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World’s first batch of recycled aluminium using hydrogen fueled production
Coming to a close Welcome to this special digital Highlights issue, which features a round-up of popular news, articles and interviews from the past year. It is always an interesting time when creating this issue, to take a pause and reflect on everything the past year has thrown at us and what we have achieved. There has been a similar feeling amongst those I have spoken to throughout the year that this year has been unlike any other when it comes to ‘getting back to business’. While the world remains an uncertain and turbulent place, the day-to-day duties and fastpace of innovations, technical advances and general developments across our industry have resulted in one of the busiest and most content-rich years I have seen in my time as Editor. Hopefully this issue captures the essence of this and has picked out some of the main highlights that have shaped the sector, as well as addressing some of the shifts and challenges experienced across the supply chain. The news stories alone show the diverse nature of this industry and a huge step in driving a more sustainable future with renewable fuel sources, increased recycling rates and recovering minerals from waste and bauxite residue. I hope you have enjoyed all of the issues we have brought you over the past year and you continue to follow us across socials and online for regular updates, news, special features and announcements about the next Future Aluminium Forum and other projects. Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy New year! nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com
Highlights 2023
Hydro has produced the world’s first successful batch of aluminium using green hydrogen as an energy source. The test is another step towards carbon-free aluminium. Carbon-free green hydrogen replaced natural gas as fuel for the recycling of aluminium during the test. The test was carried out at a casthouse in Hydro’s extrusion plant in Navarra, Spain. “We are excited to be conducting this test and it demonstrates Hydro’s commitment to decarbonization. By removing the carbon emissions from the energy source, we will be able to produce carbon-free aluminium from recycling post-consumer scrap,” says Paul Warton, Executive Vice President for Hydro Extrusions. The test was conducted and led by hydrogen experts from Hydro Havrand, Hydro’s green hydrogen company, in partnership with Fives, an industrial engineering group with expertise in hydrogen burner technology and solutions for the aluminium industry. Fives
has contributed with design, and supplying of key components and controls needed to operate safely and effectively. “This test is part of developing commercial fuel switch solutions and to demonstrate that hydrogen can be used in aluminium production. Green hydrogen can remove hard to abate emissions from fossil fuels, in processes where electricity is not an alternative, both in the aluminium industry and in other heavy industries,” says Per Christian Eriksen, Head of Hydro Havrand. Green hydrogen is one of the
most promising emission free fuels to address the hard to abate industry emissions. In the aluminium industry, green hydrogen can replace fossil fuel used for high temperature heating processes. Hydrogen has previously been used in lab scale tests. The test in Navarra is the world’s first known successful industrial scale test of using hydrogen as an energy source in aluminium production. The aluminium produced in the test will be used in Hydro Extrusions’ Navarra facility to make the world’s first extruded profiles using hydrogen.
Novelis to trial use of Hydrogen in recycling furnaces Novelis Inc have announced that its Latchford plant in the UK has been awarded £4.6 million to establish hydrogen burning trials as part of the UK Government’s £55m Industrial Fuel Switching Competition, as part of the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), and the wider regional HyNet project. Novelis joined HyNet in 2017 and has been supporting the development of the regional infrastructure project as well as conducting its own technical feasibility studies
on the use of hydrogen as a direct replacement for natural gas. “Switching to renewable energy sources is a key initiative to advance on our journey toward carbon-neutral production,” said Emilio Braghi, Executive Vice President, Novelis Inc. and President, Novelis Europe. “Besides decarbonizing our own facility, this collaboration drives the industrial decarbonization of the whole North-West region in UK.” With the recently awarded
grant, Novelis’ Latchford plant will test the use of hydrogen on one of its recycling furnaces in a demonstration phase in 2024.
EGA welcomes nuclear energy EGA has announced a strategic initiative with TAQA, Dubal Holding and EWEC to divest its natural gas-fired power plants and instead source its electricity needs via the grid from EWEC, including an increasing proportion of clean energy. This would make EGA the largest single customer on the grid.
ENEC’s Barakah plant is already the largest source of clean, zero-carbon electricity in the UAE and wider Arab World, with two of the four 1400MW units already commercially operational, the third unit due to commence commercial operations shortly and the fourth unit gearing up for opera-
tional readiness later this year. Nuclear energy is an important source of baseload electricity, meaning it generates significant volume 24/7, which is fundamental to supporting the UAE’s growing intermittent renewable sources, which generate during daylight hours.
NEWS 3
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, Quebec 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 al-
low Rio Tinto to be more agile and flexible in meeting the anticipated 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 Quebec, create approximately 40 new permanent jobs.
Recovering minerals from bauxite residue Hydro Alunorte and Wave Aluminium have signed a contract to build a plant in Brazil to process bauxite residue, aiming to recover commercially valuable materials. Bauxite residue is generated after the bauxite ore has been processed to obtain alumina, the main raw material in aluminium production. Large quantities of bauxite residue are generated globally every year and permanently stored. “We are working hard to minimise the impact of our operations. We have already eliminated the need for permanent storage
of bauxite tailings in the bauxite mine, using a pioneering tech-
nology called Tailings Dry Backfill, where bauxite tailings are dried and brought back to the mined out areas prior to rehabilitation. I
am excited to get the bauxite residue processing plant in operation at Alunorte, further reducing the environmental footprint of our operations,” says John Thuestad, Executive Vice President for Hydro Bauxite & Alumina. Using a new combination of disruptive technologies, the planned bauxite residue processing plant will initially have the capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of bauxite residue per year. The new technology has proved successful in laboratory scale tests and will turn bauxite residue into a resource.
Record-breaking production Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has set a new historic production record of 1,600,111 metric tonnes (MT) in 2022 -- an increase of 38,889 MT versus 1,561,222 MT in 2021 (+2.5% Year-on-Year), as announced by the Company on 03 January 2023. Commenting on this milestone, Alba’s Chief Executive Officer, Ali Al Baqali stated:
“This all-time production record translates our motto ‘opportunities don’t happen, we create them by doing the best we can with what we have’. We also look forward to set new highs in the future driven by our in-house production creep. I take the opportunity to express my gratitude to the Management team, our employees and con-
tractors’ personnel for making our 2022 objectives a reality by challenging themselves to do more safely and responsibly.” A special ceremony, attended by the Executive Management, Directors, Managers and employees from various departments, was held at Alba’s Product Yard to mark this achievement.
NEWS IN BRIEF CRU launches new Sustainability and Emissions Service
CRU have announced that it has launched its new sustainability and emissions service to offer users commodities intelligence through a sustainability lens. The service gives users a comprehensive, coherent view of how the transition to a low carbon, sustainable economy will affect different commodities and impact market dynamics. Inclusion of Aluminium in the CRM Act European Aluminium has joined forces with 11 other industry associations in the raw materials, aerospace & defense, and clean tech sectors to advocate for the formal recognition of aluminium’s strategic significance. Their goal is to have it included in the Strategic Raw Materials list of the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act. Combilift celebrates 25 years
Combilift celebrates 25 years in business with 3 exciting new product launches. The 3 new releases were premiered at Combilift headquarters at an exclusive media event to mark Combilift’s 25th year in business. EPIQ Machinery is further extending its presence in India EPIQ Machinery has announced the recent transaction confirming the acquisition of Stymer Technologies under ADF Engineering, a subsidiary of EPIQ Machinery, a Canada-based company.
4 NEWS
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 Development 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 collaborative efforts to tackle one of the most complex global challenges. We will build on existing collaborations, such as in the beverage can sector, to enhance circularity and reduce emissions. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combatting climate change have become priorities for the aluminium industry. However, the sector needs to move comprehensively toward net zero carbon in a way that addresses all other aspects of sustainability. This is why
the IAI has formed the Aluminium Forward 2030 coalition. Key leaders in major aluminium sectors, such as Jaguar Land Rover; beverage can producers 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. It also gives members the opportunity to be part of a learning community that will transform the future of supply chains.
