Aluminium International Today January February 2017

INDUSTRY NEWS

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CONTENTS 1

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Volume 30 No. 1 – January/February 2017 Editorial Editor: Nadine Bloxsome Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855115 nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

COVER INDUSTRY NEWS

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

CASTHOUSE TECHNOLOGY

2

LEADER

2

NEWS

6

PROJECTS & PRODUCTS

RECYCLING SUPPLEMENT

Consulting Editor: Tim Smith PhD, CEng, MIM Production Editor: Annie Baker

www.aluminiumtoday.com January/February 2017—Vol.30 No.1

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

Sales Sales Manager: Anne Considine anneconsidine@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0)1737 855139

UPDATES

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Advertisement Production Production Executive: Martin Lawrence Managing Director: Steve Diprose Chief Executive Officer: Paul Michael

CHINA - 2017 Outlook

10

USA - Aluminium’s 3D printing potential

14

EUROPE - Making recycling a reality

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AEROBAL - The whole package

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Sorting technology January/February 2017

17/01/2017 11:13:24

2 COMMENT

TOP STORY

Aluminium organisations sign MOU

Welcome to 2017!

Last year ended on a high at the ALUMINIUM show in Germany.

The message across the industry was summed up nicely by Christian Wellner, managing member of the executive committee of the German Confederation of the Aluminium Industry: “Light but also hard, corrosion-resistant and easy to recycle; these are the four properties that promise such a bright future for ‘white gold’. Whether it’s in the automotive industry, aeronautics or construction, global megatrends are the forces that drive expanding demand for aluminium.”

While the future looks positive, companies at the event spoke of high trade barriers, access to markets and raw materials as the biggest challenges.

It will be interesting to watch this year unfold and we will be there along the way; reporting the latest industry news and providing you with the up-todate technological advances and developments in aluminium production and processing.

I am always on the lookout for new contributors to both the print and digital editions.

Many authors from the industry have commented on the interest their articles have generated and we are always looking to interview industry professionals and make site visits.

Please get in touch if you are interested in giving your company more coverage or you have something you want to tell the industry.

I hope you enjoy this issue and wish you all the best for the year ahead. nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com January/February 2017

Nadine jan feb.indd 1

The International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the global association of aluminium producers, and the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), a multi-stakeholder organisation with the mission to foster responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium, have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in their respective efforts to support continuous improvement in the performance of the global aluminium industry and the sustainable use and recycling of its products.

The five-year MoU, signed by ASI Chief Executive Officer, Fiona Solomon, and IAI Secretary General, Ron Knapp, brings the two organisations together to share measurement, reporting and verification frameworks and selected industry data on greenhouse gas emissions, water and energy

use, waste and risk management, among other issues.

The collaboration is expected to enhance efficiencies for both organisations and their respective members by supporting common approaches and pooling collective experience and knowledge.

The Chair of the IAI Board of Directors, Hilde Aasheim (pictured) underlined the importance of the MoU to the Institute’s membership, saying: “As demand continues to grow for lightweight, strong, safe and energy efficient aluminium products, customers in a number of markets are increasingly demanding certified assurances of those products’ sustainability claims, in addition to sector-wide performance data.

“The MoU between IAI and ASI will enable the development of globally applicable standards for measuring and verifying sustainability performance, including greenhouse gas emissions, along the supply chain, by drawing on the four decades of industry experience and data that the IAI and its members have amassed.”

Hilde Aasheim

2017 DIARY February/March 2017 07 - 08 14th International Aluminium Recycling Congress* The congress will focus on market trends and technology applications in the field of aluminium recycling and circular economy. www.alueuroperecyclingcongress. eu

26 - 02 TMS* The meeting that the global minerals, metals, and materials community calls home. www.tms.org

April 25 - 27 7th International Conference on Electrodes for Primary Aluminium Smelters* As before, the conference topic will include both anodes and cathodes. Held in Iceland. www.rodding-conference.is

May 15-17 Aluminium Middle East*

World. Held in Chicago, USA. www.harboraluminumsummit. com

Held in Dubai, the event will highlight the Middle East’s future role as the world’s powerhouse in aluminium production. www.aluminium-middleeast.com

20 - 24 Aluminum Two ThousandICEB*

23 - 24 Aluminium Valley in Business Located in the heart of the Aluminium Valley; Quebec, Canada. www.valuminium.ca

June 5-8 Litmash and Metallurgy*

Held in Verona, Italy. www.aluminium2000.com

METEF* 21 - 24 Expo of customised technology for the aluminium and innovative metals industry.

Held in Verona, Italy. www.metef.com

Held in Moscow, Russia. www.tube-russia.com

July 19-21 Aluminium China*

6-8 HARBOR’S 10th Aluminium Outlook Summit*

Asia’s professional aluminium industry platform, annually held in Shanghai. www.aluminiumchina.com

The largest and most strategic aluminium market gathering in the

*Pick up a free copy of Aluminium International Today at this event For a full listing visit www.aluminiumtoday.com and click on Events Diary

For up-to-date news & views www.aluminiumtoday.com Aluminium International Today

17/01/2017 08:26:39

INDUSTRY NEWS 3

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APPOINTMENTS Norsk Hydro Board

EGA bauxite shipment ity at Port Kamsar to allow shipping of bauxite in Capesize and Newcastlemax vessels, which are substantially larger than current shipping options from the Guinean port. The use of larger vessels will make shipping to distant markets less expensive and Guinean bauxite more competitive.

The first bauxite bulk sample shipment from Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA) mine under development in the Republic of Guinea has left from the port of Kamsar, bound for bauxite customers in China.

The shipment of 55,000 tonnes is an important milestone in EGA’s

programme to unlock Chinese and other markets for Guinean bauxite.

With construction now fully underway, commercial production of bauxite is set to begin in 2018 and ramp up to 12 million tonnes of bauxite per annum.

As part of the project, EGA is developing additional port capac-

Alcoa to close Suralco

UC Rusal: RA-550 cell

Alcoa Corporation has announced that it intends to permanently close the Suralco alumina refinery and bauxite mines in Suriname, which have been fully curtailed since November 2015.

The Government of the Republic of Suriname and Alcoa continue to develop definitive agreements concerning Suralco’s remaining activities in the country and the future of the bauxite industry in Suriname. Pending completion of those agreements, Alcoa will continue to operate the Afobaka hydroelectric facility, which supplied power to the Suralco operations.

Alumina supply contract

Noranda Alumina has secured a long term agreement with the Century Aluminum to supply smelters in Hawesville and Sebree, Kentucky with smelter grade alumina.

The alumina refining and Jamaican bauxite mining assets of Noranda were acquired by DADA Holdings in the late 2016.

The new contract will cover the total alumina requirement of the Century smelters.

Aluminium International Today

Nadine jan feb.indd 2

UC Rusal has announced the launch of the first RA-550 pot of new generation running at over 550 kA at the Sayanogorsk aluminium smelter as part of a USD 28 mln project.

The key benefit of the new pots is their energy efficiency. A RA-550 cell consumes around 12 kW*h/kg of aluminium, which is 10-15% less than previous generations.

According to design documents, one pot will produce 4.21 tonnes of aluminium per day, which is about twice as much as the daily output of a RA-300 pot currently used at SAZ.

Rusal has plans to use RA-550 for the modernisation of current facilities as well as for new smelters’ construction in the future. Design and technical improvements made RA-550 lighter, more compact and more environmentally efficient. In particular, the exhaust gas treatment efficiency will reach 99%, and pot tending will be automated wherever possible.

It was planned for four more RA-550 pots to be started up in the pilot area at SAZ before the end of 2016, followed by three pots in 2017.

Silvio Porto is appointed new Executive Vice President Bauxite and Alumina, and member of Hydro’s Corporate Management Board. The change is effective as of December 13, 2016.

Silvio Porto comes from the position as Chief Operational Officer (COO) in Bauxite and Alumina. He joined Hydro in 2014, when he was appointed plant manager for Hydro Paragominas bauxite mine.

Alcoa appointment

Alcoa has announced that Molly Beerman has been named Vice President and Controller of the company, and she will serve as principal accounting officer.

Ms. Beerman succeeds Robert Collins who has been Controller since 2013 and will be taking a role outside of the company.

JW Aluminum joins the Aluminum Association JW joins the Association at a time of continued domestic demand growth for aluminum. According to the recently released Aluminum Statistical Review, demand for aluminum totaled 25.7 billion pounds through the end of 2015 – its highest level since 2007.

January/February 2017

17/01/2017 08:26:45

4 INDUSTRY NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF Tiwai Point update

According to reports, Tiwai Point smelter is unlikely to close despite the shut-down clause.

Once the company’s results for 2016 are released in the next few months, it may give a clear indication of its future. However, it is almost certain that the plant is not going to shut down in the short to medium term.

Lochaber sale agreed

Rio Tinto has reached an agreement to sell its assets at Lochaber, Scotland to SIMEC for consideration totalling $410 million (£330 million).

The sale purchase agreement comprises the sale of Rio Tinto’s 100% shareholding in Alcan Aluminium UK Limited which includes the operating smelter, the hydroelectric facilities at Kinlochleven and Lochaber as well as all associated land.

Alba wins Green Award Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) is the proud Gold Winner of the Green World Award 2016 for Environmental Best Practice.

The award endorses the company’s long-standing commitment towards protecting the environment not only at the local level but also at the regional and international levels.

LME volumes drop 7.7% Turnover last year fell to 156.5 million lots, equivalent to $10.3 trillion and 3.5 billion tonnes of material, which the exchange attributed to difficult market conditions.

January/February 2017

Nadine jan feb.indd 3

Auto line starts rolling The new large facility at the aluminium company Hydro´s plant in Grevenbroich, Germany, got started recently: Hydro is producing first coils for customers at automotive line 3 (AL 3).

This follows weeks of trials on how the new machines for EDT rolling, continuous annealing and coating of high-end car body sheet are working as such and as joint operations. Now first orders have been produced and shipped to automotive suppliers.

Furthermore, first strip from AL 3 were sent to car makers in order to qualify products from the new facility.

“To get this challenging, innovative installation going on time and within its planned cost, is quite a strong accomplishment. Kudos and cordial thanks to the team, with our engineers, specialists and scientists, not least the partners for construction and technology,” lauded Pascal Wagner, Senior Vice President of the Global Products Business Unit.

Some 18 months after laying the foundation stone for the € 130 million project, this highest single investment of Hydro in Germany is coming not a second too early: The automotive industry asks for more car body material from

Grevenbroich. With it, thanks to aluminium light-weighting, passenger car fleets can substantially lower their weight, reduce specific need for fuel and consequently their emissions.

Wagner: “Only will we celebrate AL 3, when this plant will provide premium quality to our customers in a regular routine rhythm in 2017. Until then we focus on ramping up AL 3 and finish its numerous qualifications at customers successfully.” To car body construction, Hydro, foremost based on AL 3, is offering several promising advantages in processes and products.

