from combustion engines to e-automobility. Due to the comparatively heavy batteries, cars will have to become lighter in the future. More aluminium and consequently more Silicon Metal will be needed. The more sustainable the Silicon Metal, the more sustainable the aluminium.”

The industry’s long and challenging debate on the definition of carbon neutral once again places itself at the forefront of conversation. At what point should the industry define, and strive, toward carbon neutrality? Awareness of the importance of sustainability in the value chain must be raised among processors and end customers.

The International Standard for GHG Emissions (ISO 14064)[2,3] defines the “Boundaries for a GHG inventory [as] both the organisational boundaries and the operational boundaries.”[2] Defining Organisational boundaries as; “facilities [that] are recognised as part of organisation”, and defining Operational boundaries as; any “operational activities [a company is involved in] at a facility” With this definition, the industry must provide full transparency, and to be carbon neutral, all aspects in the value chain should be sustainably produced. Is a cake nut free if there are left over almonds in the bowl used to make the sponge?

Global Shipping

Icelandic Silicon Metal’s unique low carbon characteristics brings it to the forefront of desirability, but with Iceland being so isolated, one must question whether the carbon cost of shipping proves to be counterproductive. When asked this question, Rolf Prack said “All raw materials must be transported to Iceland but because of the advantage of the climate-friendly power supply, logistics emissions are overcompensated by a multiple of times. Therefore, the carbon cost of shipping is not a concern.”

Challenges

The challenges faced as a sustainable company, with sustainable products, is the threat of cheap high carbon products. One example of the struggles that Mr Prack discussed were the comparably low shipping costs into Europe. Global shipping has become cheap, paired with cheap materials, the higher carbon products and materials sourced elsewhere have price advantages, despite the carbon cost. With this Mr Prack calls on the industry to enforce stricter commitments to promote low carbon products. Lower environmental, labor and social standards mean that prices for sustainable and climate-neutral products can always be undercut. Unlike in the USA, there is no protective market regulation in Europe (e.g. in the USA there are high tariffs on imports from China).

“We will be carbon neutral by 2025, 25 years ahead of the goal of the EU to become climate neutral.”

WHAT IS CARBON NEUTRALITY? WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

As mentioned, the definition on what carbon neutrality is, is still not clearly defined. According to the European Parliament:

“Carbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks… In order to achieve net zero emissions, all worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will have to be counterbalanced by carbon sequestration.”

The definition, however, does not define when one should start to measure the carbon emissions. Companies will strive for what consumers demand.

Mr Prack continued to discuss this topic:

“Everyone talks about being green and sustainable, but there is, for example, especially in our industry, no valid and comparable certification for Silicon Metal. There is no external power supply to Iceland and we use 100% sustainable energy. Nevertheless, coal is still needed for the chemical process. The switch from fossil coal to renewable reductants is a first step and the process of replacing coal by biocarbon has already begun.

“We plan to provide a certificate, which shows our CO2 Carbon Footprint – from the mines, including logistics until the final product has been produced. It is for all participants in this industry necessary to understand where the raw materials are coming from and how are they being produced.

The definition of sustainability is more defined. Sectioned into three categories, sustainability is measured by; Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). A

Conclusion

certification of these categories has already been defined, and is verified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). Like the ASI, PCC aim to define sustainable Silicon.

PCC’s Certification

The certification will take into consideration the ESG factors in the production of silicon, as well as focus on the carbon neutrality of the raw material. Rolf Prack went on to say that the “certification will be released mid to end of 2023.”

If we take head from the experiences of Iceland, and adapt as PCC has done, global growth to a sustainable world can only be sped up. With the complex challenges and worldly barriers, as always, the key to success continues to be communication, collaboration, and cooperation.

“Europe has a strong aluminium industry and in order to achieve our sustainability goals, everyone should pay attention to where the required raw materials are purchased from. Sustainability is not only about environmental sustainability, which refers to how we treat our environment and how we can ensure that we preserve and protect the natural resources of our planet, but also about social sustainability. By this I mean specifically questioning the conditions under which products like silicon metal are manufactured. Our plant is open to everyone.”

References

[1] https://www.pcc.is/

[2] chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www3.epa.gov/ttnchie1/conference/ei16/session13/wintergreen.pdf

[3] www.iso.org/standard/66453.html

[4] https://www.government.is/topics/business-and-industry/energy/ https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/42849

https://www.google.com/search?q=silicon+metal+critical+minerals&rlz=1C1GCEJ_enDE1044DE1044&sxsrf=APwXEdf6gKnFw4Mt4S2K5jLme_7N4TrNUw%3A1680783457069&ei=YbguZL_4A4vbkwXlzZnwDw&ved=0ahUKEwj_rJynnpX-AhWL7aQKHeVmBv4Q4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=silicon+metal+critical+minerals&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIECAAQRzIECAAQRzIECAAQRzIECAAQRzIECAAQRzIECAAQRzIECAAQRzIECAAQRzoKCAAQRxDWBBCwA0oECEEYAFCFCViFCWDpCmgBcAJ4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKABAcgBCMABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Top 3 reasons aluminium is the intelligent choice for EV/BEV automakers

Building the car of the future requires using the automotive material of the future.