HAI Group celebrates groundbreaking ceremony at Cris site
Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI) celebrates the official ground-breaking ceremony for the capacity expansion with a 40 MN extrusion line at the Cris site (Romania) . The investments in Cris are part of a 125 million euro investment package for the entire HAI Group. At the Romanian site in Cris, investments are being made in a highly automated extrusion line with the associated infrastructure, thereby significantly expanding production capacity. In Cris, production is designed for high-quality products for the solar, construction and industrial sectors. “With the new production plant, urgently needed capacities are being developed in order to be able to accompany customers in Highlights 2023
New UK Rolling Plant
their growth in the coming years with an already very high capacity utilisation,” sums up Rob van Gils, CEO of the HAI Group. In addition to the new extrusion line, the new 25,000 m² hall will also provide more space for processing and logistics at the site. Beside the main hall, there will also be 5 more buildings built to accommodate different auxiliary functions, roads and concrete platforms. The total built area of these will be 32.300 m², practically doubling the size of the plant in Cris. A large photovoltaic system on the roof will generate green electricity for sustainable production in Cris.
Diageo has announced that it has provided funding to establish the British Aluminium Consortium for Advanced Alloys (BACALL), a collective of industry experts who will create a circular economy for aluminium in the UK. They will build a plant to roll hundreds of thousands of tonnes of aluminium sheet in the UK, more than enough for over 400 million cans of Guinness and pre-mixed Gordon’s and tonic. Currently, to recycle and remake cans, the UK is reliant on an energy-intensive supply chain that is based on the unsustainable exporting and importing of aluminium. The consortium will build an advanced aluminium recycling and manufacturing plant, to establish a new circular economy supply chain for aluminium. This will keep the recycling of aluminium in the UK and cement the UK’s position as a leader in the adoption of carbon reduction and manufacturing. Once the plant is up and running, the recycled aluminium will significantly contribute to Diageo’s 10-year sustainability action plan by increasing the use of recycled aluminium with Guinness cans made of 100% recycled material reducing the carbon emissions needed to export and import aluminium sheet reducing the dependency on raw materials needed to create aluminium contributing to a reduction in Diageo’s Scope 3 carbon emissions, as the plant will use 95% less energy in the production of its aluminium sheet versus traditional prime production methods Diageo has been working with BACALL since 2021 when Diageo jointly funded a feasibility study with the UK Government (via Innovate UK) into whether and how a large-scale circular economy strategy could be adopted across the aluminium sector tailored to the UK. Aluminium International Today
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Future Aluminium Forum: Québec City, 2023 From the UK, Québec is roughly 9 hours and 40 mins away. One attendee told me he flew 20 hours, from China, another flew almost 24 from Australia. The Future Aluminium Forum 2023, held from 10-12th May 2023, welcomed more than 175 delegates from all corners of the globe to Québec City, Canada. Zahra Awan* reports on the event.
DAY ONE Welcomed by the sun, the Future Aluminium Forum opened the doors to its delegates. The forum was structured to begin with an exclusive site visit to the Alcoa Deschambault Smelter. A select few of the delegates attending the forum were able to visit the site to discover and witness the Alcoa aluminium production process first hand. Visitors to the smelter were invited to walk through all main sectors of the facility, from the anode production plant to the electrolysis area and cast house. Along the route, informative sessions were given to attendees by the smelter
employees on various topics including maintenance, environment, and energy, as well as shown Alcoa’s Aluminium Center of Excellence. The Deschambault team personally received and directed the tour, allowing for a unique opportunity for the attendees to ask questions. The tour proved successful with the attendee’s feedback being overtly positive, noting the importance of seeing the smelters in the flesh and understanding why conferences and forums are so vital to the industry’s development. “The Future Aluminium Forum in Québec City was a great meeting. I enjoyed the
presentations as well as the exhibits by pertinent and competent suppliers. The social opportunities allowed me to meet old friends in the industry and meet new, motivated new people with fresh ideas on how to improve our industry. The whole event was well communicated and organized, with an interesting visit to the nearby, impeccable Alcoa plant. Thanks to the organisers for conveying a friendly and positive feel to the activities that made this meeting fruitful for all.” – Pierre Reny Chief Engineer, Hydro.
*Assistant Editor, Aluminium International Today Highlights 2023
Aluminium International Today
FAF REVIEW 7
DAY TWO
Following on from the tour was the Future Aluminium Forum Opening Event, hosted by AluQuébec. Located in the centre of the beautiful, historic Eurocentric city, all delegates and associates of the Future Aluminium Form were greeted by Mr Alain Sans Carter, Sous-Minister des Relations Internationales de la Francophonie, who opened the evening with a focus on where the sector now stands: “Aluminium is a metal of the future. It is unique and infinitely recyclable, and it’s been produced in Québec for over 120 years… I’d like to highlight the Québec aluminium development strategy, which enables players in our industry, including the equipment manufacturers here tonight, to accelerate the 4.0 shift, focus on innovation, and showcase our green aluminium.” Francois Racine, President at AluQuébec followed, stating, “Québec’s aluminium ecosystem is a world-renowned industry known for its expertise and innovations. … The ecosystems biggest strength has resided in its synergy where all sectors work towards a common goal of facilitating aluminium use and promoting it globally.” After the formalities, the industry reconnected with its experienced members and welcomed its new ones. Anticipating the hubbub, AluQuébec organised a graceful exhibit named the 5th Element. The concept explored nature’s five elements: Water, earth, air, fire, and Québec’s Aluminium!
With delegates relationships rekindled, and perhaps a bit of fizz to warm the vocal chords, the introductory day set the grounds for a two-day conference. The forum conference focused on the automation and advancement of the aluminium industry. Opened by Nadine Bloxsome, Editor of Aluminium International Today and Event Organiser for the Future Aluminium Forum, she set the theme which threaded itself throughout the conference sessions: “Sustainability goes hand in hand with efficiency”. Opening the event were Keynote Speakers from three major aluminium producers in Canada: Rio Tinto, Hydro and Alcoa. The session was opened by Gaby Poirier, Vice President of Operations - North America, Alcoa who discussed the “Spirit of Innovation”, and its importance to the success of the industry in overcoming the challenges we face. He noted that this spirit is one that must continue to grow to progress and succeed beyond company units, and out to the entire industry. Speaking next was Marie-Eve Pomerleau, Specialist Product Advancement, Rio Tinto, who brought discussions on the circular economy of the industry to the audience, as well as the latest initiatives for Quebec aluminium regarding scrap material and recycling schemes. Closing the Keynote Session, Pierre Rény, Chief Engineer, Primary Metal, Technology and Operational Support, Hydro Aluminium Canada. He spoke about Hydro’s future for the production of sustainable aluminium, namely on HalZero. HalZero is a new process for the production of primary aluminium. Instead of carbon dioxide, only oxygen is emitted from the process of primary aluminium production, a concept which is in competition with the commonly known ELYSIS. The next session entitled: Status,
“Everything worked out perfectly, your team is very thoughtful and always available
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to listen, many thanks! EQUIBRAS Aluminium International Today
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“Overall the event was very good, we had the chance to meet
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a lot of our business partners
JEAN- CHRISTOPHE BOUCHEN, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, STAS
Strategy and Capabilities, started off with a presentation from Jean-Denis Carrier, Global Director - Aluminium, HATCH, who introduced Digital Twins. The use of digital twins also enables the mapping and collection of data, which can be used for future experiments and projects. Quantillion speaker, Hilbrand Kuiken, CEO, noted the importance of data collection with the use of Predictive Intelligence, linking back to the concept of Digital Twins. Quantillion aims to utilise Artificial Intelligence to find the most efficient method for a solution, as well as use the data collect to anticipate and assist in future scenarios. The third session looked at whether Sustainability & Technology are a ‘Perfect Match’. The speakers for this session were: Adrien Berthier, Decarbonation Project Manager, Aluminium Dunkerque, Linlin Wu, Manager – Statistical Analysis, International Aluminium Institute, and Gunther Schober, Sales Manager, PSI Metals, Non Ferrous GmbH. Technology, as mentioned by Nadine Bloxsome, goes hand in hand with
“The event was well organised, staff were welcoming and dedicated,
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and the location is perfect! THOMAS GARGON, SOFTWARE ANALYST, MAESTRIA
sustainability. Adrien Berthier discussed the Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS), “a breakthrough carbon mitigated for smelters.” Linlin Wu spoke on the possibilities available, across heavy industries, in maximising the use of bauxite residue, in cement. The largest ByProduct presents a huge opportunity for extending the circular nature of aluminium production and sustainable ethics. Finally, Gunther Schober, Sales Manager, PSI Metals, Non Ferrous GmbH, presented on utilising software to optimise efficient energy scheduling to energy availability,
with the target of finding the most optimal solution. All three presenters noted the need for partnership within the industry to address each challenge we face, as well as a partnership with technology. Closing the day was a session on the Advance of Automation. Technology extends to machinery. This was presented by: Simone Tadiello, Automation Project Engineer, BM Group - Polytec, Malcolm Caron-Boivin, International Business Development Manager, EPIQ Machinery, and Mileidy Hernandez, CPI in Automated Systems - Industrial Computing, WSP Canada. Between the three speakers, they presented the full range of automated machinery available, designed to replace humans in dangerous situations, spoke on how their machinery has transformed to electric vehicles and discussed how autonomous tools, such as WSP’s ADE, is designed to assist the industry shift to Industry 4.0 by providing autonomy to the operation team and centralise all systems into the same interface. The first day of the conference came to a close, yet the socialising was set to continue. With the sun still shinning, and the balcony doors open, attendees were invited back to the venue for a sit down three-course meal. With opportunities to network throughout the day, the dinner provided downtime and a more casual setting for the industry to unwind.