3D Printing collaboration Arconic has entered into two agreements to supply Airbus 3D printed metal parts for the airplane maker’s commercial aircraft.

Arconic will supply 3D printed components made from high temperature nickel superalloys, and 3D printed titanium airframe parts under two separate agreements.

Arconic will supply 3D printed ducting components made of

high-temperature nickel superalloys for the A320 family of aircraft.

Advanced nickel superalloys offer

superior heat resistance for these components, which flow hot air from the aero engine to other parts of the airframe.

Under a second deal, Arconic will supply 3D printed titanium airframe brackets, also for the A320 platform. Arconic expects to deliver the first parts under both agreements in the second quarter of 2017.

Beverage can market to grow According to a recently published market research report by Grand View Research Inc., the global beverage cans market size is expected to reach USD 60.92 billion by 2024. The growth is driven mostly by increasing demand for compact beverage packaging solutions worldwide.

Over the forecast period, demand for energy drinks, canned

cold coffee and iced tea in Europe and Latin America are expected to grow significantly driving

the beverage can market boom.

Consumption of canned beverages gets a major boost during big sports tournaments like Major League Baseball, Barclays Premier League and La Liga because of handling convenience. This is expected to propel the demand for aluminium beverage cans in these countries causing an export boom from the can producing countries.

Aluminium International Today

17/01/2017 08:26:49

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6 PROJECTS & PRODUCTS

www.aluminiumtoday.com

The aluminium industry is constantly embarking on new projects and developing new products. In this new regular feature, Aluminium International Today presents the latest announcements in these areas. If you’d like the opportunity to be considered for publication, please contact nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

New PhoenixTM data logger Alcoa introduces SUSTANA™ product line Alcoa Corporation has launched SUSTANA™, a new aluminium product line produced with low carbon emissions and recycled content that is well-positioned to meet customer demand for sustainable aluminium products.

The SUSTANA™ family includes two key products: � ECOLUM™ – A full range of cast products that are among the least carbon-intensive products available today, yielding a 75% lower carbon impact than the industry average.

These products are produced at hydro-powered smelters that generate less than 2.5 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide per MT of aluminum. Alcoa provides certificates of origin that enable customers to verify the sustainability benefits when reporting on their own operations. � ECODURA™ – Aluminium billets made from recycled content, ideal for customers seeking low-carbon materials for their products. Available in a variety of alloys and sizes, these products are made with a minimum of 50% recycled content and use up to 95% less energy to manufacture when compared to products with no recycled material. They also contribute to LEED and BREEAM certifications for sustainable building projects.

‘In process’ temperature monitoring refers to the technology of sending a thermally protected data logger through a furnace, together with the products being heat treated to obtain true temperature data.

In this field, increased industry requirements

specifically in furnace surveying and temperature profiling, have led to the development of a new range of data loggers from PhoenixTM. For more information visit www.phoenixtm. com or email sales@phoenixtm.com

Magnetek’s Spectrum Analysis Service optimises radio communication This service optimises radio communication by analysing the signal traffic present in the industrial workplace in order to reduce radio frequency interference. Signal traffic is a growing problem in the industrial workplace given the presence of modern control panels, wireless networks,

bar code readers, and two-way communication devices. With Magnetek’s Spectrum Analysis Service, radio dropouts can be alleviated, avoiding costly troubleshooting, and new radio controls can be installed faster and more smoothly. www.magnetekmh.com

HAVER ENGINEERING uses EIRICH mixing technology for a preliminary stage in coal dust pelletization Enormous amounts of coal dust are generated worldwide. HAVER ENGINEERING GmbH recently presented new research on coal dust agglomeration carried out jointly with the Institute of Mineral Processing Machines at TU Bergakademie

Freiberg. Pelletization produces granules that are easy to dose, opening up completely new markets for their use. An EIRICH mixer was used for the production of the pellet feed. www.eirich.com

Granco Clark contract Aisin Light Metals of Marion IL., has selected Granco Clark to supply a Billet De-Stacker, Billet Hot-Jet Furnace, Transveyor, Taper Quench and SCS Extrude that will provide them the efficiency they come to know from Granco Clark equipment.

The Billet De-Stacker transfers cut billets, overhead, from the jig to the furnace pusher. Once to peak temperature from the Hot-Jet Furnace, the billets will then move to the Taper Quench which provides a uniform billet quench and/or a longitudinal tape cooling in billets prior to the extrusion process.

Granco Clark’s SCS Extrude software provides powerful diagnostics with system diagrams, step-by-step troubleshooting instructions and graphics, die file set-up standards, and automated set up of the PLC controls with information from the die file.

January/February 2017

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New, high-speed edge-trimming line for aluminium in full production at Henan Zhongfu Supplied by Danieli Fröhling and installed at the Gongyi plant, Henan province, the new line runs at 1500m/min.

The high-speed trimming line supplied to Henan Zhongfu is in full production, processing 250,000 metric tons per year of aluminium strip. The strip thickness of the main product is

0.1-0.8mm, with widths in the range of 9002.150mm, for a maximum coil weight of 30 tons.

The line’s maximum strip-cutting speed is 1,500 m/min, producing primarily alloys of series 1xx.x, 3xx.x, 5xx.x, and 8xx.x. www.danieli.com Aluminium International Today

17/01/2017 08:31:36

ALUMINIUM Materials handling andɅliftingɅsystems

Storage systems

Centrifugal blowers

Ship loaders/unloaders

Bath and carbon recycling plant systems

Dense/solid phase and other conveyingǾsystems Potfeed e.g. HyperDense Phase SystemsǾ(HDPSTM) Dosing devices

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Pot process control systems Electrolysis handling equipment Carbon: rodding and anode handlingǾsystems; baking furnace liftingǾsolutions

2016-08-23 14:04

8 CHINA UPDATE

2017 Outlook In 2016, the aluminium industry performed well and exceeded industry predictions. Even during Q4, the industry’s low season, the price of aluminium has remained strong.

New transportation policies banning overloaded long-haul transport resulted in a low inventory in China’s physical market, as metal has been log-jammed at shipping points. This played a major role in buoying Q4 prices. Finally, the increasing supply of liquid aluminium created an artificial shortage in the aluminium inventory, creating a positive market sentiment that raised prices further.

Based on our analysis, we predict the 2017 output will remain strong with increased restarts and new capacity volume. We expect eight smelters will be introduced with around 2.2 million tonnes of new capacity. Based on estimations of the past five years, 2017 production volume will be around 33.8 million tonnes with 5% growth compared to 2016.

The demand for aluminium will remain strong from infrastructure investment in China. Based on the 13th Five-Year Plan, we have a positive outlook on continued investment in infrastructure. As the second largest economy in the world, China’s aluminium industry has enormous development opportunities. Compared to 2016, we may see aluminium consumption decline in the housing construction industry because of policy restrictions on the real estate industry. However, we expect a boost in aluminium consumption in infrastructure and auto industries. Since aluminium packaging is expensive in China, consumption will remain modest in this sector. We predict demand for aluminium will resemble 2016’s growth of 5.5% with 33.4 million tonnes.

Even at the beginning of Q4 in 2016, we have seen increased capacity from restarts and new output. From our analysis of demand and supply in 2017, we see China’s oversupply issue continuing. If the balance between supply and demand breaks and creates a large surplus, the aluminium price will plummet. We may even see the aluminium future active

price drop as low as RMB 11500 in Q1 2017. The problem is, that price won’t be enough to force capacity out of the market, and by the middle of the year, the price could drop to as low as RMB 10,000.

As soon as local demand cannot consume the excess supply, the metal will be shipped overseas. Primary metal exports might remain modest, but the semi-export might rise once a surplus hits China. To complicate matters further, the excess capacity in downstream industries such as rolling mills and extrusion presses is likely to remain, and these factories will look for export opportunities if domestic demand is not strong enough.

As we all know, China’s bauxite is low quality. Bauxite imports will continue to increase steadily in China. Australia, Guinea, and Malaysia will remain the major suppliers. Bauxite from Guinea will increase drastically in 2017. India and Brazil will remain the major substitute suppliers for China.

The price of domestic alumina will follow aluminium prices. We expect the domestic price will remain between RMB 1750 to RMB 2600 in 2017. There are only a few smelters in Shandong using imported alumina. Big suppliers, such as Weiqiao, have already built their own alumina refineries in Indonesia. Currently, Weiqiao alumina is reserved for self-use.

They plan to sell it to other smelters as soon as they solve the bulk transport issue. JISCO invested two billion USD to purchase Alpart in Jamaica. The output may be exported to China at the end of 2017. Alumina imports will increase slightly.

Environmental inspections are clearly becoming a serious issue in the latter part of 2016. In our estimation, environmental controls will be stricter in the upcoming year. Rigid environmental controls will increase the production cost for the upstream and middle stream by

heightening environmental system costs.

This will not impact the big smelters, who already have advanced environmental systems, but it will influence small smelters who are unable to afford upgraded equipment. They will have to face hefty fines or shut down. This is possibly the only major challenge to the over-supply situation facing China’s aluminium industry. The current war of words between the USA and China on excess capacity is getting nowhere, and the only likely change to that impasse will come from the new US president and his policies.

The prices of coal and alumina have rallied since Q3 2016. It increased the cash cost for aluminium to around RMB 12500. In early Q1 2017, the price of coal will remain strong due to the cold weather in China. The alumina price, following the aluminium price trend, will decline in Q1.

Overall, the production cost will lessen in 2017 because the current cash cost is modest.

Debt management will remain a major problem for the aluminium industry in China. Based on our research, some small smelters were hard-pressed to acquire bank loans in 2016. Many smelters are unable to restart due to financial reasons, even when aluminium prices were high in 2016. Xinjiang Jiarun wanted to restart for three quarters, but were unable to do so due to their debt problem. Because small smelters are good quality assets, bigger smelters may merge with them as soon as the price of aluminium drops.

Overall, the aluminium industry will present parallel development trends for both demand and supply in China in 2017, maintaining the present imbalance. China looks set to produce more metal than it will consume, and the only challenges to that imbalance appear to be the increasing focus on environmental compliance and the ongoing debt problems. �

*Kathy Liu, AZ China January/February 2017

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Aluminium International Today

16/01/2017 09:51:38

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10 USA UPDATE

While more attention has been paid to certain higher cost, harder to work with nonferrous metals, the use of aluminium in additive manufacturing, including for certain commercial applications, is also growing.

Aluminium is a lightweight metal, which offers excellent thermal properties.

It has great potential for 3D printing in aerospace and certain other end use markets, especially for certain complex geometries that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing processes.

Given certain work by his company and others to develop new aluminium powders that are being optimised for 3D printing, which could allow companies to achieve enhanced microstructures and properties, Rod Heiple, director of engineered products and solutions research and development at New Yorkbased Arconic Inc., pointed out: “Taken together, these factors open the door for highly optimised 3D printed parts that offer enhanced properties, lighter weight and improved cost structure.”