Automakers are taking a leadership role in sustainability by making efforts to reduce carbon emissions in their manufacturing process. With the proliferation of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plugin hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), the transformation from traditional internal combustion engines to EVs is already underway with some 4.3 million new BEVs and PHEVs delivered in the first half of this year, a 62 percent increase compared to the first half of 2021.

While early adopters have embraced EVs, automakers still have work to do when it comes to bringing mainstream consumers into the EV revolution – particularly when it comes to addressing higher up-front vehicle prices, limited driving range per charge and lengthy charging times. To gain wider acceptance, market share and profitability, automakers have prioritized lightweighting, which can be most easily accomplished by increasing aluminium content of their EVs, both in the structure and components.

Lightweighting with aluminium improves vehicle efficiency, is more cost effective, provides for greater performance and safety, and is ultimately, reduces carbon emissions during the use phase. Aluminium, already the fastest growing automotive material, is expected to grow to content levels of nearly 260 kgs (570 lbs) per vehicle (PPV) by 2030, a 24 percent increase over the decade.

Jamie Zinser of Alumobility breaks down the top three reasons aluminium is the intelligent choice for EV/BEV automakers.

1. Battery Efficiency – Using Lightweighting to Counter the Laws of Physics

Batteries in BEVs, the fastest growing segment of the electric vehicle market, are heavy and the most expensive part of the vehicle. The heavier the vehicle, the bigger the battery, the more it costs, and the more power that is required to move it – that’s just physics. Lighter vehicles use less energy to do the same task, whether it’s fuel in internal combustion engine vehicles or electricity in BEVs.

Lightweight BEVs are quicker to charge and have better efficiency and potentially smaller battery packs, which means they drive farther between charging stations with the same amount of energy or can carry more passengers and cargo while maintaining range.

In addition to looking at lightweighting battery packs, automakers are looking at reducing the weight of all primary systems, such as motors and brakes—all of which come with cost reductions that help offset any material cost increase of lightweight materials, resulting in secondary mass savings.

2. The Lighter the Vehicle, the Better the Performance and Safety

For all kinds of vehicles, lightweighting with aluminium provides better handling in the form of better acceleration, more responsive steering, quicker braking, less load on brakes and suspension, and the capacity to tow and carry more.

Aluminium has excellent corrosion resistance and is self-healing, forming a protective oxide barrier when cracked, dented, or deformed. It has better inservice dent resistance and can be used blank, without paint or coatings. In comparison, steel will corrode over time, with or without a protective coating. Durability translates into cost savings, with vehicles that last longer and require less maintenance.

In the event of a crash, aluminium absorbs more energy than steel per kilogram, and with its superior crash crush properties can withstand multiple blows, such as a rollover. High-strength steel does not absorb energy like aluminium. That is why more vehicle front and side crash structures are being made with aluminium.

3. Lower CO2 Emissions and Smaller, Lighter Batteries are Better for the Environment

Because a lighter vehicle can utilise a smaller battery pack, negative environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing of large batteries

By Jamie Zinser*

can be reduced. We can reduce carbon emissions in automotive aluminium by adding closed-loop recycling into the parts manufacturing process, ensuring any scrap is segregated and sent back to the material supplier for use in the next material supply. Several manufacturers are already doing this. The practice not only reduces manufacturing waste and emissions, but makes great business sense, and can be implemented relatively easily as automakers switch from steel to aluminium.

It is not surprising that aluminium is the fastest-growing automotive material. Automotive startups and manufacturers of electric vehicles are making aluminium their first material of choice, while legacy automakers are responding to changing habits and environmental challenges by designing tomorrow’s automobiles with aluminium at their core.

The reason is obvious: aluminium makes better vehicles – more efficient, better performing, safer, and more sustainable. Aluminium is more durable, corrosion resistant, handles energy absorption in a crash better, is fully recyclable, strong, and lightweight.

To learn more about the benefits of lightweighting with aluminium, we invite you to read our whitepaper. �

*Vice President of Alumobility, a global association committed to helping advance the adoption of aluminium by automakers

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Steel vs Aluminium: The automotive industry

By Zahra Awan*

“Poor firms ignore their competitors; average firms copy their competitors; winning firms lead their competitors” –Philip

Kotler

The relationship between the steel and aluminium industry is similar to that of sibling rivalry. From teasing, to testing, to bullying; steel and aluminium brag their successes, and each other’s faults, in an attempt to receive the most attention from their parent. In this case, the parent is the automotive industry.