FAF REVIEW 9
DAY THREE
“For the first time attending this event and visiting Canada, it was very useful to establish contacts in the industry. Professional, well
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organised and a well-run event. PETER SELBIE, INDUSTRIAL SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER, BRUK TEXTILES.
We awoke to the final day of the forum on the 12th May. With a slight change in topic, the forum switched to a focus on Environmental and Social Sustainability. Presenting on Aluminium from the Amazon: Lessons for Sustainability, Simon Lobach, Researcher, Geneva Graduate Institute discussed the need for industries to take more responsibility over their actions. Simon Lobach discussed this in relation to local communities and biodiversity; he called for aluminium industries to change their attitudes towards their impact on native/ indigenous populations and the local environment. The Amazonia presents a number of strengths for the aluminium industry: Aluminium in the Amazonia is fully produced with hydroelectric power and is at the forefront of technological developments for sustainable aluminium, reforestation programmes have been implemented, and the aluminium sector has “significantly improved its relationships in a democratic Brazil.” However, issues as a result of industry still remain a major concern.
Returning to the topic of automation, was David Roth, Americas Business Representative at RiA Cast House, Andrew Sauerwald, Product Leader - LIBS at Tecnar spoke next on LIBS technology and Jean -Benoit Pineault, MBA CEO at Refraco. Focusing on removing operators from hazardous areas, first mentioned by David Roth, the three discussed how working with automated technology can improve safety of the higher risk areas in a factory. For example: The implementation of cameras to not only monitor furnace efficiency but also remove an operator from the high temperatures. The implementation of LIBs, which is based on “patented technology from the National Research Council Canada”, to sample metal removes the labour-intensive process, and high-risk factors from an operators role. And automated machinery to remove workers from certain situations. “Informative speakers, good mix of big industry players, with some smaller businesses too” – George Giles, Regional Sales Manager, Molten Metal Innovation
The Future Aluminium Forum will be returning in 2024, and will be hosted in Turkey. Working in collaborating with Turkish Aluminium Association, TALSAD, the event aims to bring together the West and East to discuss and share best practices in automating the industry. Keep following for more information on how you and your company can take part!
Aluminium International Today
Highlights 2023
10 IAI ANNIVERSARY
50 Years of the IAI – Thank you! Reflections on our past and looking forward to shaping a better tomorrow. By Miles Prosser*
*IAI Secretary General Highlights 2023
Aluminium International Today
IAI ANNIVERSARY 11
Throughout 2022, the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) marked the 50th Anniversary of its founding and its role in representing the global primary aluminium industry on a sustainable journey. As part of the celebrations, the IAI shone a spotlight on the industry’s people, essential products made from aluminium, and the defining moments in our sector’s history. The IAI was established in 1972 primarily to foster industry collaboration with a focus on collecting and publishing statistical data – and this remains one of the IAI’s core priorities. Over the past 50 years, the IAI has been a leading voice for the aluminium industry, providing solid data which is widely acknowledged as credible and robust with statistical and analytical expertise honed over several decades. The Anniversary has been a unique opportunity to reflect on our past and look forward. We recognised just some of the trailblazers, milestones, events, and essential products that have played a vital role in shaping society today and contributing to meeting tomorrow’s challenges. 50 People The 50th Anniversary of the IAI provided us with an enormous opportunity to celebrate the diversity of people who have contributed and continue to contribute to the progress and development of aluminium and the industry. From engineers to directors, we all work towards a common goal: continuing to grow aluminium’s contribution, while promoting sustainability. What a breadth of diversity of the people who make up the aluminium industry! As we remain focused on progress and development, we recognise the continued efforts of the people who give their time, energy, and heart to this industry. The aluminium industry is vital in our society – thanks to the creativity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness of everyone who is working hard to help shape a better tomorrow.
use less fuel: this not only allows for a higher freight load with each trip, but it also reduces CO2 emissions from fuel consumption. We can all be proud of the contribution aluminium is making to lowering society’s environmental impact. As transport moves to an electric basis, aluminium’s light weight and recyclability will see it continue as a material of choice for performance vehicles, family transport, and goods transport. Aluminium is everywhere in our daily lives. Look around your kitchen: utensils, dishes, coffee pods, foil and more will be made from aluminium. Quite literally, aluminium is the essential to all aspects of our society. We use it for buildings, bridges and medical equipment, and, most importantly, it is an instrumental player in sustainability and renewable energy. For wind turbines and solar panels, for instance, aluminium’s ability to withstand the harshest climate makes it a long-term, durable solution. The closer we look, the more we see just how much aluminium surrounds us. This
formidable metal improves every aspect of our life. From technological advances to creative outlets, its countless qualities have made it the metal of choice in numerous industries. 50 Moments While celebrating our 50th Anniversary, it was imperative that we considered our role in the context of the extended story of aluminium. Going back to 1808, the year of its discovery, aluminium has coloured many moments in our history – just a few of which are listed here. Members of the industry voted for their favourites, and the results may be quite surprising. While more mainstream moments were featured, such as the creation of aluminium beverage cans and the construction of the Empire State Building, the top spots were taken by two fundamental operational moments: the discovery of the Hall-Héroult Process in 1886; and the discovery of the Bayer Process two years later. These two processes are, in a way,
50 Products Aluminium has evolved beyond our expectations over the past 150 years, and it continues to be used in new and innovative ways. From everyday essentials such as ladders, buses and electric cabling to less visible but still essential uses, such as industrial heat exchangers, aluminium remains incredibly versatile and fundamental in technology, transport, sustainability and more. In trucks, for example, aluminium allows the truck itself to be lighter and Aluminium International Today
Highlights 2023
12 IAI ANNIVERSARY
the foundation of the industrial life of aluminium and the reason it is now such a widespread material used all around the globe. It is wonderful to see two moments from the 19th century feature so highly – a testament to the enduring mastery of our industry’s pioneers. This poll showcased that our members truly value the history of this product, not merely as a feature of our lives, but as an incredible scientific achievement.
From its role in landing the first man on the moon to the first all-metal flight, its contributions to science are invaluable. Another core value celebrated in this poll is sustainability. We are proud of the progress the aluminium industry has made in minimising its impact on the environment, and we are eager to continue improving. The widespread recycling of aluminium, the launch of the Greenhouse Gas Pathways and the creation of closed-
loop recycling are only a few of the pivotal milestones featured in this poll. Global, sustainable and versatile, these top 50 moments celebrate the qualities that make aluminium more than just a metal. If you missed any of our 50th Anniversary communications, you can find them on our website, LinkedIn, and under the features section on the Aluminium International Today website. �
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ENERGY 13
The energy crisis Challenges and chances for the European aluminium industry Interview with Emilio Braghi – Executive Vice President, Novelis Inc. & President, Novelis Europe – on the current energy situation for the European aluminium industry and the company´s approach to navigating through the storm.