Currently, according to Richard Grylls, technical director of SLM Solutions NA, about a quarter of 3D printers regularly run aluminium. “I believe that at least over the next few years the proportion will remain approximately the same, but with a lot more machines being used.”

He predicts about 50% per year growth of the overall additive manufacturing market over the next five years.

In fact, according to Joshua Pearce, head of the Open Sustainability Technology Laboratory at Michigan Technology University, more or less all major aluminium producers and OEMs in a number of aluminium consuming end markets are at least looking at additive manufacturing if they aren’t already doing something in that space.

“It is moving from the stage of using aluminium for prototyping and some tooling and they are finally starting to manufacture some aluminium parts, components or assemblies using additive manufacturing.”

Grylls admits that this has surprised him given that aluminium casts easily, machines easily and forges easily,.

Aluminium 3D printing has actually become a very exciting market and one with potential for further growth, at least in applications that make sense.

“If you have a part that you could just put on a machine tool and easily machine, then you should do that,” Grylls says.

“But there are a lot of components where that might not be the case,” including some very complex parts. “While it might not be entirely true, it is said that with

Aluminium’s 3D printing potential

By Myra Pinkham* 3D printing complexity is free.”

While progress is being made, “It isn’t that aluminium is a great gift,” Pearce says. “It is one of the more challenging metals to be used in additive manufacturing,” but given the combination of it being low cost, low weight and high strength and that through the additive process engineers could be given greater flexibility as to the geometry of object to be 3D printed, he says it is something that OEMs are working hard to get a handle on.

While there are the obvious incentives, including the ability to achieve much nearer net shapes vs. subtractive machining methods and the ability to enhance product properties as you build the component layer by layer using either powder or wire depending upon the technology used, Jim Withers, chief executive officer at Materials and Electrochemicals Research (MER) Corp., says there are many factors that need to be considered, including the particular component, its size and what properties are important to the company. “But you can definitely get greater properties than through casting as well as less scrap generation,” he maintains.

John Wilcynski, deputy director for technology development at America Makes-National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, which was the first U.S. public-private partnership manufacturing innovation institute started by Obama in 2012, says that some companies have shied away from aluminium additive manufacturing, at least to date, because, in general, it is more difficult to print with than some other metals, including titanium and nickel alloys, due to certain problems with some components once they were printed. “It could be quite brittle and there have been some problems with microstructures and micro-cracks that could ultimately lead to

potential component failures,” he says.

He also says it is possible that the aluminium additive technologies that will likely go mainstream the quickest will not be powder based, but a hot wire-type technology using aluminium alloy wire in what is closer to a conventional welding process.

This, Pearce says, is the space that Michigan Tech’s laboratory, with the aid of America Makes funding, is playing in.

He differentiates these two major types of technologies as being “high church” vs. “low church,” with the high church consisting of laser printers costing anywhere between $500,000 and $1 million apiece using a powderbased laser sintering process. “The results are fantastic with vetted and validated

*US Correspondent January/February 2017

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USA UPDATE 11 5

Propeller for racing boats (scaled model) printed in aluminium to test air flow measurements

Moon rover wheel printed in AlSi10Mg

Aluminium International Today

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properties, so you really know what you will be getting,” he admits. But it is much more expensive than the “low church” wire technology.

One challenge aluminium has is that high-purity, finely divided powders are on the government’s watch list for bomb-making materials, Rogers notes. There are also safety considerations.

“Aluminium powder has had a bad reputation because of one of its principal uses is in fireworks,” Grylls says. But he says that has been addressed by printer design and by educating users about the risks and about the best ways to store, use and dispose of the aluminium powder.

“You could even need to install a blast proof roof in some cases,” Pearce says.

He says this is why it is harder for medium-to small-sized shops to do their own 3D printing, although many do farm it out to certain companies who specialise in doing additive manufacturing on such high-end printers on a job-shop basis.

Also, DeHoff, observes, many people view today’s powder bed systems, while accurate, as being somewhat slow.

Just how slow, however, varies greatly printer by printer. “But there are people doing large scale wire deposition, laying out as much as tens to hundreds of pounds of material per hour. They don’t necessarily get the same resolution but they lay down a lot more material.”

Pearce says that the printer under development at the Michigan Tech laboratory uses an off the shelf welding gun and an open source robotic platform based on a refractory printer used to print plastic parts and free software that allows the printer to be used in a noisy electrical environment. Expected to only cost $1,200 per printer, work continues to be underway to improve the resolution and certain physical properties of the parts being produced.

A lot of the success of aluminium additive manufacturing, whether high church or low church, however, could come down to what aluminium alloy is used, observes Kirk Rogers, technology leader for the General Electric Center for Additive Manufacturing Advancement, who explains that a lot of aluminium alloys are not amenable to welding. This is a problem given that that the 3D printing processes being used are essentially fancy welding processes. “Alloys not only need to have such desired properties as high temperature strength and good fatigue

resistance, but also be easily weldable to be successful in most additive manufacturing methodologies,” he explains.

Ryan DeHoff, group leader of the deposition science and technology group and the metals additive manufacturing lead at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, notes that the aluminium alloys that were adopted early in the additive manufacturing space included certain casting alloys, such as AlSi10Mg and AlSi12. “But the challenge with those alloys is that while they might meet a lot of material properties for some lower end applications, what a lot of companies are desiring in the additive space are alloys that have properties closer to those of 6000- and 7000-series alloys, which, while having much higher strength than a lot of casting grade materials, have been traditionally difficult to manufacture and get good properties using additive systems,” he says.

Heiple says that Arconic is in the process of developing closes of aluminium alloys specifically for 3D printing at its Arconic Technology Center (formerly known as the Alcoa Technology Center) in Pittsburgh, which he says are not possible to produce through traditional metal processing.

“These alloys are enabling improved strength and fatigue performance over current aluminium alloy options,” say Heiple, who maintains that Arconic has already achieved improvements in strength at elevated temperatures of up to 30% over existing commodity alloys.

Germany’s Airbus APWorks GmbH is “marching down the road” licensing its Scalmalloy alloy – a very stable precipitation hardened aluminium alloy that also contains magnesium and scandium, which was designed specifically for 3D printing.

While originally developed by its parent company, Airbus Group, as a sheet product, spokeswoman Angela Gruenewald says the company realised that the alloy, which while having almost the same density as conventional aluminium alloys used in 3D printing with almost as high specific strength as titanium, had even better mechanical properties in powder form.

Given that the alloy is not only high strength, but also has a high level of ductility, APWorks, which is currently at the cusp of going from prototyping to commercial production with its direct laser sintered additively manufactured products, uses Scalmalloy for parts for various end markets, including the aerospace, robotics and automotive sectors.

Rogers says acceptance of additive manufacturing varies industry by industry.

In aerospace, for example, it needs to January/February 2017

16/01/2017 09:55:10

12 USA UPDATE

www.aluminiumtoday.com

Additively manufactured aluminium engine block printed on the Concept Laser X-line system at the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

overcome certain regulatory requirements, while some other industries are more readily accepting, and even excited, about directly printing parts for low volume production applications.

“I don’t think the barrier is necessarily fear, but rather the current lack of standards in the relative industries,” Rogers says, although such groups as the Society of Automotive Engineers, ASM International and ISO are actively working on that. “While today there is just one standard in place, within a year there are expected to be four to five published standards on how to qualify additive manufacturing.”

Rogers says the biggest advantage of additive manufacturing is to be able to design a lighter weight design that isn’t producible by conventional means. “Also as you could achieve a more net shape, it is less wasteful.” He says a third advantage is the ability to consolidate several parts into one component.

“Direct replacement of conventionally produced parts with additive manufacturing is almost always more costly,” Rogers admits. However, by using 3D printing to produce a component that includes three or four previously cast parts plus the fasteners for those part, it could result in a more cost effective, lighter weight, higher performance component.

“Such parts, however, might look crazy, like something out of Star Trek,” Pearce says, given the design freedom that additive manufacturing gives engineers to make parts in the most optimal shape.

In automotive, 3D printing is already being used for prototyping of such engine parts as manifolds and turbochargers. “It is easy to prototype out of aluminium,” Grylls says. “With some other metals you often have to iterate to get the supports January/February 2017

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and shape exactly right, so you might have to build the part two or three times. But because aluminium is so easy to process, it often builds perfectly the first time.”

Aluminium is also starting to be used, especially by European OEMs, for certain commercially produced auto components, that have complex internal passages and shapes and, therefore, can’t be easily produced by traditional means, Grylls observes.

He admits that, at least at this time, they aren’t mass market parts, but components for high-end sport cars. However, he says over the next 10 years or so it could also be used for parts for high volume vehicles, but only in those specific applications where 3D printing offers a real value proposition. “If you could produce it by traditional means it will always be cheaper to do so.”

DeHoff says it is such concerns as material performance, cost and the ability to make extremely large numbers of components – all of which are challenges for additive manufacturing. “But I think that a lot of these challenges are being addressed and overcome in some shape or form from the additive manufacturing technology itself and that within the next 10 to 15 years additive manufacturing will become a much more mainstream manufacturing technology in the automotive industry.

“We are already finding some niches in automotive for aluminium additive manufacturing, much as we are seeing in aerospace,” Withers says. “This is particularly for components that require certain special properties including strength, fatigue and friction.

In aerospace it’s pretty clear that there is a lot of interest in some applications today in lightweight structures for very light weight, high performance mechanical

parts, structural parts of airplanes or of jet engines that don’t have to withstand high temperatures, Rogers says. “These kinds of things are in active research if not being nearly in production today.”

Already a number of satellites in orbit contain certain 3D printed parts, Grylls says, explaining that this makes sense given the low production volumes and the fact that weight is of such extreme importance.

As aluminium 3D printing catches on, it could dramatically change the supply chain, Rogers says, explaining that it could replace some of the need for physical inventories at warehousing locations with digital inventories either at the point of use or with distributors manufacturing parts additively on demand.

For the end user learning to work with additive could be a little more difficult than the learning curve for other processes, Wilcynski points out, noting that the parameters that need to be controlled are different, especially when they go from material to material. “There is quite a bit of work that needs to be done to transition from one material to another.

It could take upwards of a day to clean printers to be sure there isn’t any reaction between materials that could get into every nook and cranny. But equipment makers realise this and are beginning to develop systems to help to make the transition from material to material easier, he says.

Wilcynski says it could also be a big change for metals distributors, although he believes they will have time to make the necessary adjustments. “We are a long way from the point that companies will buy large quantities of powders and will keep it in silos to feed to the large volumes of 3D printers. For a long time there will be conventional processes that have to be married to the additive processes.”

“I think the future for aluminium additive manufacturing is very bright,” Rogers says. It will be helped both by lightweighting efforts by the aerospace and automotive markets, and possibly some other emerging uses as well. “There are opportunities for much more creative designs to enable things that we can’t even think of today as they can’t be produced by conventional means.”