The metallic siblings find themselves in a position where they compete with a similar skill set, whilst simultaneously being vastly different. Or so it has been assumed.

Perhaps it is their rivalry that has placed a dramatic wedge between them rather than fact? Perhaps, together, rather than ‘ignoring’, ‘copying’ and ‘leading’ against one another, the metallic siblings could lead the automotive industry: Together.

But before we consider a fairy-tale ending, we must debunk the current story.

A brief history 2019-2022

The automotive industry has faced a challenging period. Firstly, “global automotive sales were hit hard by the pandemic; the market lost confidence and buyers remained understandably

cautious, even when COVID-19-related restrictions began to lift[1]”, notes Randy Miller, Global Advanced Manufacturing & Mobility Leader at Ernst & Young Global Limited. Statista reported that “The global automotive manufacturing market was worth about 2.86 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021[2]”, in comparison to its market worth of three trillion U.S dollars in 2019.

The Economist Intelligent Unit (EIU) stated that “the automotive industry will remain vulnerable to global headwinds in 2023, including the energy crisis, slower global demand and continued supplychain problems[3].” The EIU warns of the impact that the geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, climate change and public protest (such as the public train union strikes) could have on the automotive industry. Now, with inflation maintaining a persistent incline, and the numerous global challenges, the future of more than the automotive industry is in question.

The automotive supply chain, of course, also felt these challenging times just as much. The CM Groups initial assessment in response to Covid-19 on the aluminium industry predicted that the “COVID-19 pandemic on global economic activity will be profound; a deep and potentially extended recession appears inevitable[4].”

The International Aluminium Institute’s (IAI) statistics show that there was a dip in the production of primary aluminium following the pandemic. In short, the pandemic saw primary production regress back two years, to 2017.

An increase of 6.23% was seen in the production of primary aluminium between the years 2016-2019. Coming out of the pandemic, and despite the challenges following, the production of primary aluminium increased, and production between the years 2019-2022 increased by 7.55%. Table 1.

The World Steel Association also presents its statistics on the production of steel. Fig 1

Between the years 2016-2019, the production of Crude Steel increased by 14.89%. Between the years 2019-2022, the production of crude steel rapidly decreased to 0.53%. Table 2

Coming out of the pandemic, we somewhat jumped from the frying pan, into the fire. But Hope is never far away.

Hope in the form of EVs Hope, it seems, is no longer lit by combustion fuels, but charged by electricity.

McKinsey and Company notes that “the rapidly increasing uptake of Electric

Vehicles (EVs) could transform the automotive ecosystem and promote even greater innovations.” Key companies in the EV market: Tesla, Li Auto, Noi, Lucid Motors, Rivian, XPeng and Polestar[8] to name a few, have shown the automotive industry that there is a market beyond Combustion Engine Vehicles. Companies are forced to change follow their lead; and those like Elon Musk shows us how to influence a nation and create a demand for more sustainable products.

The EIU predict that “sales of EVs will be the only bright spot in 2023, growing by 25% year on year to 10.8m units[1].” Philip Bibbs, Senior equity analyst at KeyBlanc Capital Markets, spoke about the future of EVs with Mira Pinkham, North American Correspondent, Steel Times International: He observed that “globally EVs currently account for about 10% of light vehicle sales, with that penetration expected to continue to grow[9].” With the consumer demand changing, so is the demand for materials, sustainable solutions, efficiency,

cost effectiveness, and technology.

The role of steel and aluminium is both defined and challenged. Some natures of the metals cannot be disputed, whilst others are rivalled. According to the World Steel Association, “on average, 900kg of steel is used per vehicle.” The average amount of aluminium used is estimated to be 151kg[10]

The CRU predicts that “around 63% of the growth from this [transportation] sector is expected to come from the adoption of electric vehicles[11]” for the aluminium industry. For steel, 12% of the 1,839 Mt of crude steel in 2021 was used in the Automotive industry.

There is clearly a demand for each material, so it is just a question of what takes the trump card, and when. And which material can gain the most attention from the automotive parent.

The Hot Topics

In assessing the rivalry between steel and aluminium, we must look into the

hot topics of conversation regarding automotives. Sustainability: Low carbon materials, Circularity, Light-weighting and Strength and Economic factors. Following this, we can assess their future rivalry.

Sustainability: Low carbon materials

We cannot speak about an industry without mentioning sustainability. In this case, we will be sticking to the topic of environmental sustainability.

We have established that the consumer demand has rapidly migrated over to sustainable product, which is a challenge for heavy industries. E.G. BMW recently announced that the RONAL Group will be producing its wheels from 100% secondary aluminium[12]

“Car manufacturers have started to define recycling quotas in their sustainability targets and financial reporting. BMW for example follows a “Secondary First” approach and aims to achieve 50% recycled content for all materials used in their vehicles.” - Michael

Table 1 Table 2

Fig 2

Hahne, Vice President & General Manager Automotive, Novelis Europe.