Emilio Braghi, Executive Vice President, Novelis Inc. and President, Novelis Europe
Mr Braghi, how do you assess the current energy crisis? How is Novelis affected? Novelis, as one of the world’s largest aluminium recyclers, is less dependent on electricity than primary aluminium producers, who consume a lot of power in the electrolysis process. By leveraging recycling, we contribute to reduce our energy needs. Recycling saves 95% of energy and up to around the same amount of carbon emissions compared
to primary aluminium production. However, to recycle and further process aluminium, we do need a stable supply of natural gas and electricity at affordable prices and therefore we are also impacted by the energy price escalation. The high levels of energy prices coming with this extreme volatility is clearly something which is not sustainable for the European industry in the long-term, so we need to find a solution. I believe
that the energy market will rebalance, and it’ll probably take 18 to 24 months to see prices stabilising at a more normal level. But it’s very important for the aluminium industry in Europe and in general for the overall European manufacturing industry to get back into a situation where energy prices are more affordable and enable the industry to remain competitive with other regions, also to prevent relocations.
Is this a real threat to the industry´s future in Europe – and to the company you are heading? There definitely is a threat for the industries in Europe as the cost increases for operations are substantial. We already see the impacts in the market – for the aluminium industry and other energy intensive sectors. The true extent of the damage will depend on how long energy prices will remain at these exceptionally high levels and volatility
and if government programs can help secure the financial sustainability and international competitiveness of European companies. Don´t forget the market dynamics following this energy crisis, which came on top of the production backlogs and supply chain challenges following Covid. Macroeconomic and geopolitical risks remain elevated, and we will need to navigate a challenging couple of quarters ahead as inflationary impacts intensify.
Although the macro-economic environment is uncertain, we believe long-term demand for sustainable, lightweight and infinitely recyclable aluminium products will persist. As such, we remain committed to our transformational capital investment strategy, investing in new rolling and recycling capacity and capabilities to grow with our customers, and we will continue to progress these activities in a disciplined, paced manner.
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14 ENERGY You mentioned government programs. Which EU programs are you referring to and to what extent is the aluminium sector benefitting from these? Within Europe, there are differences from country to country in terms of the support received by the industry. French producers for example benefit from an industry price for electricity, which was in place already before the energy crisis, and measures to reduce the price of gas and electricity. Spain and Portugal have also implemented very early support programs with approval of the European
Commission. To avoid distortions of the competition within Europe, a Europe-wide solution would be preferrable, including a cap on the price of gas which enables the industry to run sustainable businesses in Europe, decoupling the electricity price from the price of gas, and the acceleration of investments in renewable energy. Given that there is currently no EUwide cap on the price of gas at a level the industry needs, we welcome the measures taken at national level such as the protective shield that Germany is
The European Union has been working on a price capping mechanism applying to all Member states. Do you support this proposed Market Correction Mechanism? I highly support the launch of such initiatives – even more than that, I think they´re indispensable. The idea of limiting excessive European gas prices when they are unrelated to global price spikes is an effective way to secure international competitiveness. The price level of EUR 275/MWh initially proposed was a signal in the wrong direction. With EUR 180/ MWh we have now come to a level which is avoiding extreme peaks – however, it is still a multiple of the pre-crisis prices and does not ensure the competitiveness of the European industry in my opinion.
Novelis recycles more than 80 billion used beverage cans annually and runs the largest and technologically most advanced aluminium recycling plant in the world where up to 400,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap can be processed every year.
So how should a Governmental protection shield look like? Programs with the power to effectively protect the industry will need to restore costs to a level that enables the industry to run sustainable businesses in Europe – taking into account the competition in other regions of the world and still making our region attractive for exporters of natural gas. They should not impact hedging contracts or be linked to the requirement to demonstrate a negative EBITDA. And of course, they should be in place for a long enough duration to enable plannability and predictability.
Which measures are you taking within your company to mitigate the risks the energy crisis brings? We are currently reviewing all appropriate measures to minimise the impact of the energy crisis on our business and discussing with our customers and suppliers how to manage the situation going forward. We are in general saving electricity and gas in our processes wherever possible, aiming to accelerate the achievement of our set goal: 10% reduction of energy intensity by 2026. As we know that every continuous improvement project is based on accurate measuring before developing and implementing sustainable improvement action, we started to focus on detailed tracking of energy consumption per machine center. In addition, we have filed two projects in Europe to build onsite solar parks close to our plants – reducing the amount of energy we are taking out of the national grid and with that of course further increasing our independency from the energy market.
So, are your sustainability projects slipping more and more into the focus of cost saving instead of a strong purpose? No, definitely not. Novelis is driven by its strong purpose of shaping a sustainable world together. We made environmental and social sustainability the core of our business strategy and daily actions already 11 years ago. It might seem that the news on the current geopolitical situation and its impact on the markets is taking precedence over the political January/February 2023
debate on the need for carbon neutrality – but the need for decarbonizing our operations and our daily life is in no way diminished. Our Novelis sustainability strategy is clear, we hold on to our ambitious carbon footprint reduction targets. We aim at a reduction of 30% by 2026 and being carbon neutral by 2050. Moreover, we’re pushing hard on circularity. It’s not only about carbon footprint reduction – our offering and concept on aluminium is really to bring
putting in place for tackling both the gas price and the electricity price. However, it is important to note that we are talking about a gas price cap at 7ct/kWh, and an electricity price cap at 13ct/kWh. Both price caps still are at a multiple of the pre-crisis levels and only apply to 70% of the consumption. In addition, various restrictions, conditions and upper limits apply which may dilute the effect of the price caps. The situation will thus remain extremely challenging for the industry, also in Germany.
the material back into the production loop at the end of the products life, again and again. The difference that the current situation of energy crisis brings to our sustainability journey – and I tend to be optimistic on that side – is a chance to accelerate the transition to renewable energy in Europe, combined with an increased focus on the need to reduce energy consumption – for which our core business of recycling aluminium contributes dramatically. Aluminium International Today
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You already talked about your focus on recycling and projects to increase onsite renewable energy generation – any other energy saving project you can tell us about? We pursue a holistic approach to increase energy efficiency in our plants – in general and even more in the current situation. Heat recovery is one of the topics we are looking into rolling out more broadly, which means finding
ways to reuse the waste heat coming from our furnaces. In general, half of our natural gas consumption goes into the aluminium melting process. So, this is definitely an aspect where we can and must make a difference. We have established an energy ecosystem in our Sierre plant in Switzerland to share waste energy with the surrounding community. It´s running already but we will continue to increase
the amount of shared energy in the next weeks and months. Other energy recovery systems are established in our Koblenz plant and at our Joint Venture Alunorf in Germany. Moreover, we are planning to engage in pilot projects to test alternative energy sources, such as plasma and hydrogen – just to name some initiatives besides the mentioned onsite renewable energy generation.
And what does the future hold for Novelis? Aluminium is the ideal material for circularity. We are a committed business partner to our customers, who are increasingly demanding sustainable aluminium products. To meet this growing demand, Novelis has begun
a multi-year, transformational organic growth investment period to further strengthen our position as the global leader in low-carbon and innovative aluminium solutions. The next 18 to 24 months will be challenging, and we may need to pace some of the capital spending and prioritize growth investments that
are aimed at meeting strong demand and that help us, and our customers, to achieve ambitious sustainability goals. But our long-term view on aluminium is not changing – demand and industry will continue to grow.
Novelis is a global leader in the production of innovative aluminium products and solutions and the world’s largest recycler of aluminium. With the ambition to be the leading provider of low-carbon, sustainable aluminium solutions and to achieve a fully circular economy, the company is partnering with suppliers, as well as our customers in the aerospace, automotive, beverage can and specialties industries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America.