Grylls agrees. “Going forward, 3D printers will be faster and easier to use, resulting in increased use both for prototyping and commercial applications,” he says.

“With higher speeds, therefore the ability to print higher volumes, component costs and touch labor will go down,” Withers says. “That could make aluminium additive manufacturing much more economical.” � Aluminium International Today

16/01/2017 09:55:11

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04.11.16 13:08

14 EUROPE UPDATE

www.aluminiumtoday.com

The UK will play host to the International Aluminium Recycling Congress on 7th – 8th February in Manchester.

Nadine Bloxsome* spoke ‘ to Magdalena Garczynska, Recycling Director, European Aluminium (pictured) to find out how the association is working to promote aluminium recycling across the industry.

Making recycling a reality Three years ago European Aluminium established itself as the single voice for the aluminium industry in Europe. The association enlarged its membership to recyclers previously represented by the Organisation of the European Aluminium Recycling industry (OEA), and consequently founded a new Recycling Department.

Driven by a range of large, small and medium-sized companies, many of them family-owned, the industry is one of the engines of Europe’s prosperity and offers a compelling vision of a circular economy.

By contributing to better policy-making and to improving the business environment for the aluminium recycling industry, European Aluminium provides members the possibility to relay their interests to policymakers and other influencers.

Q It has now been three years since aluminium remelters and refiners joined European Aluminium. What added value has this merger brought to the industry?

A. European Aluminium has a lot to offer to its members, first of all by promoting their interests. The mission of European Aluminium’s Recycling Division is threefold: to contribute to the sustainable

growth of Europe’s recycling industry; to enhance the reputation and visibility of aluminium recycling; and to contribute to the increase of scrap availability for the industry.

Secondly, European Aluminium now represents the whole value chain and is therefore uniquely positioned to speak on behalf of the industry. Our members are active in the production of primary aluminium, recycling, rolling and extrusion.

As the voice of the entire aluminium industry in Europe, empowered by the mandate of the whole membership, we have more weight when addressing critical issues.

Thirdly, members benefit from access to European recycling statistics and insight into relevant current and upcoming legislation.

European Aluminium continues its efforts to highlight the contribution aluminium recycling makes to the environment.

As an industry we are fully committed to the concept of the circular economy that is currently being discussed in the European Parliament and Member States.

Aluminium is a poster child for the circular economy: it can be recycled over and over without loss of its inherent properties.

Q. What are the priorities for the aluminium remelters and refiners at EU level?

A. Aluminium recycling production depends on the availability of aluminium scrap for remelting and refining. This is one of our biggest challenges.

As aluminium recycling production is on the rise due to growing demand, Europe should aim to allow efficient aluminium recycling by setting the right policies that ensure access to raw materials.

Over many years, thanks to clearly defined environmental, health and safety standards, we have built a suitable industry with high quality production processes. This progresses can only continue if an effective policy framework is put in place. That is why the circular economy is high on our agenda. In short: the circular economy is challenging the current losses of secondary raw materials in the European Union. Aluminium is lost both in waste streams and to other parts of the world.

Aluminium’s biggest asset is its recyclability. We need to continue our efforts in order to secure these precious resources for future generations. To make the circular economy work we need to

*Editor, Aluminium International Today January/February 2017

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5 EUROPE UPDATE 15

keep aluminium in the loop. Trade, energy and circular economy drive our industry’s competitiveness in Europe.

Q. What are the upcoming big milestones on recycling topics?

A. One of the upcoming milestones is certainly the International Aluminium Recycling Congress that is taking place in Manchester, UK on 7-8 February 2017. Delegates attending the Congress will have the opportunity to visit the Hydro Aluminium Deeside Ltd plant located in Wrexham, UK as well as Manchester City Etihad Stadium.

Furthermore, we expect the European Parliament and Member States to reach a compromise on the circular economy package.

We hope this will take place before the summer. Issues currently under discussion are: meeting equivalent health and safety standards while recycling European aluminium scrap in other parts of the world; inclusion of aluminium recovered from bottom ashes in the calculation of recycling rates; use of hazardous materials in the circular economy; and setting the calculation point for recycling targets as input into the final recycling process. Another point of attention is to avoid that ‘single use’ packaging will be discriminated to the benefit of refillable packaging, stressing the need for using LCA and concepts such as ‘Permanent Material’ and ‘multiple recycling’. Over the coming months we will actively continue to engage with legislators to ensure that these aspects are properly addressed in the next EU legislation.

Materials handling solutions for your industry

Q. What can we expect to learn at the Recycling Congress?

A. We will address the Circular Economy package at the event, as well as innovation and technological developments. Customers like Jaguar Land Rover and Nespresso will present examples of how they work with the aluminium recycling industry.

We intend to present the first results of the statistics we launched last year on the intake of scrap types.

We will also present results of effectiveness of end-of-life recycling based on a study performed in 2016. The objective of the study was to better understand of the recycling process of the end of life vehicles (ELV) and its development in recent years.

Q. When you look back on 2016, what stands out?

A. First of all, I am pleased that an agreement was reached with the European Commission in the discussion on lead classification limits. Along with other ferrous and non-ferrous industries, the aluminium recycling industry undertook intense dialogue with European authorities in order to agree on how to handle a proposal made by ECHA. The proposal, if implemented, could lead to limiting recycling in the EU. The responsible committee, consisting of representatives from all EU countries, voted unanimously in favour of the industry proposal in February 2016.

This is a great success.

Secondly, European Aluminium developed a classification manual for aluminium scrap types. We are proud of this tool as it is a first step towards the harmonisation of different classifications of scrap used in the industry. It includes images and refers to some international, national and industry classifications. The project includes periodic statistics on the intake of scrap types which will allow members to define the types of aluminium scrap used in the recycling industry in Europe.

Lastly, I would like to highlight that five new members joined European Aluminium in 2016, three of which are now part of the Recycling Division (Eural GNUTTI S.p.A., Prodigo Recykling Sp. z o.o., Kuusakoski Oy).

I am very pleased and honoured to welcome the new companies in our membership. �

• Improved storage utilisation • Safer product handling • Increased productivity • Indoor / Outdoor

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Aluminium International Today spoke to Stephan Oehme, Sales and Technology Director at Claudius Peters to find out what the company has in store for 2017.

1. How are things going at Claudius Peters?

Overall we have to say that CP is doing well. We are receiving orders from all over the world. However, the economy is under a certain pressure. Markets are not developing in a way everybody likes to see.

The prices for raw material are also under pressure and the global demand is still far away from what we had around 2008 or 2009. But we can see light at the end of the tunnel.

2. What are your views on the current state of the global aluminium industry?

The alumina industry is a good example of the global situation in raw material production. Since the prices for alumina are still on a low level, the investment climate is still waiting for better times.

The good thing is that we are seeing an increase in activity from our clients.

They are starting or restarting projects to increase productivity and efficiency.

we are keeping contact with all our friends and clients and looking for opportunities to show our capability.

4. How quickly has your company responded to ‘green politics’ in terms of helping to make the production process more environmentally friendly?

As usual Claudius Peters is standing for advanced technology and especially for the alumina industry we have developed in cooperation with the users of our equipment machinery and processes.

We have introduced the FLUIDCON pneumatic transport system with low energy consumption.

We have introduced our ASS, which stands for Anti-Segregation-System. This is a concept for large alumina storage silos, preventing the segregation of coarse and fine material and avoiding any trouble in the cells due to this disturbing phenomenon.

Another step in the improvement of smelter operation is the ADS. ADS is the new electrolysis cell feeding system. It is a Aerated Distribution System to distribute the alumina through the levels into the cells.

we have developed a vertical grinding mill system to grind coke for the productions of anodes in a way, which the quality of the anodes, the power consumption of the grinding process and the maintenance of the mill has improved significantly.

6. Are there any research and development projects in place?

We have one of the largest technical centres in the world in Buxtehude and it is always used to see where new ideas bring us. We are spending a lot of money on R&D every year and we are one of the few companies awarded with the certificate of “Innovativ durch Forschung” again in 2016 from the “Stifterverband” (www. stifterverband.info) in Germany.

The blueprint for perfect alumina production.

3. Where in the world are you busiest at present?

Today it is hard to say where we are busiest.

There are some hot spots in activity. We are tracking a limited number of projects in all of our territories of activity, but with our global set up we are able to help our clients quickly solve their problems or fulfil demands. In the alumina business we are working in Russia and the Middle East, but STOCKYARDS

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5. What are the big trends in aluminium technology and where is Claudius Peters leading the way?

Claudius Peters is strong in the handling of bulk materials. But in the meantime, GRINDING

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7. How do you view the company’s development over the short-tomid term in relation to the global aluminium industry?

We believe that we have to develop turnkey capability together with local partners. We see that there is a strong demand from our clients to get into a business relationship on a turnkey base.

We are open to discuss any set ups to fulfil the demand of our customers.

8. What does Claudius Peters have in store for 2017?

Be surprised! See us at TMS 2017 in San Diego, Stand 1121. � SILOS & SILO SYSTEMS

LOADING / UNLOADING

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www.claudiuspeters.com

A Langley Holdings Company.

January/February 2017

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The blueprint for perfect alumina production.

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HEADQUARTERS: CLAUDIUS PETERS PROJECTS GmbH Schanzenstraße 40, DE-21614 Buxtehude, Germany. Tel: +49 (0) 4161 706 0

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ASSOCIATION UPDATE 19 5

www.aluminiumtoday.com

The whole package Nadine Bloxsome* spoke to Eric Frantz, AEROBAL President (pictured) about the history and work of the association.

1. How did AEROBAL come about?

AEROBAL was founded in 1976 as a European Association of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers. In 2006 AEROBAL was transformed into an international organisation of aluminium aerosol container manufacturers. The main motivation for the internationalisation was the increasing globalisation of brand owners and the can industry. AEROBAL is run under the umbrella of Düsseldorfbased German Aluminium Association (GDA).

2. What is AEROBAL's vision?

AEROBAL’s purpose is to promote aluminium aerosol cans worldwide as the packaging of choice in an increasingly competitive environment in the packaging industry.

We promote the sharing of information about global markets, regulatory and environmental developments as well as communication activities about cans so that the aluminium aerosol can industry stays innovative, competitive, sustainable and visible.

3. What is the current state of the aluminium can market?

Since 2008 the aluminium aerosol can industry has recorded an average annual growth of slightly over 5% reaching a record production of 7.7 billion units in 2015. We are quite confident that our industry has broken this record again in 2016.

4. Is the reported growth expected to continue?

AEROBAL members are rather confident that the market growth will continue in the years to come.

5. What is the reason for this current growth?

There are many reasons for the success of the aluminium aerosol can. First of all, it offers consumers a very hygienic, precise, safe and convenient use of the product.

Second, aluminium is a permanent material which is infinitely recyclable without any losses. Thirdly, aluminium provides an absolute barrier for an unparalleled protection of the product.