The steel and aluminium industries are infamously heavy CO2 emitting. In 2021, the global average of CO2 emitted in primary aluminium production was 16.6kg of CO2e per kg of primary aluminium[13]. In comparison, the World Steel Association reported that globally, for every tonne of steel produced, 1.85 tonnes of CO2 were emitted, in 2020[14]

However, when discussing the emissions of secondary /recycled aluminium (a combination of process scrap and endof life scrap), the story changes. “On average, recycling aluminium emits 0.5 kgCO2e/kg of aluminium. The process requires less energy than primary aluminium production (only 5% of the energy used[15].” This is seen in products produced by both Hydro – REDUXA and CIRCAL[16] and Novelis - AL:sust[17], and both have noted that they are working on further increasing the recycled content in their products. . The industry is determined to leverage the recyclable nature of aluminium. However, we must note that the figure: 0.5 kg CO2e/kg is based on scope 1 and scope 2 emissions (emissions that are owned or controlled

by a company, excluding emissions as a consequence of the activities of production), or assumes the use of 100% end of life scrap, which is not routinely produced by aluminium, nor steel. With this in mind, we must consider whether recycled products should account for the original emissions of the scrap material we are using. This is a factor which must be considered for both aluminium and steel.

When speaking with Novelis on this topic, they continued:

“While steel is also recyclable, its melting point at 1400°C is more than twice as high as that of aluminium. Considering a vehicle can be made with 600 kg of aluminium instead of one metric ton of steel, this makes the recycling energy equation even more advantageous.

Across its product range, Novelis offers an average of close to 60% recycled content in its aluminium solutions with new alloys in development to achieve even higher recycling rates. Steel on the contrary is currently limited to a maximum recycled content of 25%. This makes aluminium the metal of choice for reducing carbon emissions and minimising the environmental impact of the automotive industry. As a result, car manufacturers are

increasingly designing their BEVs based on aluminium as a sustainable solution for increasing technology in combination with lower weight.”

In comparison, ArcelorMittal’s XCarb TM steel, made from scrap steel and renewable energy, claims to have a footprint of 300kg of CO2 per tonne of steel (when using 100% scrap materials) [18]. Catherine Hill, Editorial Assistant at Steel Times International commented:

“It’s not only the grade of steel that matters, however, the production of steel has to be taken into account-and its potential impacts on the environment as it works to either offset CO2 emissions, or increase them.”

We have seen the steel industry equally as keen to research and invest in the sustainable production of their material. Australia recently announced that they would be investing $50m in own emission steel research[19]. In addition, ArcelorMittal has stated their dedication to researching ways to further reduce the emissions in producing steel:

“Manufacturing cars is more complex and expensive than ever. ArcelorMittal has developed an innovative approach to reduce this complexity by integrating a high number of parts into one single component. The solution brings a very high reduction in CO2 while reducing the overall cost of the part. This approach is called Multi Part Integration® (MPI) and is designed to incorporate many parts into a single laser welded blank (LWB). MPI uses press hardening steels (PHS) Usibor® and Ductibor® and hot stamping LWB technology to create the single part. The goal is to simplify production for OEMs. The concepts work for a variety of powertrains (ICE, PHEV, HEV and BEV) and have been validated in forming and against all relevant safety requirements for the global market. Increasing the material utilisation rate through advanced nesting combined with reducing the weight of the overall part results in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. The CO2 reduction could be also increased with the Usibor®/Ductibor® XCarb® RRP solutions proposed in Europe. Finally, a detailed analysis on manufacturing showed that the MPI concept can reduce the Bodyshop footprint by nearly half by reducing forming and assembly operations,” explains Jesse Paegle, Automotive Steel Solution Director, ArcelorMittal.

So, for both these materials, the final product is far from achieved. We turn to other natures of the material to determine which the automotive industry may choose as their favourite child.

Circularity

Circularity of a material in the automotive

Sustainable manufacturing starts with great partnerships. A shared vision to make good products that are good for people and good for the planet.

Let’s work together.

industry is revolutionary concept. In short, circular in the automotive industry aims to produce a final product with the intention of recycling it. There are many aspects to consider, such as light-weighting and strength, which will be discussed later.

The aluminium industry has looked into this, with Alumobility making the concept one of its key goals.

“At Novelis we believe that a circular economy is key to achieving carbon neutrality. When it comes to recycling materials, it is essential to understand that achieving high recycled content for steel is a different challenge than for aluminium. Currently, the maximum recycled content for automotive steel grades is only 1520% with a slim chance of reaching 25%. In contrast, for aluminium automotive sheet, we can already produce alloys with up to 80% recycled content. At Novelis, recycling grades are the core of our product range fulfilling all quality and performance criteria at or above the level of conventional products which are based on 100% prime aluminium. Our goal is to continuously increase the recycled content by our products and developing new grades together with our customers.”