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NET ZERO 17
Herøya, Prosgrunn plant where HalZero is being developed. Image courtesy of Hydro
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 Aluminium International Today
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18 NET ZERO
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. “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 wellinvested 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
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PRIMARY PRODUCTION 19
EGA: From small regional smelter to global giant Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) announced, at the end of 2022, that it had reached the milestone 40 million tonnes of hot metal since start-up in 1979. In just over 40 years, EGA has grown from a small regional smelter into a global integrated aluminium giant. Addressing EGA’s achievements and goals, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban* spoke with Zahra Awan** on EGA’s past, present and future. 1. EGA recently announced that it had reached the milestone of 40 million tonnes of hot metal produced since its start up in 1979. How has production changed from 1979 to 2022? EGA began production as Dubai Aluminium in 1979. Jebel Ali was a small regional smelter with a capacity of 135 thousand tonnes per year. It took us almost 30 years to produce 10 million tonnes of metal – now we are doing that in less than four years, our mining subsidiary, the Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC), makes us one of the biggest merchant suppliers of bauxite in the world, and we produce well over 40 per cent of our own alumina requirements. So, EGA’s story is certainly one of ambitious and accelerating growth over more than four decades, and it is my objective that we continue on that path. But I think even more important is how the way we work has changed. I want to give two examples. The first is safety. When I look at photos of Dubai Aluminium from 1979, what is striking is that people are standing precariously next to unbarricaded heights, and no one is wearing proper
PPE – there were even some women employees in office clothes and high heels in the potlines! Now, safety is our top priority. Over many years, we have invested in inherently safe equipment, our safety management system, and building a culture of safety across our organisation. The result is that our safety performance is significantly better than industry benchmarks. Today, we have a bold aspiration at EGA to eliminate the risk of harm, which is something that has never been achieved before by any company before but which we think we have a duty to future generations at EGA to strive for. The second thing I notice in those
1979 images is the aluminium smelting technology which we were using, which was bought from a technology provider. For more than 30 years now we have developed our own aluminium smelting technology in the UAE. We have used our own technology in every smelter development since the 1990s, and we have retrofitted all our older potlines. We have licensed this technology internationally, and now we are a leader in the global aluminium technology business. We have a lot to be proud of in our history at EGA, and this gives us a great platform to achieve more in the future.
2. Sustainability is now a major topic of conversation; with COP27 being held in Egypt, the attention has turned to the Arab world. What is EGAs sustainable vision for the future? Where is EGA in this vision? Aluminium is an essential material for the development of a more sustainable society. For aluminium to reach its full potential to contribute to human progress, we must make the production of aluminium more sustainable. EGA’s goal is to be a global sustainability leader for the aluminium industry.
We are strong supporters of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), as the global ESG standard for our industry. We were the first company headquartered in our region to join, and the first to receive a site certification – for our Al Taweelah site. Jebel Ali is also now certified, and we are aiming to achieve the first certification in Guinea. I hope within the next year, and preferably sooner, all our production sites will be certified. That will be a step towards our aim of producing only ASI-certified metal by
2030. What is vital about ASI is that it considers all aspects of sustainability, but at EGA we do recognise the central challenge of climate change. Our nation was the first in the region to announce the intention of reaching net zero by 2050, and we are playing a key part in achieving that.
* Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Global Aluminium ** Editorial Assistant, Aluminium International Today Aluminium International Today
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20 PRIMARY PRODUCTION
3. What methods of decarbonisation has EGA invested in to assist in the transition to sustainable production? What investments are we to expect? We have developed a roadmap to net zero, and over the coming decades we must eliminate or offset all our greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity generation accounts for around 60 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions from the global aluminium industry, so that is our biggest opportunity and our current focus. We have announced a strategic initiative with TAQA, Dubal Holding and EWEC – all major UAE companies - to divest our natural gas-fired power plants and instead source electricity from the grid, including an increasing proportion of clean energy. This initiative would unlock significant further development of solar power in Abu Dhabi, and enable EGA to vastly increase our production of CelestiAL solar aluminium. We became the first company in the world to produce aluminium commercially using the power of the sun in 2021, but this still
only accounts for a small proportion of our production today. We also see great potential in recycling. We are working on a project to build the UAE’s largest recycling facility, with a capacity of 150 thousand tonnes of billet per year. This is just the beginning for us, and we are looking to develop recycling facilities in the UAE and around the world, including with our customers. Looking further ahead, we believe hydrogen may have the potential to replace natural gas as a vector for thermal energy, such as in our Casthouse furnaces and steam boilers, as well as for turbines. We are members of the UAE’s Hydrogen Leadership Coalition, enabling us to explore with others the technical and economic potential of hydrogen within the processes of aluminium production, as well as processes in our local supply chain. You will also see us deploying our spending power more broadly in our supply chain. EGA was the first UAEheadquartered company to join the First Movers Coalition, a global grouping that aims to send a powerful demand signal to hard-to-abate sectors to decarbonise.
4. What are the greatest challenges that EGA expects to face in the short or mid-term? I like the quote from John Adams, second President of the United States, who said “Every problem is an opportunity in disguise”. We all know the economic uncertainty that we face currently, and the broader goals we must reach as an industry in the longer term. During COVID-19 we took the opportunity to thoroughly review how we operate and do business at EGA, and we emerged even stronger from the pandemic because of this. I continue to see every challenge as an opportunity.
5. What is EGA’s approach to locallymade materials and products? Contributing to the economy and opportunity in the countries where we
operate is a social aspect of sustainability and a priority for us at EGA. In the UAE, we have a national strategy called Operation 300bn to more than double the size of the industrial sector over the next decade, and a campaign called Make it in the Emirates to support this. EGA has been making it in the Emirates since 1979. We have a goal of doubling our absolute contribution to the national economy by 2040, and one way we will do this is by increasing local procurement. We spent some $1.7 billion last year in our UAE supply chain and we sell around 10 per cent of our metal production in the UAE to 26 local companies that make everything from window frames and car parts for local industries and export around the world.
EGA prioritises orders from local suppliers whenever they are competitive commercially and encourages international suppliers to establish facilities within the UAE. In addition, EGA works with Government and other stakeholders to enable the development of supply industries that do not yet exist in the country. Of course, our goal extends to Guinea, where we believe the long-term future of the industry depends on growing the local supply chain to maximise the economic benefits of bauxite mining for the nation. We spent some $112 million with Guinean suppliers in 2021. One way we have achieved this is by developing a specialist training programme to help potential suppliers meet the quality and integrity standards we require.
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PRIMARY PRODUCTION 21
6. What is EGA’s goal for the future? At EGA, we are driven by our purpose, which is ‘Together, innovating aluminium to make modern life possible’. These are not just words. We want the EGA employees in decades to come to look back on what we achieved in our generation and see that we fulfilled our purpose. That is why we have bold aspirations for what we will contribute to the world, the societies in which we operate, our people and our business. These goals are ambitious, and I have talked about several of them already. I have talked about decarbonisation – which is a fundamental challenge and a great opportunity. Our growth will be in low carbon and recycling over the decades ahead, and that will be transformative. I have talked about doubling our economic impact, which we will achieve through our own growth, further localising our supply chain, and further localising our workforce. I have talked about safety and eliminating the risk of harm. I want to mention two other bold
aspirations we have. The first, is being the partner of choice for our customers. Serving our customers well has always been a source of competitive advantage and pride at EGA – three-quarters of our customers have bought our metal for at least 10 years. Even deeper partnerships will enable us to serve our customers better, while sharing data and insights will enable us to manufacture our products in a more cost effective way. Together with our customers, we aim to increase the use of aluminium which will be good for our businesses and the world. And second, I want to mention gender diversity, which is a challenge for our industry in many parts of the world and something very close to my heart. As a business leader, I recognise that diverse organisations are stronger and perform better. As the father of four daughters, I know it is also the right thing to do for our people and society. We have shortterm targets to significantly increase the number of women in our workforce, and I am determined that this is just the beginning.
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22 AUTOMOTIVE
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. By Jamie Zinser* 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
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 Highlights 2023
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24 EXCLUSIVE
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
*Editorial Assistant, Aluminium International Today Highlights 2023
Aluminium International Today
EXCLUSIVE 25
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, Year
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
Total Global Primary Aluminium Production*
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
Year
(Thousand metric tonnes of aluminium)
Total Global Crude Steel Production* (Million tonnes of Crude Steel)
2022
68,461
2022
1 885
2021
67,092
2021
1 951
2020
65,325
2020
1 879
2019
63,657
2019
1 875
2018
64,166
2018
1 827
2017
63,404
2017
1 735
2016
59,890
2016
1 632
*Total Primary aluminium production from across the regions: Africa, North America, South
*Statistics from World Steel Association[6, 7]
America, Asia (excluding China), Western & Central Europe, Russia & Eastern Europe, Oceania, Gulf Cooperation Council, China (estimated) and Estimated Unreported to IAI[5]
Table 1
Table 2
Fig 1
Fig 2
Aluminium International Today
Highlights 2023
26 EXCLUSIVE
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 Highlights 2023
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 Aluminium International Today
EXCLUSIVE 27
*Image courtesy of ICMM [20]
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 Aluminium International Today
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 Highlights 2023
28 EXCLUSIVE 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, 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
substantial CO2 savings vs low carbon aluminium” - Frederic Painchault, Head of Marketing, ArcelorMittal Global Automotive & Mobility solutions. 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
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’
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. 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. �
References [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/ [4]https://international-aluminium.org/resource/cm-group-an-initial-assessment-of-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-global-aluminium-demand/ Highlights 2023
Aluminium International Today
EXCLUSIVE 29 [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/ [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-the-call-for-sustainable-supply-chains/
EDITORIAL PROGRAMME 19 EDITORIAL FEATURES
JANUARY/FEBRUARY
MARCH/APRIL
MAY/JUNE
Primary Production
Raw Materials/Mining & Refining
Rolling Technology
Aluminium production and smelting technology; anode manufacture and rodding; power supply; pot room equipment; metal transfer.