6. Is there a particular area of growth across the industry?

Personal care products have paved the way for the sustained success of aluminium aerosol cans. This market, particularly deodorants and perfumes, has been dynamically growing for decades all around the globe. The health and pharmaceutical segment also heralds promising growth because the aerosol system is really tailor-made for a hygienic, safe and precise application of products.

7. What market areas do AEROBAL members focus on?

AEROBAL members focus on offering convincing packaging solutions in all market areas such as personal care, pharmaceuticals, household, chemical and food products.

8. How does AEROBAL work with its member companies?

AEROBAL has a very lean structure. The organisation is run by a permanent AEROBAL Secretariat and the President, who changes every two years. Twice a year AEROBAL members meet in the General Assembly which is normally combined with international industrial fairs which are relevant for AEROBAL members. Special topics or burning issues are treated in dedicated Task Forces which are convoked on an ad-hoc basis.

9. How important is aluminium in can packaging?

Aluminium aerosol cans are accounting for slightly more than 50% of all aerosols produced worldwide.

10. Is AEROBAL working with the aluminium can industry on any projects/R&D? In 2015 AEROBAL and GDA commissioned a renowned research institute to make LCA calculations on the environmental performance of aluminium compared to plastic containers in order to generate scientifically sound data for AEROBAL members which can be used in discussions with customers and other stakeholders.

Moreover, we are currently running a project together with other partners in the supply chain, i.e. coating producers and

fillers/brand owners, on an “ideal” process approach to develop and launch new or modified lacquers on the market.

11. What does the future hold for aluminium cans?

AEROBAL members are looking into the future with great confidence. It goes without saying that they will face increasing competition from materials such as plastic, but aluminium provides many striking advantages. This will tip the balance in favour of the aluminium solution. Innovation in the aluminium aerosol can industry will take place through the use of new alloys and further can downgauging as well as through less use of chemicals in the entire can production process, for example the coating and washing of cans.

12. Are there any ways AEROBAL is working with its members to increase recycling efforts/rates?

National waste management schemes are greatly differing worldwide so that an internationally harmonised approach can hardly be successful. Appropriate measures at national level (e.g. by national aerosol associations and their member companies) have to be made in order to improve the collection, sorting and recycling of aluminium aerosols in the different countries. In this context aluminium has a decisive advantage compared to other materials because it is a valuable material which is also economically worthwhile to collect, sort and recycle. In order to reach this aim, investments in modern collection, sorting and recycling technologies are of key importance to increase the quantity and quality of the sorted and recycled aluminium packaging.

13. What is next for AEROBAL? AEROBAL is aiming at further expanding its membership.

Currently the organisation is representing about 70% of total aluminium aerosol can production worldwide. In 2017 there will be a new member from Indonesia joining AEROBAL which is another step towards the final goal of achieving a global representation of 100%. � www.aerobal.org

*Editor, Aluminium International Today Aluminium International Today

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20 MINING & REFINING

www.aluminiumtoday.com

Image: Paul Scambler, The Examiner

Focus on: Australian Bauxite

Australian Bauxite (ABx) has started the first new bauxite project in Australia for more than 35 years at its Bald Hill mine located in northern Tasmania. Ian Levy* & Julie Young** explain ABx has already made two sales of high quality cement-grade bauxite into the cement industry with more shipments being assembled and has had small sales into the fertiliser industry. The bauxite supplied is even grained, dry, dust-free and exceptionally clean due to rigorous processing by contractors at Bald Hill Mine, careful transport pit-to-port by rail and professional port handling.

ABx’s proprietary “TasTech” technology allows ABx to produce three types of bauxite, namely: � High grade trihydrate gibbsite metallurgical bauxite for the aluminium industry � Cement-grade bauxite � Fertiliser-grade bauxite for making superphosphate The metallurgical market was the obvious primary target market for ABx, but that market is currently subdued and cyclically over-supplied. The resulting depressed prices are currently less attractive and have not met ABx’s budgeted profit margin in the way that the cement market and fertiliser market has done.

ABx’s type of bauxite helps cement plants stop using coal, which is a global trend. Bauxite substitutes for coal ash and reduces emissions significantly. ABx’s type of bauxite helps make corrosion-resistant, late-strength cement that increases the efficiency of modern construction. Their cement-grade bauxite provides both Al2O3 and Fe2O3 in the perfect ratio.

ABx’s bauxite, in the fertiliser market, is used as filler for single superphosphate (inert and benign) to minimise dust losses and improve throw distance.

ABx and its marketing partner RawMin are continuing negotiations with metallurgical and cement-grade bauxite customers in China, India and the Middle East. RawMin has sold its own bauxite into these markets for three decades and

has introduced ABx to several customers that require specialised, ABx-type bauxite, especially in the Middle East.

The Bald Hill Bauxite Project near Campbell Town, northern Tasmania commenced on schedule in December 2014. At that time, it was planned to commence deliveries to customers by mid 2015, however, adverse weather and market volatility frustrated this plan. The winter of 2015 was exceptionally damp and, the ore, could not dry sufficiently.

After considerable research and development, a process was devised to achieve marketable grades but at higher costs and lower yields than planned during April to October 2015.

Once drying conditions returned late October, production increased and the grade of product improved. By early December 2015, ABx had increased its maiden cargo to more than 40,000 tonnes of good quality bauxite at Bell Bay Port – achieving higher alumina grades than originally intended for this project.

While sales of bauxite remained strong through most of 2015, a sudden decline in the market halted bauxite sales from any new independent suppliers in early December 2015, largely attributed to slowing growth in China and oversupply from Malaysia and Guinea in West Africa.

The company adjusted to these difficult times by finding new markets for its bauxite and undertaking research and innovation, both of which have had positive results.

The maiden shipment of 5,557 tonnes of bauxite to a cement customer occurred at the end of April 2016 and this customer placed a repeat order for 35,000 tonnes, which was shipped in early August.

Furthermore, two other small-tonnage sales of fertiliser grade bauxite have been concluded for August and December.

A third customer is negotiating a yearend sale and the operators at the Bald Hill

mine are assembling a specific product for this customer from the 150,000 tonnes of bauxite products held at the mine.

The final product stockpile thus blended currently exceeds 20,000 tonnes and will be railed to Bell Bay Port when final shipping dates are determined.

Another potential major cement customer, located in the Middle East, has advised ABx that the bulk sample of bauxite has proven to be suitable for its strict requirements. This is potentially a long-term, large tonnage contract.

The Tasmanian bauxite projects have strong community and government support, good infrastructure in place and ports, which open all year. To date, more than 12 million tonnes of resources have been drilled out in Tasmania.

The mine is a simple quarry and screen operation. The land is anticipated to be returned to grazing three years after mine commencement and sheep grazing recommenced only 15 months after the Bald Hill mine opened. A second mine in Tasmania has also been identified at Fingal Rail only 11 kms north of Bald Hill, which recently had a five-fold increase in the resource tonnages to 6.3 million tonnes, thus confirming that ABx can enter into long-term contracts with major cementgrade customers in Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Apart from Tasmania, ABx also has viable tenements across Queensland and New South Wales, with the Binjour tenement in Queensland viewed as the flagship project of the company. It is the largest and highest-grade deposit in the ABx portfolio with JORC-compliant resources totalling 28 million tonnes drilled out to date. ABx has more than 10 viable mines across Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania that will be brought on to meet increased demand as the aluminium industry starts growing again. �

*CEO, **Marketing & Investor Relations Executive, Australian Bauxite January/February 2017

Australian bauxite.indd 1

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MINING & REFINING 23

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The role of green alumina in green aluminium

By Damien Clancy* This paper was presented at ICSOBA 2016

60.0 50.0 Energy (Gj/t alumina)

40.0 30.0

Rusal Aughinish

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0.0 Plant 54

Environmental stewardship is central to Rusal’s manufacture of green aluminium.

Approximately 80% of RUSAL’s aluminium is produced using environmental-friendly hydropower, generated without any harmful emissions. Green alumina also has a key role to play in creating green aluminium. This paper is a comprehensive review of the production of green alumina at Aughinish and the environmental sustainability of the refinery. This sustainability is multi-faceted and includes bauxite residue disposal management, continuous monitoring to ensure there is no impact on the local environment and the minimisation of CO2 emissions.

The “Carbon Footprint” of Aughinish is among the lowest in the industry and has been accomplished through sustained improvements in energy consumption and the conversion of all thermal and electrical energy generation to Natural Gas. The paper focuses primarily on Greenhouse Gas emissions. Other areas of environmental sustainability of the refinery such as residue management, water emissions and community relations are also reviewed.

Rusal Aughinish Alumina Limited (AAL) refinery is located on the west coast of Ireland. The plant commenced operation in 1983 with a current production capability of 1.99Mt/yr. AL has a structured management approach to the operation of the business in terms of product quality, process control, environment, safety, training and analytical capability.

The refinery functions within an accredited Environmental Management system (ISO14001) and Energy Management system (ISO50001). The refinery operates under an industrial emissions license (IEL) issued and enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ireland. The environmental management system is a key tool to ensure compliance with the IEL and to drive continuous improvement of the environmental performance of the plant and to safeguard sustainability.

Fig 1. Total energy efficiency by alumina refinery (Source IAI 2015)

Environmental stewardship is central to Rusal’s manufacture of green aluminium.

Approximately 80% of Rusal’s aluminium is produced using environmental-friendly hydropower, generated without any harmful emissions.

Green alumina has a key role to play in creating green aluminium. The production of green alumina at AAL is key to the environmental sustainability of the refinery. This sustainability is multi-faceted and includes bauxite residue disposal management, continuous monitoring to ensure there is no impact on the local environment and minimisation of CO2 emissions.

Energy efficiency The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) data shows AAL to be the 7th most efficient alumina refinery in the world (Fig 1). This is a very significant achievement given that AAL is a high temperature refinery and operates a digestion technology, which was originally designed more than 50 years ago. The total energy consumption of the AAL (Fig 2) has undergone a continuous reduction over the past 20 years (with the exception of the 2009 global economic crisis). The continuous improvement in

energy consumption has been driven through operational improvements, production creep and innovative solutions supporting the economic sustainability of the business.

The recent IAI published data for the Energy Intensity for Metallurgical Alumina refining throughout the world for 2014.

This data also shows that AAL consumes more than 40% less energy per tonne of alumina produced than the average energy consumption for China.

Carbon footprint The “Carbon Footprint” of AAL is among the lowest in the industry and has been accomplished through sustained improvements in energy consumption and the conversion of all thermal and electrical energy generation to Natural Gas. As already stated, refinery energy efficiency is critical in minimising plant air emissions. The average life cycle assessment of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of the alumina production processes as published by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) (2015) gives the total GHG emissions for the average alumina plant excluding transport of 3.3 kg CO2 e/kg Al.