- Milan Felberbaum, Director Automotive Development, Novelis Europe

“Aluminium is light-weight, infinitely recyclable, maintaining all unique properties no matter how many times it’s recycled. It’s also highly corrosion resistant. Recycling scrap aluminium requires about 5% of the energy used to produce primary aluminium, saving both energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Other commonly recycled metals like steel require significantly more energy to recycle and can only be recycled a handful of times before their material

properties are compromised. Aluminium production is proven to deliver the inherent environmental and economic benefits that we seek for a cleaner planet throughout the value chain.” - Trond Gjellesvik, President of Hydro Aluminium Metals, North America. Fig 3

Forming a material into a component in one go sounds a lot easier, but like most cake recipes, the difficulty isn’t in the number of ingredients, but the method. Another company who has invested in the concept of circularity is Impressions Technologies. Their HFQ (Hot Form Quench) is a novel hot forming process for the production of deep drawn, tight tolerance and complex geometry high strength and ultra-high strength aluminium (UHSAL) sheet components. The technology aims to create products that are light-weight and compatible with circularity.

“[Aluminium] is easily formed into complex shapes via extrusion, making it a popular choice for intricate design applications - Charlie Straface, Business Unit President, Hydro Extrusions North America.

The process of HFQ is similar to that of the press hardening of ultra-high strength steels, which also promotes circularity. Both metals are designed for recycling, both have the potential to form complex shapes. The only hold back is breaking the methodology we already have. Something that the steel and aluminium industry could work on together.

Lightweighting & Strength

Light-weighting[21]: the process of removing/reducing the weight of a component. This can be carried out by three ways: Substituting materials,

optimising designs, eliminating materials. The importance of considering lightweighting in the industry is necessary due to its contribution to a more sustainable and efficient vehicle. Lowering the weight of a vehicle can result in many benefits, one being a reduction of fuel consumption in a Combustion Engine Vehicle, as well and increase the success of an EV.

The obvious answer to lightweighting, in the case of aluminium and steel, would be to replace parts with aluminium. The density of aluminium is a 1/3 of steel; an aluminium automotive part can be up to 50% lighter than the equivalent part in steel [22]; Alumobility, an organisation dedicated to leading the aluminium industry to sustainable mobility futures, has dedicated its existence to aluminium and its potential. The metal has drawn much attention.

Novelis, a co-founder of Alumobility and one of the many companies dedicated to the EV automotive industry, commented:

“Aluminium is the sustainable choice for automotive sheet due to its lightweight, durability, formability, and recyclability. The use of aluminium in the automotive industry offers a significant reduction in weight compared to steel, resulting in reduced fuel consumption and associated CO2 emissions.”

However, light weight is not the only aspect that is important. Strength comes hand in hand with lightweighting and is the determining factor when considering a material. The strength to weight ratio of steel and aluminium are drastically varied depending on the class[24] in question. For aluminium, it has always had the competitive weight to strength ratio.

“Aluminium is a popular material choice in various industries due to its superior

*Image courtesy of ICMM [20]

properties over steel. One of the main advantages of aluminium is its high strength-to-weight ratio, making it an ideal choice for applications where weight reduction is crucial.” - Charlie Straface,

substantial CO2 savings vs low carbon aluminium” - Frederic Painchault, Head of Marketing, ArcelorMittal Global Automotive & Mobility solutions.

Business

Unit President, Hydro Extrusions North America. Hydro is another company who has invested in relations within the automotive industry, supplying to the likes of Ford’s: The F-150 Lightning[23] Steel is well known to be the stronger material of the two, however, until recently, it was not in the running race as a light weigh material. Catherine Hill comments:

“The recent development of both advanced high strength steels (AHSS), and hot-stamped ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) has allowed the steel industry to remain competitive in the automotive construction sector, as both materials provide safety-critical structures, while achieving significant weight saving compared to standard steel use. Current grades of AHSS’ and UHSS’ are six times stronger than grades used only a decade ago, and their reduced weight allows for EVs to achieve a greater range in a single electrical charge.”

The competitive edge when it comes to light-weighting and strength of each material is balancing out. Steel and aluminium still, of course have their own specialities when it comes to light weighting, steel is stronger than aluminium, and aluminium is lighter than steel. In many instances this means their applications are clear cut, however, where there is an overlap is where the rivalry begins. Once again, we must look elsewhere to determine who is ahead in the race for attention; this is where economic aspects of the metal must be considered.