Bauxite mining and alumina refining technology; developments; R&D projects; community conservation, raw material handling & transport, market outlooks.
Hot and cold rolling technology; annealing; alloys; strip casting; twin-roll casting; twin-belt casting; rolled products; foil products; plate production.
Sustainable Aluminium
Aluminium scrap processing; metal recovery; contaminated scrap; dross recovery; metal filtration; sorting technologies.
The Future of Manufacturing Digitalisation; Industry 4.0; smarter technologies; data capture/measurement; disruptive technologies.
Event Distribution: TMS 2024
Low carbon aluminium products currently in the market, or planned.
Planned Event Distribution: CRU World Aluminium
JULY/AUGUST
Recycling
Extrusion Billet heating; low saws; extrusion presses; die production and maintenance; handling extruded products; cutting; value-added products.
Future Aluminium Forum 2024
Planned Event Distribution:
ET 2024
Aluminium China
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
Furnaces/Heat Treatment
Primary Production
Casthouse Technology
Homogenising furnaces; slab heating furnaces; ageing ovens; annealing furnaces; solution heat treatment furnaces; die heaters; log and billet heaters and associated handling equipment; refractories; heat measurement technology.
Aluminium production and smelting technology; anode manufacture and rodding; power supply; pot room equipment; metal transfer.
Aluminium transfer and casting; degassing; treatment; sawing.
Aluminium Applications
Automated guided vehicles, rail vehicles, pot room vehicles; cranes; bundling and strapping; wrapping.
Focus on aluminium use in automotive, aerospace and packaging applications. Production processes, new technologies, trends and light-weighting
Planned Event Distribution: UK Metals Expo
Transport & Handling
Sustainable Aluminium Low carbon aluminium products currently in the market, or planned.
Planned Event Distribution: ARABAL 2024
Planned Event Distribution: ALUMINIUM Show
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Highlights 2023
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FUTURE ALUMINIUM 31
The Haulers’ Evolution By Malcolm Caron-Boivin* There are many discussions within the industry regarding the restructuring and establishment of standards to promote the decarbonisation of aluminium production. Important initiatives are deployed to reduce the overall environmental footprint of the industry across the value chain and emerge from close collaboration between smelters, customers, suppliers, equipment manufacturers, employees, and the community. The enthusiasm that comes with the industrial drive towards net-zero emissions goes to show that aluminium and equipment manufacturers have a pivotal role to play. This is why we, at EPIQ Machinery, decided to develop a new fully electrical motorisation for one of our existing MECFOR tractor model, the MTA30. Timing is right; this initiative is supported by our customers and governments and the prototype is already planned to be tested in real operation environment. Follow the ‘green’ brick road The International Aluminium Institute identified three pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Aluminium Sector Greenhouse Gas Pathways to 2050, 2021): 1. Electricity decarbonisation by using clean energy instead of fossils fuels: The aluminum sector currently produces 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2, and more than 60% of it is from the production of electricity consumed during the smelting process. The opportunity is big there. 2. Direct emissions potential: Emissions from fuel combustion make up 15% of the industry’s emissions. A little bit less then the previous one, but still significant. Of course, this is exactly where the electrification of diesel solutions is going to help. 3. Recycling and resource efficiency: By increasing collection rates to near 100% as well as other resource efficiency progress by 2050 would reduce the need for primary aluminium by 20%. Aluminium is turning green and big players are leading the way. Many of
EPIQ MECFOR Diesel engine powered Anode hauler
our customers have set ambitious goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. EPIQ MECFOR has chosen to embrace the challenge and is working in offering equipment to reduce direct emissions. From Diesel to Electric Hauler EPIQ MECFOR haulers are criss-crossing halls of primary aluminium smelters for more than 25 years, cumulating over 100,000 hours of operations. With 100+ haulers in operation, hauling different types of trailers with the same attachment system, we figured that our customers already own a lot of spare parts for them, and not to mention that their teams of operators are well-trained making them extremely efficient and accustomed to the way it drives and the way it maneuvers. Plus, our haulers have gone through several iterations based on customer’s feedback and the expertise developed along the way. It was inconceivable for
EPIQ MECFOR to start designing from scratch. That is why the decision was made to use the same overall design, so most components remain the same (cabin, frame, wheels, operation approach, etc.), except anything related to the motorisation. From the outside, it will be difficult to make the difference; the revolution is from the inside. This approach will also allow our customers to perform the Anodes or Molten Metal crucibles hauling operations about the same. The vehicle will have the same dimensions and manoeuverability. Pick-up and drop off locations of the payloads can be kept the same. It is an articulated model, it can be coupled to any existing trailers, and future EPIQ MECFOR trailers can be built using the same design, no engineering needed to adapt. In its portfolio, EPIQ MECFOR has two tractor designs: MTA (narrow) and MTC (large). The Engineering and Design team is currently designing the prototypes of
*Eng., International Business Development Manager, EPIQ Machinery Aluminium International Today
Highlights 2023
32 FUTURE ALUMINIUM
the MTE – the electric version – based on the MTA30. The team has started to instrument existing vehicles that are in operation in customers’ plants. Data is collected and analysed to determine the duty cycle of a hauler in operation. That way EPIQ MECFOR can make sure the tractor has the right autonomy and charging time to be integrated in a smelter’s operation seamlessly. Multifaceted challenges: two key elements to consider There are multifaceted challenges to this decarbonisation process across all levels. The transition to ‘green’ energy Anode Haulers requires facility modifications (e.g.: charging station) along with new skills for maintenance teams. The same maintenance team that has been working with diesel fleets will now have to develop a brand-new expertise with electric vehicles: maintaining high voltage batteries, electric drives, charging stations, etc. Hauling anodes may seem simple. However, when we take a closer look at the operating environment of aluminium producers, we quickly come to understand the complex challenges that comes with operating electrified haulers in this environment. The involvement and the cooperation of the end-users, aka the aluminium producers, is necessary. a. Analysis of vehicle usage The first key element to consider is the analysis of vehicle usage. This is what we are doing at the moment by instrumenting existing vehicles. However, we cannot use that data for any plant, as every operation is different, from facility to facility, and even from an operator to another. Type of driving. We have jacks on the articulation that provide steering to the vehicle. This can take a lot of energy. The way you drive, and steer can have a lot of impact on the autonomy. Acceleration and deceleration. If you have an operator that tends to put the pedal to the floor every time he or she wants to move forward, that’s going to affect and drain a lot more energy than a smooth ramp up. Speed management is important; when and where you are going to reach top speed, optimal speeds in function of distances to travel, etc. Duty cycle in a shift. Several shifts need to be studied to provide the right solution and maintain the same operation as with a diesel fleet. Operators also need to be prepared to adapt the way they drive. Even with electric city buses, operators need to go to through a whole training to ensure vehicles are operated the same way by different operators. Instrumenting also allows to monitor and log the way it Highlights 2023
Battery charging Station
is being operated. b. Analysis of work processes and practices The second key element is the analysis of work processes and practices. A transition strategy needs to be defined to make sure it is seamless, and it doesn’t impact production. Choice of charging strategy; are we swapping battery packs, having a charger on board, chargers outboard? Where do you put the chargers to optimise operations, at pick-up and drop off locations? How many of them? When are you charging? This needs to be studied at the very beginning of the project and can all be simulated using real operational data from instrumented vehicles to ensure precise results. Are we switching to a 100% electric haulers fleet or are we doing it gradually? A hybrid fleet might be a good approach for now until battery technology, which evolves extremely rapidly, improves. Vehicle maintenance plan needs to be considered as it is very different than a diesel fleet: less maintenance, but a different type. Limitations due to space constraints, for charging stations and parking spots need to be well-thought. The conversion goes further: from electric rigid hauler to AGV Back in September 2022, EPIQ Machinery announced its partnership with DTA S.A., a Spanish company. DTA’s core business is to deliver heavy-duty and tailored made AGV solutions. EPIQ, in cooperation with, is working on a non-articulated singlehulled electric model. This rigid design could be more easily converted later in AGVs. Our prognostic is that, once the transition to electric equipment is well underway, some producers will be ready to step up with auto guided haulers. Based on what we’ve seen so far with AGVs in the aluminum industry, customers are not yet ready to go with a fully autonomous solution. The great