*Chairman, RUSAL Aughinish, Ireland Aluminium International Today

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24 MINING & REFINING

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A programme to reduce NOx emissions started in 2004 through modification of boiler burner design and avoiding the preheating of combustion air supplied to the boilers. In 2014 AAL commissioned two new Gas fired boilers designed to produce low NOx emissions.

11 10.5 10

Gj/t

9.5 9 8.5 8 7.5 7 1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

Fig 2. Total energy consumption reduction at the Rusal Aughinish alumina refinery

The GHG emission value for AAL is 1.2 kg CO2 e/kg Al, excluding transport, which is significantly lower than the industry standard. This is as a result of minimising energy consumption, using Natural Gas as the primary energy source and the most modern combustion technology to minimise NOx emissions.

Alumina production accounts for almost one quarter of the GHG emissions from the aluminium production life cycle on average across the industry. Consequently, improving the sustainability of alumina production has a significant impact on the aluminium industry’s sustainability as a whole.

Energy source Carbon emissions at AAL have reduced more noticeably in recent years due to the conversion of the all steam and electricity generation along with alumina calcining to gas.

The process of gas conversion began in 2006 with the commissioning of the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant which is fuelled exclusively by Natural Gas. In 2010 to 2011, the three calciners were all converted to gas firing from heavy fuel oil and in 2014 two new gas boilers were installed completing the move away from heavy fuel oil to Natural Gas. The trend of total CO2 emissions shows a reduction of 23% in the amount of CO2 emitted per tonne of production.

The fuel used at an alumina refinery as an energy source along with the refinery’s energy efficiency are the factors which determine the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per tonne of alumina produced.

The IAI publishes the fuel mix used in alumina refining by geographic region.

It shows that 76% of the energy used to produce alumina in China comes from coal. This has a very significant impact on CO2 as the amount of carbon dioxide per GJ of energy generated by coal is almost January/February 2017

mining refining - rusal.indd 2

1.8 times greater than from Natural Gas. (Source IEA – 2013) The fuel mix by geographic region is also interesting and shows a significant move to Natural Gas as an energy source in Europe, North America and Australia whereas South America tend to use little Natural Gas and the majority of its energy still comes from fuel oil. Energy generation for alumina production in Asia and China is still dominated by coal.

A direct comparison can be made between AAL and Chinese production in terms of carbon emissions. Firstly, AAL is 40% more energy efficient than the average Chinese production.

Secondly, because AAL produces all its energy from Natural Gas its carbon footprint is very significantly smaller than that of the Chinese production from coal.

AAL is producing only 43% of the CO2 per tonne of alumina when compared to the average Chinese refinery.

Other greenhouse emissions Environmental legislation has become much more stringent with regards to air emissions over the past 15 years. In 2003, EU Sulphur Directive resulted in the move away from 3½ % to 1% Sulphur Oil. In 2008, EU Large Combustion Directive (2001/80/EC) placed tighter limits on SOx (1700mg/Nm3) and NOx (450mg/Nm3).

Since 2008, AAL in conjunction with Irish Government has been operating National Emissions Reduction Plan (NERP), a transitional arrangement plan to comply with Large Combustion Plant Directive targets. In 2015, new Legislation, the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) further reduced emission limits of SOx and NOx to 200 and 150mg/Nm3 respectively.

AAL responded to these challenges over the same period. SOx emissions have almost been completely eliminated by the conversion of the plant from heavy fuel oil to a 100% Natural Gas fired plant.

Ambient air quality Under the IEL, AAL has 15 licensed Industrial air emission points in refinery:Calciners, Boilers, CHP, Crusher building, Transfer Towers, Alumina Loader, Silos There are also continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) installed at the 10 most critical emission points operating.

In addition, quarterly, biannual and annual manual monitoring is carried out with quarterly and annual monitoring reports submitted to the EPA. The 2015 emissions to air were 100% compliant and were significantly below licensed emission limit values.

The EPA monitor air quality in Ireland through their ambient air monitoring programme – areas zoned as urban or rural and ambient limits for zoned areas set by EU (CAFÉ Directive). Monitoring results confirm no impact from AAL. Additionally, AAL monitors ambient air quality at 13 locations for SO2 and particulates. Monitoring results confirm AAL has no impact off-site.

Emissions to water The plant and bauxite residue disposal area (BRDA) have been designed and are operated to ensure that run-off from the facility is collected and treated before discharge.

The Water Management System provides for collection and treatment of surface water run-off and leachate from the BRDA. AAL has two licensed discharges of treated effluent to the Shannon Estuary namely Industrial/Process effluent and Sanitary effluent Both discharges are monitored for flow and pH on a continuous basis and for other parameters at weekly, quarterly and six monthly intervals (e.g. suspended solids & BOD). The effluent discharge limits are shown in Table 1.

Effluent discharge is 100% compliant to all IEL conditions. Where process conditions allow, treated industrial effluent is recycled back to the plant and is reused in place of raw water.

Groundwater Groundwater quality around the refinery is regularly sampled and analysed.

A Groundwater Risk Screening and Technical Assessment was completed by Golder Associates in 2015 as required by EPA. The major findings are summarised in Table 2.

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All 34 of the observation wells located at the perimeter of the Bauxite Residue Disposal Area (BRDA) are compliant as are 12 of the 16 estuarine springs. The four estuarine springs with pH levels greater than 9.0 are all intercepted and recovered back to the plant. Work is in progress to identify and eliminate the need to intercept these four springs. AAL also operates an integrity testing for all tank bottoms, drains and bunds with suitable repair programmes. The integrity of all bund structures and tanks is tested and confirmed on an on-going three-year cycle and reported separately to the EPA. Bauxite residue management Storage area design The bauxite and other process residues generated from the Bayer process are deposited in an engineered facility called the BRDA that has been designed to ensure the long-term stability of these residues. The BRDA is formed by construction of perimeter embankments, an inner and outer embankment with a perimeter intercept channel in between.

The bauxite residue is retained by a perimeter stack wall constructed of rock fill, which is raised consecutively in 2m vertical stages. There is also a flood tidal defence berm between the BRDA and the Shannon Estuary foreshore that protects the BRDA from wave and tidal erosion.

The BRDA is constructed with engineered composite liners on the underlying strata.

All perimeter intercept channels are lined with this engineered composite liner. The BRDA has been designed and operated to ensure that water run-off from the facility is collected and treated before discharge, and that any subsurface seepage from beneath the facility is prevented. The water management system collects and treats surface water runoff and leachate from the BRDA. Bauxite residue disposal area operation The operation of the BRDA is one of the key enablers in the sustainability of AAL. The deposition method employed is dry stacking of washed, filtered mud which is pumped by positive displacement pumps to the BRDA at 58% solids, where the mud is stacked at a slope of approximately 2.5%, then subsequently farmed to increase the percent solids to 70-75%.

The combined BRDA area is effectively a large mono-cell and is divided into 46 operational areas or cells to facilitate short deposition times and thin layer deposition.

Partial neutralisation of the mud by atmospheric carbonation through mud farming produces a mud with pH<11.5 which is non-hazardous and is suitable for remediation and revegetation.

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CO2 Sequestration in bauxite residue AAL uses Carbon capture to neutralise its bauxite residues as required by the IEL. An estimated 98kg CO2 is sequestered per tonne of bauxite residue. This carbon capture is equivalent to 137,200t of CO2 per year or 12.5% of the total CO2 emitted by the refinery for alumina production.

Post deposition treatment There are several stages to post deposition treatment. After vacuum filtration the mud is diluted with water, sheared, thinned in an agitated tank and then pumped as a 58% solids paste to the BRDA. In this state the deposited mud cannot yet be traversed by conventional machinery and first must be dewatered and compacted.

An amphibious vehicle called an Amphirol is employed to carry out this de-watering and compaction.

The Amphirol travels using scrolls, which act as semi-flotation devices to allow the vehicle to move through the residue. As the Amphirol travels it compresses the mud and creates tracks or furrows. These furrows allow the water that has been “squeezed” from the mud to drain along the sloping stack towards the perimeter wall of the cell and into the perimeter channel. Amphiroling for compaction can require up to 20 passes.

Once the mud has compacted to >70% solids by multiple passes of the amphirol, the mud surface is then graded by a bulldozer to level the surface and generate a constant gradient from the discharge (high point) to the perimeter wall (low point). This makes the mud suitable for conventional agricultural machinery to travel and operate on its surface. Also to be capable of being broken into small lumps to allow for exposure to CO2 in the air. The grading also establishes the base for the subsequent mud layer to be deposited.

License Parameter Discharge pH

Limit 6.0 – 9.0 (IEL); 6.5 – 8.5

(internal) Discharge solids

50 mg/l (max)

Discharge temperature

60 degrees C

Discharge BOD

2360 kg/day

Table 1. Effluent discharge limits as determined by the IEL unless stated as internal Golder Recommended Compliance Points

Golder Recommende

Once the mud surface has been regraded the compacted mud layer must be “ripped” to open the ‘compacted mud’ and allow it to be easily worked by the other machinery used in the carbonation process. A tractor subsoiler attachment is used to rip and break the compacted mud layer into large lumps. The subsoiler has a working depth of 40-45cm.

The ‘ripped’ mud lumps must then be broken into smaller lumps and aerated a number of times to carbonate and neutralise the residual caustic. This is achieved by an efficient harrowing unit called a ‘spader’.

Once the sub-soiler has loosened the mud layer, a tractor-driven spader digs into and harrows the broken up mud lumps. Approximately 10-16 passes of the spader at up to two passes per day bring about sufficient exposure and carbonation to reduce the causticity below 30% and to reduce the mud pH below 11.5. The harrowing process using a spader can normally be conducted in a period of 1-2 weeks.

While a mud layer is being harrowed, a lot of voidage is created within the active layer. This is the mechanism by which the mud is exposed to atmospheric CO2. Once carbonation is completed as evidenced by pH measurements of samples from the cell, the area is then re-graded using a bulldozer to remove any depressions.

Finally, the cell is re-compacted using a vibrating plate compactor or a vibratory roller to maximise in-situ compaction and prepare the cell for the subsequent layer of mud. Through amphirolling, harrowing and final re-compaction, the initial 40cm deep layer of mud is compacted into a 30cm deep well-compacted and partially neutralised mud layer. The cell is then ready for the subsequent layer of mud.

Control of fugitive dust The surfaces of deposited bauxite residue are susceptible to dust blow if not managed properly, particularly when the weather is windy and dry. The potential for dusting is monitored using predictive climatic models.

A distributed control system (DCS) controlled sprinkling system is installed at AAL to control fugitive dust. Clean neutral process effluent is sprayed over Finding

Action Required

Compliance Values

BRDA Observation Wells OW’s) 1- 45

pH <9.5 Cond <1,875 µS Al <0.15 mg/l

Over 90% wells and springs monitored

pH <9.5 (ES’s) 1-16

monitored have a pH less than 9.5. Any exceeding 9.5

Cond <1,875 µS

are collected and returned to the refinery circuit.