“The automotive industry is fully engaged into electrification and supplychain decarbonisation which require affordability and sustainability from materials; materials should also contribute to the manufacturing simplification and lightweighting. There are pro and cons for each material, but steel solutions and mainly advanced high strength steel are offering the best compromise versus alternative materials. Solutions as Multi Part integration, which combine High-tech laser welded blanks and Press Hardening Steel (PHS) products leads to part reduction, lightweighting and cost reduction. In addition MPI with PHS XCarb® low carbon solutions bring

References

Cost

Generally, the cost of aluminium is more than the cost of steel. But both have experiences volatile prices in response to the energy crisis. There is a call from both industries, for more legislation and support from government to promote sustainable materials. A large issue is unsustainable products from areas who have less commitment towards the sustainable net zero goals.

“In Europe, the legislative framework is already looking at the requirements for batteries in BEVs to pave the way for a circular and climate-neutral economy. We anticipate similar initiatives to follow for the rest of the vehicle. The growing value

production of steel, via DRI technology, the use of hydrogen, and electric arc furnaces showcases the future of its productionand companies are increasingly driven by a combination of legislative changes, government incentives, and public and private sector investments to secure their own sustainability strategies. Via these methods, high grades of steel can be produced without the costly impacts on the planet- offering competitive features to work alongside, rather than against, environmentally focused vehicles.”

The steel industry has matured and develop knowledge and technology on Electric Arc Furnaces and Direct reduced iron (DRI). On the other hand, aluminium, which is relatively new to mainstream market demands, is currently researching ways to further reduce emissions. The International Aluminium Institute reports that the largest contributor to emissions of Primary Aluminium production is the electrolysis stage[13]. In response to this, the industry is investing is technologies such as ELYSIS[25] and HalZero[26]

The power to continue the progression of the materials to develop and improve sustainable materials, which are usually more expensive, in fact lies in the hands of consumers. Once again it is collaboration that has the power.

Future challenges of automotives

There are many challenges that the metals industry faces. Their competitiveness that pushes them forward could also be seen as a hindrance.

of metals, their general availability within an unfavourable geo-political environment and the allocated risks also create financial incentives to advance a circular economy.”

-

Michael

Hahne, Vice President & General Manager Automotive, Novelis Europe.

What must also be considered is the energy consumption from producing the material. Both metals demand a great amount of energy in their production. However, with the energy crisis, as well as the pressure to transition amidst climate change, each industry has invested in alternatives. Catherine Hill comments:

“New research into the ‘green’

[1] https://www.automotiveworld.com/articles/what-can-we-expect-from-the-auto-industry-in-2023/ [2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/574151/global-automotive-industry-revenue/ [3] https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/automotive-in-2023/

The steel and aluminium industries could work together to lead the industries forward: Multiple threats to the integrity of the materials could affect the image of materials, with a debate regarding who is held accountable for emissions, and the loose clarification of ‘Carbon Neutral’ or ‘sustainable’ products, all industries across the world are due to face challenges in the face of decarbonisation. Clarifying, educating and informing the industry of the materials potential is equally as important, many dismiss the benefits and opportunities of steel and aluminium[29], and many do not utilise their potential as they do not define the definition of a sustainable material.

The battle between steel and aluminium is one that will not come to an end. One which will not have a winner. One which will continue to progress the industry. And one with the potential to transform and lead the industry. �

[4]https://international-aluminium.org/resource/cm-group-an-initial-assessment-of-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-global-aluminium-demand/

[5] https://international-aluminium.org/statistics/primary-aluminium-production/ [6] https://worldsteel.org/steel-topics/statistics/world-steel-in-figures-2022/

[7] https://worldsteel.org/steel-topics/statistics/annual-production-steel-data/?ind=P1_crude_steel_total_pub/CHN/IND [8] https://companiesmarketcap.com/electric-vehicles/largest-ev-companies-by-market-cap/ [9] https://issuu.com/quartzbusinessmedia/docs/steel_times_international_digital_february_2023

[10]https://ashlacyautomotive.co.uk/why-aluminium-is-becoming-an-increasingly-important-material-in-the-automotive-manufacturingindustry/#:~:text=The%20average%20amount%20of%20aluminium,as%20196%20kg%20by%202025

[11] file:///C:/Users/ZahraAwan/Downloads/CRU-Opportunities-for-aluminium-in-a-post-Covid-economy-Executive-summary.pdf

[12]https://aluminiumtoday.com/news/at-its-landau-plant-the-ronal-group-is-now-for-the-first-time-producing-wheels-for-the-bmw-group-from-100secondary-aluminum

[13] https://international-aluminium.org/statistics/greenhouse-gas-emissions-intensity-primary-aluminium/

[14] https://worldsteel.org/steel-topics/environment-and-climate-change/climate-action/

[15]https://cozero.io/blog/the-aluminium-effect-carbon-footprint-of-recycled-aluminium#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20recycling%20aluminium%20 emits,%25%20of%20the%20energy%20used

[16] https://www.hydro.com/en-GB/aluminium/products/low-carbon-and-recycled-aluminium/

[17]https://www.novelis.com/product/alsust/#:~:text=Novelis’%20AL%3Asust%E2%84%A2%20brand,diverse%20markets%20and%20customer%20needs.