thing about the rigid electric design is that it can be converted into an AGV later if wanted. The cabin can be removed or not to maintain a hybrid operational mode during the transition. Being electric, it has low maintenance, longer lifetime, it is very compact and has innovative traction allowing more flexibility, multidirectional steering allowing crabbing (side movement), which offers great manoeuvrability in limited spaces. EPIQ and DTA will deliver and put in operations their first rigid electric hauler project by end of this year. Once the risks mitigated, the industry will be in a reassuring position to shift to full AGV solutions that will allow the optimisation of human resources, which are getting scarcer, towards value added tasks (less repetitive). Also, AGVs will enhance safety in harsh operation environments using natural navigation. This type of navigation prevents from extensive infrastructure modifications (wire, paint lines, heavy-maintenance reflectors, etc.) It is connected to a stateof-the-art fleet management which is fully integrated to the plant management system. Today’s talk of the town: Industry 4.0 All of this can be fully integrated to the whole 4.0 solution. EPIQ vehicles, autonomous or not, can-do real-time data gathering which includes but are not limited to localisation and traceability of the payload, fleet management, live monitoring of equipment health, predictive maintenance, etc. The order management of the AGVs would be integrated to the plant control system (MES, ERP, etc.) allowing data gathering and management. We can also imagine in a near future the ability to treat this data with AI to optimise production. In short, converting heavy-duty mobile equipment from diesel to electric is a step further to a new technological era. At EPIQ, we’re in. � Aluminium International Today
ANNIVERSARY 33
UK
SUPPLEMENT
50 years of innovation and excellence: Celebrating a milestone anniversary in business Mechatherm International Limited is a supplier of Aluminium casthouse equipment. Established in 1973 Mechatherm began with the ideology to provide bespoke Aluminium Melting and Holding furnaces with robust British engineering and industry leading technologies. Founded by Bryan Emes, John Gardner and Louis Riley, Mechatherm began in a spare bedroom in Epsom, supplying small furnaces to the UK Aluminium industry. Things began to change in the 1990’s when they completed their first largescale international smelter project, since then the company has continued to grow, installing the largest recycling plant of its kind at JW Aluminium in the US in 2019, establishing the brand as a global leader in Aluminium casthouse equipment. Among its many achievements, Mechatherm has won the Queen’s Award for Export on three occasions. The company’s commitment to sustainability has also been a driving force behind its success. Mechatherm has developed innovative solutions to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation in the aluminum recycling process. The culmination of this work will see Mechatherm convert the world’s first Aluminium melting furnace for production use in 2024.
Mechatherm Chairman, Andrew Riley - “Mechatherm has come a long way in the last 50 years from my father’s back bedroom in Epsom, where it all began, to
a multinational, award winning, company with its own premises. My Father would be very proud of what everyone has achieved now and will achieve going forward, as am I. The future is bright!” Mechatherm Director, Chris Emes “I have incredible pride at working for, then running Mechatherm for over 40 years, and now as Mechatherm rise from the ashes of COVID, returning to assist in what has been a record-breaking year in sales.” To mark this momentous occasion, Mechatherm will be hosting a series of events throughout the year, including a gala dinner and our largest show stand in the US to date at Aluminium USA in October. To request further information please contact Terri-ann Bethell. � Contact
www.mechatherm.com
Aluminium International Today
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34 FURNACE TECHNOLOGY
Getting to the true core of the matter!
By Dr Steve Offley*
Thru-process temperature monitoring of aluminium slabs and ingots in continuous pusher furnace heat treat processes prior to rolling operations. Introduction: Aluminium Flat Rolled Product Market In today’s manufacturing market, aluminium, being lighter, safer and more sustainable, is increasingly becoming the material of choice. A key player in this market is aluminium flat rolled products. These include sheet, plate and foil. The market size is estimated to be worth USD 114240 million in 2023 with a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period 20232030. Aluminium flat rolled products are usually manufactured by rolling thick aluminium (slabs, ingots or billets) between rolls that reduce the thickness. Aluminium rolling can be performed cold (cold working), where the rolling process hardens and strengthens the material
through changing the micro-structure, but this may leave the final product brittle. Hot rolling in contrast requires heating of the stock material (hot working) between 260 and 550°C (500 and 1022°F) before being processed through roller mills of decreasing thickness applying force to the top and bottom of the slab. Hot rolling prevents most, or all work hardening and allows the aluminium to remain ductile. The classification of the final rolled product is determined by thickness plate (<0.25 inches / 6.3 mm), sheet (0.008 inches / 0.2 mm to 0.25 inches / 6.3 mm) or foil (< 0.008 inches 0.2 mm). Aluminium Slab/Ingot Reheat Processing Control In the hot working of aluminium stock,
the initial cast slab is passed through continuous pusher furnaces to reheat and homogenise at temperatures up to typically 550°C (1022°F). The actual set-point temperature and soak time employed in the process is obviously influenced by the stock characteristics including type of alloy and the physical dimensions of the slab, thickness, and overall thermal mass. Although modern furnaces incorporate sophisticated temperature control methods, often based on intelligent mathematical models, the success of the heat treat programs requires independent validation. The process engineer needs to understand how the furnace program characteristics, unique to each furnace (temperature and time) effect the temperature of the aluminium
*Product Marketing Manager, PhoenixTM Ltd. September/October 2023
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FURNACE TECHNOLOGY 35
Fig 1. PhoenixTM PTM1220 20 Channel high temperature data logger shown in data logger barrier tray with IP67 thermocouple compression fittings ideal if water spray quenches are employed
Fig 2. Aluminium slab thermal barrier showing (1 & 2) dual data logger tray within water tank and (3) filler and exhaust pipes and (4) slab mounting points
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2
Fig 3. PhoenixTM System embedded in aluminium slab/Ingot (1) - stainless steel cover to protect from high velocity air flow in furnace (2)
slab throughout the complete production heat treatment cycle (passage through the furnace) at different locations within the slab structure (length, width, and depth). Other techniques used for product temperature measurement in process, including furnace contact thermocouples and IR temperature measurement (spot, scanner, or camera) limit temperature to the slab surface and often are restricted to one face of the slab only. To achieve efficient hot rolling, it is critical the correct slab drop out temperature is achieved through the entire slab core. Validation of Furnace Control Programs – Slab Temperature Profiling Challenge To validate the performance of the heat treat process, a temperature profile of the slab temperature at different locations within the slab through the heat treat furnace is needed. Historically the temperature profile was achieved using the method of trailing thermocouples. An external data logger would collect Aluminium International Today
temperature data from thermocouples attached to the slab fed through the furnace during the slab transfer. This measurement approach is not ideal for the following reasons; � The number of temperature measurement points is limited due to cost and the difficulty of manoeuvring multiple long thermocouples through the furnace � Due to thermocouples trailing into the furnace it is often not possible to charge slabs behind the test piece, meaning that the trial is carried out in a furnace that is not fully loaded. Temperature data is not therefore an accurate representation of true production conditions. � Opening and closing of furnace doors may inhibit the use of long thermocouples. � In the pusher furnace the slab is rotated 90 ° at entry and exit from furnace which creates damage or disconnection risks to the fitted trailing thermocouples. To eliminate the inherent problems of the trailing thermocouple approach,
the alternative method of thru-process temperature profiling is recommended. As its name suggests the measurement system (data logger) passes through the process attached to the test slab during normal production conditions, measuring the temperature of the test slab using short thermocouples at up to 20 critical points. The data logger is protected from the heat of the furnace by a highly efficient thermal barrier which keeps it at a safe operating temperature. As the monitoring system is self-contained within the test slab, the system is free to travel safely through the furnace without any of the inherent challenges of long trailing thermocouples as part of the standard production cycle within a fully loaded furnace. Thru-process Temperature profiling system design PhoenixTM Data logger Range At the heart of the monitoring system is the data logger designed specifically for use in the hostile heat treat environment. Data loggers can be provided in a Highlights 2023
36 FURNACE TECHNOLOGY
Fig 4. PhoenixTM System schematic showing exploded thermal barrier configuration with slab mounting frame (1) Thermal barrier photo positioned on frame (2) Thermal barrier with fitted protective high velocity air cover.