Al <0.15 mg/l

Plant Estuarine Springs

Table 2. Effluent discharge limits as determined by the IEL unless stated as internal

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the area at a rate of up to 650m3/hr. A bank of sprinklers arranged in 20 separate sprinkler rows services the entire area of the BRDA. Each sprinkler gun rotates 360 degrees providing 50m³/hr irrigating an area of approximately 50m2. Farming of top layer reduces potential for dusting.

The long-term suppression of fugitive dust will be achieved by installing a vegetation cover with sufficient density to retain the residue material.

Geotechnical stability All phases of the BRDA have been designed and constructed appropriately to ensure that it is structurally stable under operational and expected closure conditions. Quarterly monitoring is undertaken by Golder Associates for AAL. Monitoring of the inclinometers, extensometers and piezometers combined with cone penetration tests (CPT) confirm that the BRDA walls are stable at the current elevations and that the BRDA structural integrity is in accordance with the design.

Red mud farming improves the stability of the BRDA by increasing the deposit density and results in life extension of the BRDA. Deposit closure plan The establishment of a sustaining vegetation cover is the preferred method for post-closure management of residue storage area to control erosion and dusting of the residue and improve its aesthetic impact. Effective BRDA mud farming is the key enabler to achieve this.

Establishment of vegetation on the bauxite residue stored at the BRDA has been successfully demonstrated by greenhouse and field trial studies undertaken by AAL and University of Limerick. To achieve this, amendment of the residue is required and an understanding of the basic physical and chemical principles for reclaiming alkaline residues has been established.

The underlying principles of amending the residue are: � Creation of drainage channels to assist in drying of the residue � Partial neutralisation of the bauxite residue to reduce pH � Application of process sand to improve texture and structure of the residue substrate � Amendment with gypsum (CaSO4) to replace entrained sodium with calcium � Addition of nutrients (compost) � Seeding with native grass and cultivar species.

Field trials have demonstrated that re-vegetation can be achieved through a process of physical and chemical amendment of the red mud. A number Aluminium International Today

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of treatments were implemented to investigate performance levels of vegetation growing directly on the surface of the residue. Optimum performance was produced by physically amending the substrate with process sand and gypsum.

Previously revegetated residue areas were surveyed after six and eight years.

Species diversity was recorded and compared to the initial seed mixture of six species.

The survey showed significant increase in biodiversity and that there were 50 species belonging to 40 genera and 16 families and indicates that colonisation by further species occurs on areas once vegetation is established.

Wetlands project A novel approach to ensure that BRDA leachate can be passively treated and made suitable for discharge after fire years of BRDA closure is to incorporate constructed wetlands into the Closure Plan. Constructed wetlands are gaining global acceptance by regulators in mine closure for acidic leachate.

However, little research had been conducted into the using wetlands to treat alkaline bauxite residue leachate.

In 2012, AAL received funding from both Rusal and the International Aluminium Association (World Aluminium) for a fouryear study led by Dr. R. Courtney of the University of Limerick investigating the use of a constructed wetland to treat residue leachate.

The field trial has been very successful and the results have shown that leachate can be successfully treated to achieve pH <9.0, and a wetlands system can be incorporated into the final closure plan of the BRDA at AAL, to ensure ongoing compliance.

Final land use The long-term sustainable land-use of the BRDA surface will be restricted to those activities that do not increase the pollution potential of the rehabilitated facility. In deciding the most suitable end use for the BRDA, it has been determined that activities which may lead to overgrazing, poaching, cultivation, uprooting of trees by wind-blow and other surface disturbance will be avoided. The preferred land-use option, based on current knowledge of the chemistry and biology of the sown grassland cover, is to develop the area for nature conservation.

AAL operates in a rural, agricultural area bordering areas of special conservation. A section of AAL land to the north of the BRDA has already been developed as a Bird Sanctuary and there are also butterfly and dragonfly sanctuaries on site. Areas to the east of the BRDA are already used as

nature trails for walking and jogging. Our relationship with our local community is paramount to having a Social License to Operate.

The final development of a nature conservation area is in keeping with AAL’s relationship with its local community.

Conclusion The environmental management of the AAL operation is overseen by the Irish EPA through the Industrial Emissions License (IEL). This is a statutory instrument and by the EPA’s own admission is the strictest licence in Ireland. AAL’s compliance with its IEL is 100% and recognised as exemplary by the EPA. AAL is one of the most energy efficient plants within the global alumina industry.

The “Carbon Footprint” of AAL is among the lowest in the industry and has been accomplished through sustained improvements in energy consumption and the conversion of all thermal and electrical energy generation to Natural Gas. SOx emissions have been eliminated and NOx emissions have been significantly reduced over the last 15 years.

AAL responsibly stores bauxite residue in a world class BRDA, ensuring that all residue is neutralised to less than pH 11.5 and drives innovation in residue rehabilitation and leachate management.

Other areas such as emissions to air, emissions to water, groundwater plus closure plans are all well managed, continuously improving and with little adverse environmental impact.

Relations with both the regulatory body, the Irish EPA, and the local community are excellent.

Central to this performance and on-going improvement are the two international standards, namely ISO 14001 for Environmental Management and ISO 5001 – Energy Management that AAL operate. AAL is fully accredited to both standards.

ISO 5001 is more data driven and focuses on energy performance improvement, while ISO 14001 provides a more qualitative look at all significant environmental impacts of an organisation. ISO 14001 guides the organisation’s environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner.

In conclusion, the overall environmental footprint ensures that AAL produces green alumina with minimal impact on the environment and the community and thereby plays its role in the manufacture of green aluminium in the overall Rusal group.

Finally, the author would like to thank M. Fennell and J. Clohessy from AAL for their assistance in compiling this paper. � January/February 2017

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28 COUNTRY FOCUS

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Aluminium in Iceland With the 7th International Conference on Electrodes for Primary Aluminium Smelters returning to Iceland on 25 – 27 April 2017, Nadine Bloxsome* spoke to Guðbjörg H. Óskarsdóttir, Ph.D., a Project Manager at the Innovation Center Iceland, to find out more about the country’s longstanding relationship with the aluminium industry.

Q. How established is the primary aluminium industry in Iceland?

A. The primary aluminium industry is well established in Iceland. It is the second largest production industry in Iceland after the seafood industry and the three smelters are amongst the largest nongovernmental employers in Iceland. Activities of the aluminium industry in Iceland began in 1969 with the establishment of the Icelandic Aluminium company (ISAL).

Since then, two other aluminium smelters joined the group and production capacity has increased significantly and is now 24 times larger.

The aluminium companies buy services and goods annually from hundreds of Icelandic companies and through the years, new companies have emerged around the aluminium industry.

The aluminium industry is an important sector of the Icelandic job market and through direct employment and through the companies servicing and selling goods it is estimated that 2-2.7% of the Icelandic workforce is directly related to the aluminium industry (Institute of Economic Studies, 2015, report#C15:02).

Q. When did the industry begin to develop?

A. The aluminium industry in Iceland is based around primary aluminium production. Aluminium production in Iceland began in 1969 when ISAL built its plant in Straumsvík. The initial production capacity was 33,000 tons per year. Since then, the plant has been expanded and increased its production capacity to the current 190,000 tons per year. The plant is now owned by the multinational Rio Tinto Corporation.

In 1998, production by another aluminium smelter was started; this was

Nordural at Grundartangi. Nordural was then owned by the American company Columbia Ventures Corporation. The initial capacity of the plant was 60,000 tons per year. In 2004 the company was acquired by Century Aluminum Company and the current production capacity is

now 290,000 tons per year.

The newest smelter plant in Iceland is the Alcoa plant in Reydarfjordur which started its production in 2007. The Alcoa plant is the largest aluminium smelterin Iceland with a production capacity of 350,000 tons per year.

7TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ELECTRODES FOR PRIMARY ALUMINIUM SMELTERS 25-27 APRIL 2017 - HILTON REYKJAVIK NORDICA, ICELAND WWW.RODDING-CONFERENCE.IS Hilton Reykjavik Nordica (www.hiltonreykjavik.com) Contact Thorbjorg Fridriksdottir at Iceland Travel for Hotel bookings thorbjorgf@icelandtravel.is Speaker programme Contact: Birgir Johannsesson birgirj@nmi.is Editorial Contact: nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com Table top bookings Contact: Anne Considine anneconsidine@quartzltd.com

*Editor, Aluminium International Today January/February 2017

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COUNTRY FOCUS 29

W E

C O N V E Y

Q U A L I T Y

Defined Cooling of Hot Bath Material Q. Is the aluminium industry mainly in one region or is it spread across Iceland?

A. The aluminium industry is stationed in three different locations in Iceland, both the Rio Tinto plant and Nordural’s plant are in the southwest region of Iceland, whereas the Alcoa plant is located in the eastern part of the country. The oldest plant, the Rio Tinto in Iceland plant is located close to Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. Nordural is located at Grundartangi which is a 45 minute drive from the capital. Alcoa is located in Reydarfjordur, a small town in the Icelandic eastern fjords.

Q. Where is the aluminium that is produced used? Is it exported globally or kept in Iceland?

A. The aluminium that is produced is exported mainly to Europe where it is used in downstream industry of various types.

More specifically, Rio Tinto in Iceland, exports directly to many different markets located in France, Britain, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Italy Sweden, Australia, Slovakia, Belgium, Poland, Spain and Portugal. The aluminium is partly exported as alloyed blend or as pure aluminium.

Alcoa exports to Rotterdam in Holland where the produce is distributed throughout Europe, mainly to Germany. About a quarter of the production is cable for electric companies.

Aluminium alloys (blends) are also produced as well as pure alumina.

Nordural exports their products to Rotterdam in Holland where it is distributed to European markets. Nordural has also supplied aluminium to small shops in Iceland. Nordural produces both pure aluminium and aluminium blends.

Q. Are there any R&D, modernisation projects or investments planned for the smelters or currently underway?

A. All the Icelandic smelters have invested in their production line in recent years. Rio Tinto in Iceland and the Nordural plant have gone through significant changes from the time they first started their operation. These changes have in many cases included modernisation of equipment and processes.

All of these were done in collaboration with Icelandic engineering companies and technical experts and as a result Iceland has very skilled and experienced experts when it comes to building and modifying primary aluminium plants.

Q. Is there more of a downstream aluminium industry developing in the country?

A. The development of a downstream aluminium industry has great potential in Iceland and just recently, Reykjavik University held a seminar discussing the potential for such progression. The topic is twofold, on one hand the smelters themselves which are continuously developing their product base and placing more value add products to their product list. Then on the other hand the development of an independent downstream industry with the advantage of the proximity to the smelters is something that has great potential but does not have a clear path forward.