[18] https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/climate-action/xcarb/xcarb-recycled-and-renewably-produced

[19] https://www.steeltimesint.com/news/australia-to-invest-50m-in-low-emissions-steel-research

[20]https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/our-work/innovation-for-sustainability/circular-economy#:~:text=Metals%20and%20minerals%20are%20 at,recovered%20and%20reused%20multiple%20times

[21] https://www.boydcorp.com/resources/resource-center/blog/what-is-lightweighting.html

[22] https://alumobility.com/

[23] https://www.hydro.com/en/media/news/2022/complex-aluminium-components-from-hydro-for-all-electric-ford-f-150-lightning/

[24]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327805143_Failure_predictions_in_warm_forming_of_7075-T6_aluminum_structural_parts

[25] https://www.elysis.com/en

[26] https://aluminiumtoday.com/news/hydros-halzero-technology-reaches-a-new-milestone

[27] https://www.marketforces.org.au/campaigns/international/adaro-smelter/

For Steel and Aluminum Rolling Industries

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polyonics.com/highdegree

603.352.1415

[28]https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/company/newsroom/hyundai-motor-company-and-pt-adaro-minerals-indonesia%252C-tbk.-signed-amemorandum-of-understanding-to-secure-aluminum-supply-in-the-face-of-growing-demand-for-automobile-manufacturing-0000016912 [29]https://leadthecharge.org/news/campaign-news/hyundais-award-winning-ioniqs-failing-to-answer kelk.com

info@polyonics.com

Maximum aluminium purity for the circular economy

In order to conserve resources, we need to reuse raw materials as often as we can. This requires recycling materials flows that have as high and as consistent a quality as possible. It is only with efficient sorting technology that resources can be continually recycled. The STEINERT XSS T uses X-ray transmission (or XRT for short) to reliably achieve extremely high purity levels when recycling aluminium. EVO 5.0 is the latest evolutionary stage. Several customers explain here why they are so impressed with the equipment.

More and more companies are looking to save resources and expand their use of secondary raw materials. This approach can deliver a significantly lower carbon footprint and improve the security of supply.

STEINERT has long been an important partner to metal recycling firms. Its technology for dry density separation has been successfully established for a number of years now. The systems are based on x-ray transmission and are designed especially for separating heavy and light metals in metal processing. The STEINERT XSS T produces extremely pure aluminium. The sorting equipment’s detection rates are so precise that it can achieve an aluminium purity of 99.8 %.

EVO 5.0, the latest version, has been available since 2021. Since then, noteworthy developments include automatic x-ray monitoring and automatic calibration of the x-ray sensors, as these ensure a consistently high detection and sorting quality without any fluctuations.

Alongside heavy/light metal separation, separating out wrought and cast aluminium is another essential application. This application is particularly important for marketing the secondary raw material.

The enrichment of solid magnesium is also key to the quality of secondary aluminium. Since EVO 5.0 and using what is known as multilayer data evaluation, the system has provided more distinguishing criteria for particularly challenging sorting tasks, such as detecting magnesium.

By separating free magnesium, the recycled aluminium produced can be used much more flexibly for recipes in the smelting furnace.

Numerous stories of success demonstrate the efficiency of the STEINERT XSS T EVO 5.0.

Sorting from incinerator bottom ash residue

The Scanmetals group of companies has three sites in Europe where it produces non-ferrous metals out of incinerator bottom ash (IBA) from waste incineration plants. The cleaned and separated metal fractions are sold around the globe to primary and secondary smelters, refineries, foundries and mills.

The Danish company gets all its sorting solutions for nonferrous metals from STEINERT. The owner, Ejvind Pedersen, likes the fact that this centralised method of procurement saves time, allowing him to concentrate on developing innovative recycling ideas. Pedersen compares the efficiency and reliability of STEINERT with that of German automotive manufacturers. He stresses the confidence that his production staff have in the equipment and how easy the technical components are to operate.

Pedersen explains: “We produce four truckloads of aluminium a day. What makes this so significant is that industry doesn’t then have to be supplied directly from primary mining and improves its environmental footprint by using high-quality secondary raw materials. This translates into CO2 savings of 90 %.”

Pedersen focuses on the production of high-grade aluminium. The process starts with the non-ferrous metals separator for recovering Zorba from the ash. The next step is separating the stainless steel using an induction sorting system. Thanks to x-ray transmission, the STEINERT XSS T EVO 5.0 produces very pure aluminium by sorting out heavy metals. The sorting equipment’s detection rates are so precise that it produces an aluminium purity of up to 99.8%; material which is always highly sought after on the market. This also allows the metal to be kept in circulation for long periods. Secondary raw materials with high levels of purity are needed for high-grade applications.