variety of configurations to suit the specific demands of the process being monitored. Models ranging from 6 to 20 channels can be provided with a variety of thermocouple options (types K, N, R, S, B) to suit measurement temperature and accuracy demands (AMS2750 & CQI-9). The loggers can be offered in either standard <80°C (176°F) or high temperature operating temperatures
(Barrier Core Temperature <110°C (230°F) variants to allow use of either standard thermal barrier designs (Dual Phase - Heat Sink) or high performance (Phased Evaporation – Water Tank) as recommended for use in the demanding aluminium reheat pusher furnace monitoring application. Although thermally protected by the thermal barrier, the operating temperature
1
1
of the data logger during transfer through the furnace will increase up to the safe maximum operating conditions (100°C (212°F) in evaporative water barrier). The data logger temperature change, which would normally affect the thermocouple reading, is automatically compensated for using an accurate internal temperature compensation feature protecting the measurement accuracy in process. Built to cope with hostile industrial environments the IP67 logger is capable of managing even the most demanding processes where water spray quenching may be necessary. Provided with Bluetooth wireless connection for short range localised download and reset (direct from within the barrier) the logger memory of 3.8M allows even the longest slab reheat processes (20 hours) to be measured with highest resolution to deliver the detail you need. An optional unique 2-way telemetry package offers live real time logger control and process monitoring with the benefits detailed in the later following section. Fig 1 and 7.
Fig 5. Left and right. Test Slab with installed monitoring system being loaded into the furnace (1) and schematic showing rotation steps (2).
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Fig 6. Test Slab with thermocouple channels routing MI thermocouple cable to point of measurement at the desired depth (channel 1-8).
Highlights 2023
Aluminium International Today
FURNACE TECHNOLOGY 37
Fig 7. Left and right. Installed system on slab showing (1) RF telemetry Antenna and (2) portable RF repeater unit transferring live temperature data direct from furnace back to (3) RF coordinator linked to the monitoring PC
Thermal Barrier Design Heat treating a 30 tonne 600 mm / 24 inch thick aluminium slab requires significant heat to achieve homogeneity. Processes are typically therefore up to 20 hours at 500°C / 932°F and as such the thermal barrier used to protect the data logger needs to be very efficient but at the same time be compact enough to allow safe installation within the slab. For such process the recommended thermal barrier design is based on a dual phased evaporation technology. The high temperature data logger operating safely at temperatures up to 110°C / 230°F is housed within the dry cavity of a water tank. Data logger sealing options within the thermal barrier are available including IP67 compression fittings, recommended if water spray quench steps are employed in process (Fig 1). During transfer through the furnace, the water heats up to its boiling point at 100°C / 212°F and then maintains the temperature as water phase changes from liquid to gas (steam). The rate by which the water temperature in the tank rises is further controlled by an outer skin of microporous insulation, which helps reduce rapid temperature changes and associated risk of distortion problems for the thermal barrier structure. The exact thermal barrier protection is governed by the capacity of the water tank. When specifying the correct thermal barrier design often there is a fine balance between maximising the size of the water tank and volume of water available to the outer dimensions of the thermal barrier suiting the size of the slab being monitored. A feature of the pusher furnace design is that the slab is rotated at the entrance and exit of the furnace to maximise loading capacity. The rotation of the slab (Fig 5) and therefore also thermal barrier could create problems with water loss and deterioration in thermal capacity. The water tank construction is designed therefore in a unique way to orientate Aluminium International Today
Fig 8: Temperature profile graph showing the temperature variations within the aluminium slab core over the entire heat treat process. Soak times at critical temperatures can be accurately calculated to ensure that drop out temperatures and rolling operations are performed correctly.
water filler and steam exhaust pipes to minimise water loss during any rotation step. Fitting the monitoring system to the test slab Generally, a test slab is prepared by machining a portion out to accept the monitoring system with the thermal barrier often positioned centrally and in a position where it will not impede any equipment used to load / unload the slab (Fig 3). Bolts securing the thermal barrier to the slab should be of a sufficient depth and diameter to ensure they don’t break away from the hot aluminium as the slab rotates at the furnace exit. The assembled monitoring system fitted within the slab cavity is covered with an external metal shield (Fig 3). The shield has two purposes to firstly protect the thermal barrier from high levels of heat transfer from high velocity hot air convection and maintain air flow patterns over the slab itself to maintain normal production heating conditions.
Thermocouple Placement Temperatures within the slab are measured from the tip of the mineral insulated thermocouple as shown in figure 6. To position the tip at the exact location / depth within the slab pilot holes need to be drilled in the slab. Depending on the type and diameter of thermocouple to be used, aluminium bushes may need to be used as guides. If a small diameter thermocouple is used, for example a 1.5mm 1/16 inch diameter mineral insulated type, then it would be impractical to drill a small hole say 300mm / 11.8 inches deep to the measuring point. In this case a large diameter hole can be drilled, and bushes used. It is essential that the thermocouples are firmly secured to the slab as they travel from the data logger to the measuring point. Often the thermocouples are channelled along groves in the slab surface so that the cables are confined within the slab eliminating snagging risks in the furnace, or on charging / discharging the equipment. Highlights 2023
38 FURNACE TECHNOLOGY
Real Time Communication Conventionally profile data collected during the test is downloaded to a PC running analysis software post run. Alternatively, it is possible to collect data in real time live utilising an RF telemetry option. The data logger is available with a unique 2-way RF system option allowing live monitoring of temperatures as the system travels with the product through the furnace. Furthermore, if necessary using the RF system it is possible to communicate with the logger, installed in the barrier, to reset/download at any point pre, during and post-run. Provided with a high performance ‘Lwmesh’ networking protocol, the RF signal can be transmitted through a series of routers linked back to the main coordinator connected to the monitoring PC (Fig 7). The routers being wirelessly connected are located at convenient points in the process to capture all live data without any inconvenience of routing communication cables as needed on other commercial RF systems. The operator from the convenience and comfort of his control room / office can see what is happening in the process live. For a 20 hour slab reheat
process, such live data gives the operator confidence that process is working in real time, without that nervous wait with a non-RF system to download from the logger at the end of the run. In many processes, there will be locations where it is physically impossible to get a RF signal out of the furnace. With conventional systems this results in process data gaps. For the PhoenixTM system this is prevented using a unique fully automatic ‘catch up’ feature. Any data that is missed will be sent when the RF signal is re-established ensuring in most applications 100% in-process data review. Handling the Data The result of the thru-process monitoring step is the invaluable temperature profile graph (Fig 8). The profile graph represents a thermal fingerprint of what temperatures the aluminium slab achieved through the process at the selected locations over the slab foot print and at specified depths within its core. The profile data can be interrogated in detail to fully understand the heat treat operation at the critical product level and be used to control, optimise and
validate the furnace operation. Such data is essential to accurately set-up and verify mathematical model predictions used to control the furnace operation and ensure that the process is run efficiently to save energy, improve productivity and reduce carbon emissions. Conclusion Thru-process product temperature profiling is an accurate and efficient method to measure aluminium slab internal core temperatures in pusher furnaces prior to hot rolling operations. Product temperature information gleaned helps to ensure that the correct thermal balance is achieved efficiently throughout the product thickness. Non-homogeneous temperature conditions can be prevented that would potentially cause variation in downstream processing and compromised final product quality, ultimately leading to energy wastage, higher costs, and rejections. �
Contact: www.phoenixtm.com
MAY 2024 | ISTANBUL | TURKEY
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Aluminium International Today
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