A STEINERT XSS T EVO 5.0 at Scanmetals produces ultra-pure aluminium. Heavy metals are sorted out. Photo: STEINERT

At AMAG in Austria, a STEINERT line sorting system with LIBS technology sorts various aluminium alloys. Photo: STEINERT

It’s about more than price alone

The Stena Recycling group of companies has a network of 178 recycling plants in Europe and employs more than 3500 people. Every year, Stena recycles over 6 million tons of complex waste materials. The Stena Nordic Recycling Center handles 500,000 tons of complex materials annually, saving 870,000 tons of emissions.

Jesper Fournaise, Outbound Sales Manager at Stena Recycling S/A, is responsible for the production and sale of aluminium. “We’re the green gods,” is how Fournaise describes his team. By this, he means that scrap is converted into recyclable material that’s fed back into the production cycle. When asked what has changed the most over the last few years, he says: “We used to ship our scrap to the Far East, where it was sorted by hand and we didn’t know what happened to the material. Advancements in technological sorting represent one of the greatest differences. Now, here in our own country, we’re able to use x-ray technology to meet maximum quality standards and to put the metal back

I don’t have to explain how important absolute reliability of the x-ray unit and sorting quality is for us. Both are indispensable to ensuring a smooth process between sorting and further use of the aluminium product. Downtimes put the entire supply chain at risk. But our long-standing experience with Steinert proves that this is something we don’t need to worry about.”

Stemin has replaced a total of four machines from competitors with STEINERT x-ray sorting technology in recent years. “Compared with the others, the biggest difference is how reliable the machines are. We have opted for Steinert because of their ongoing research and development in the field of metal recycling, the fact that the quality of their sorting is improving all the time and because their more capable sorting systems help us to produce the quality levels we need. Each type of scrap that we work with has its own requirements and it is important for us to separate by input material, magnesium or heavy metals like copper. This is the challenge we face - and always with the goal of increasing the value of the metal,” adds Foglieni.

About STEINERT: The history of STEINERT dates back more than 130 years: the family-owned, Cologne-based business is one of the world’s leading experts in sensor sorting and magnetic separation for waste and metal recycling as well as mining. With 400 employees, STEINERT generates an annual turnover of approximately EUR 150 million. In addition to 50 sales partnerships and joint ventures across the globe, the company has subsidiaries in Germany, Australia, Brazil and the USA.

into commercial use.”

According to Fournaise, for a long while it’s not just been about the sales price of a metal: “Our customers, the smelters, save CO2 by using secondary raw materials and sorting is one of the most important primary stages. Because we strive for qualities similar to those of primary aluminium, we opted for sorting technology from Steinert. Steinert simply delivers the exact values we need for copper, zinc, manganese and magnesium. We’ve conducted continuous tests and now we’ve found the right level of quality.”

High levels of reliability and availability

Stemin S.p.A., a specialist in aluminium recycling located close to Bergamo in northern Italy, has decided to use STEINERT sorting technology, especially for dry density separation by means of x-ray transmission (XRT) to ensure the maximum purity of its aluminium production. Every year, Stemin produces up to 70,000 tons of high-quality secondary aluminium. The sorted aluminium is ready for the furnace and is passed to the company’s own foundry for further processing.

Board member Olivo Foglieni has been using STEINERT equipment for years and was one of the first to deploy the latest evolutionary stage 5.0 STEINERT XSS T. He is full of praise when it comes to the reliability of the technology and team: “I’m sure

LIBS for even greater purity

As an extra stage, some of STEINERT’s customers use downstream LIBS sorting. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) can analyse, in real time, the aluminium content and components, such as copper, magnesium or silicon, which determine the type of aluminium alloy. This process allows various alloys to be classified effectively, enabling the product to be used directly in producing industry. Recovery of targeted alloy compositions reduces downcycling.

STEINERT LIBS sorting systems have been widely distributed on the market for a number of years and more will be deployed in 2023. AMAG Austria Metall AG is a pioneer in sorting aluminium alloys and has been using one such system to sort into various aluminium alloy qualities since 2019. AMAG produces highgrade primary, cast and rolled products out of aluminium.

Demand for recycled aluminium is growing all the time. Separating into alloys is both an opportunity and a challenge. By producing pure aluminium alloy qualities from recycled aluminium, the specific reuse can be significantly improved. This is the route to closed material recycling.

AMAG has opted for LIBS technology from Steinert for this very purpose. An STEINERT LSS line sorting system produces up to 6 products in one cycle. �

Very high quality for very high standards. STEINERT can look back over recent success stories and into the future of the aluminium recycling market with a sense of self-assurance. Subject: STEINERT

The software and design of the STEINERT XSS T EVO 5.0 sorting system make it particularly durable and robust. Photo: STEINERT

Social Media Teaser: Marianne Grub, Marketing Manager T: +492214984-258 M: +491736722195 E: marianne.grub@steinert.de

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• Primary aluminium processing equipment

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• Environmental protection and energy efficient equipment

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