Q. What do you think the future holds for the aluminium industry in Iceland in the short and long-term?

A. In my opinion, the future of the Icelandic aluminium industry will be determined by two main factors. Namely the price of green energy produced in Iceland and the price of low carbon footprint primary aluminium. The trend in many industries has been such that one can place a premium on green produce if the same were to apply for primary aluminium the Icelandic aluminium industry would benefit. � January/February 2017

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Gillespie & Powers answers 1. What are your views on the current state of the global aluminium industry?

We are very fortunate to be involved with the current global expanding demand for DELACQUERING aluminium. Our previous background in the secondary aluminium industry should position us nicely for future growth.

The global aluminium industry is maturing into a quiet lion that is swallowing most of the smaller companies where only the larger global players will prevail.

2. Where in the world are you busiest at present?

We continue to nurture the partnerships of our customer base in the United

States with many on-going projects involving designs and modifications to key recycling and casthouse equipment. We are currently in process with a significant recycling TILTING project&in the Middle East and MELTING HOLDER Europe and are completing projects in Mexico, Korea, and Brazil.

3. What products are proving the most lucrative?

With the rapidly expanding secondary aluminium marketplace developing worldwide there is keen interest in the Gillespie & Powers Mass Flow Delacquering Process, which has proven to be very successful and highly effective.

4. How quickly has Gillespie &

Powers responded to “green politics” in terms of helping to make the heat treatment process more environmentally friendly?

Our combustion SIDEWELL group has been a key player with our equipment suppliers with the development of Iow NOx burners, quick change media beds, fume incineration, close coupled to the Melters, low BTU per pound with stirring equipment.

5. What does Gillespie & Powers have in store for 2017?

We will bring online two major high production Delacquering lines early in the year: One domestically and one in the Middle East which includes total scrap preparation and melting. �

Engineering & Refractory Delacquering  Melters  Holders  Repair  Maintenance

www.gillespiepowers.com

9550 True Drive St. Louis, MO 63132 USA

PHONE

314-423-9460

TOLL FREE

WWw.gillespiepowers.com

DELACQUERING

1-800-325-7075

TILTING & MELTING HOLDER

FAX

314-428-4431

SIDEWELL

Engineering & Refractory Delacquering  Melters  Holders  Repair  Maintenance

9550 True Drive St. Louis, MO 63132 USA

PHONE

314-423 314-423 314 423-9460 423-9460

TOLL FREE

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1-800 1800-325 800325-7075 325325 7075

FAX

314-428 314314 428-4431 428428 4431

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First completed D18+ section PL3

Potline technology: Case study EGA retrofits modern technology in existing potlines, reducing environmental footprint, explains Daniel Whitfield* Since its inception in 1979, Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL, also known as Jebel Ali operation) – an operating subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) – has been committed to continuous innovation in the aluminium smelting process and in-house development of proprietary reduction technologies. Over the years, a strong reputation has been built for technological innovation and business performance excellence, characterised by maximum operating efficiencies.

Continuing with this reputation, EGA has undertaken a complete revision of the D18 Technology in the initial potlines at Jebel Ali operation. The new D18+ Technology – which features the latest cell technological advances such as magnetic compensation, point feeders and direct alumina distribution (see Table 1) – exceeded all major target KPIs during a seven-cell trial in 2012 (see Table 2), prompting a decision to implement D18+ Technology in the remaining 241 cells in Potline 1.

While EGA’s Jebel Ali operation had previously implemented both brownfield and greenfield projects to increase production capacity, the D18+ project was the first undertaken in an operating potline. To convert the potline with minimal disruption, the cell upgrade was performed in sections of 30 to 32 cells, with eight sections in total.

Constructing the new D18+ Technology cells while normal production continued in the potline posed several challenges, including restrictions in the centre passage as a result of construction vehicles and trucks transporting busbars, shells and superstructures; as well as normal potroom movements such as anode raising beam, hot metal transportation

and anode transportation. Access was also constricted due to construction works related to the bypass busbar. A greater number of people conducting more activities in the potrooms required extra care to avoid possible collision and injury.

And period potline amperage reductions to allow for busbar connection and other work required close coordination so as to maintain steady production. Despite these complexities, the D18+ retrofitment project of Potline 1 was completed without incident or injury.

The Potline 1 retrofit project commenced in August 2015 with a schedule of 434 days. Minimising the time out of circuit for each section was crucial both for keeping the project on time and minimising hot metal production losses. The complete conversion of the first section took the

scheduled 68 days. Based on lessons learnt, the Project and Operations teams significantly reduced the time required to convert the subsequent sections to an average of 47 days. As a result, the project was completed at the end of July 2016, 86 days ahead of schedule and thus with substantially minimised production losses.

The Project team formally handed over Section 2, the first section converted to D18+ Technology, to the Operations team in early-October 2015. After 52 hours’ pre-heat, the first cell to be cut-in was successfully bathed up. The subsequent Section 2 cells were then gradually cut-in at the rate of four per day (i.e. the all cells in the section were cut-in after 8 days).

The same rate was maintained in the remaining sections.

The first D18+ Technology section

D18 D18+

Busbar Configuration

End risers

Al2O3 Feeding

AlF3 Feeding

Four side risers with under cell bus

Pseudo point feed converted

Four point feeders

from dual centre breaking

with bath sensing breakers

10 kg bags added manually

Dedicated AlF3 feeder

Via crane hopper

Air slide system

Alumina Distribution Number of Anodes Anode Beam Control

18

20

Pneumatic

Electric

Number of Cathode Blocks Collector Bar - Flexible Connection

17

19

Bolted

Welded

Table 1. D18 Technology versus D18+ Technology

Unit

D18 D18+

Amperage

kA

204.9

204.9

Current Efficiency

%

93.90

95.10

Net Volts

V

4.66

4.03

DC.kWh/kg

14.79

12.63

kg C/kg Al

430

420

CO2eq. kg/t Al

96

2

Net Specific Energy Net Carbon Consumption PFC Emissions

Table 2. D18+ test cells’ performance

*General Superintendent, Process Control, Technical, Midstream, Emirates Global Aluminium Aluminium International Today

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Section 3 of PL3 under conversion

220

D18+ Cells

250 200

D18+ project start

215

150

210

100

205

50

195

0

8.5 8.0 7.5

ne

Potrooms GHG emissions

9.0

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016 YTD

Ju

ay

Plant GHG emissions

9.5

Ju 15 ly 15 Au g1 Se 5 pt 1 Oc 5 t1 No 5 v De 15 c1 5 Ja n1 Fe 6 b1 M 6 ar 1 Ap 6 r1 6 M ay 1 Ju 6 ne 16 Ju ly Au 16 g1 Se 6 pt Oc 16 t1 6

200

M

10.0

230

Cut out of final D18 cell

Plant GHG emissions (CO2 eq T/T Al)

Amperage

Number of D18+ cells (#)

225

15

Potline 1 amperage (kA)

230

Fig 1. Potline 1 amperage increase

started up had lower-than-expected final cathode temperature (average 826˚C). The Operations team improved this by altering the resistor template, increasing duration and higher amperage. The Operations team also invested considerable effort to minimise anode effects after bath-up and subsequent metal pouring. Anode effect frequency during the first 48 hours reduced from 0.70/cell/day to 0.03/cell/ day. The number of cells high in voltage (> 8 V) immediately after bath-up also gradually reduced to zero.

Another challenge in the upgrade process was that the D18 Technology cells were near the upper limit of their amperage range, whereas the D18+ Technology cells were near their lower limit. The base resistance set point of the D18+ Technology cells was therefore set to an equivalent 70 mV higher until the project was completed and the amperage could be increased to suitable levels.

The amperage in Potline 1 at the start of the project was 207 kA. This was gradually increased to 210 kA by February 2016 and then to 220 kA by July 2016, once the final D18 Technology cells had been cut out. Amperage was then increased to 230 kA by November 2016 and will remain at this level for 2017 (Fig 1).

The initial 21-day performance of Potline 1 D18+ Technology after stabilisation at 220 kA, summarised in Table 3, shows Potline 1 performance for the four-month period from July to October 2016. Net specific energy is 13.18 DC.kWh/kg Al and current efficiency is 93.83%. As metal height has increased during this period with amperage increase, both specific energy and current efficiency are expected to improve once the potline stabilises at January/February 2017

primary ega.indd 2

Fig 2. Greenhouse gas emissions at Jebel Ali operation Parameter

Unit

D18+

Amperage

kA

222.4

Net Voltage

V

4.153

Current Efficiency

%

93.83

DC.kWh/kg Al

13.18

Net Specific Energy Noise

mV

11

kg C/tAl

422

#/cell/day

0.04

Net Carbon Consumption Anode Effect Frequency Anode Effect Duration (> 8 V) PFC Emissions

seconds

35

CO2eq. kg/t Al

28

Table 3. D18+ Technology performance, July – October 2016 Parameter

Unit D18 D18+

Parameter

Unit

D18

Amperage

kA

205

230

Current Efficiency

%

93.34

94.50

Metal Production Specific Energy Net Carbon Consumption AE PFC Total Net GHG rate

D18+

kg/day

1,541

1,750

DC.kWh/kg

15.15

13.31

kg C/t Al

435

419

CO2eq. kg/t Al

202

35

CO2eq. t/t Al

8.27

7.26

Table 4. D18+ Technology versus D18 Technology operating parameters

the new operating setpoints. The cells remain stable with an average noise of 11 mV and perfluorocarbon emissions are at a low level of 28 CO2eq. kg/t Al With Potline 1 now at 230 kA, efforts are being made to stabilise at the higher amperage to increase EGA’s production capacity by 19 kt/year while reducing energy consumption by a targeted 2 kWh/kg.

The conversion of 272 cells in Potline 3 from D18 to D18+ commenced in September 2016. Drawing on the experience and skills learnt during the Potline 1 conversion, it is expected that Potline 3 will be completed by October 2017, resulting in a total of 520 D18+

Technology cells at EGA’s Jebel Ali operation.

Importantly, the D18+ retrofit project will significantly reduced EGA’s environmental footprint and enable EGA to increase its competitive edge in the industry. The greenhouse gas emission rate of D18+ Technology is 1.1 CO2eq. t/t al less than D18 Technology, as shown in Table 4.

Since 2010, EGA’s Jebel Ali operation has already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 800 kt/year CO2eq (see Fig 2) – despite annual hot metal production increasing by over 63kt/year in the same timespan. � Aluminium International Today

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Focus on: Talum

By Cus Z., Sibila A., Salihagic Hrenko H., Jursek B., Kancler J., Horvat T., Kores S.*

Talum is the only primary aluminium producer in Slovenia since 1954, when production in the Soderberg potline with capacity of 20,000 t/year was started. In 1987, Talum’s aluminium production was modernised with the reconstruction of the existing Soderberg potline to prebaked technology and the start-up of the new prebake AP18 potline of 80 cells. Since then, Talum has established one of the most efficient productions of primary aluminium worldwide in energy consumption, carbon consumption and pot life, with the production of 84,000 t of primary aluminium per year[1].

Many companies all around the world introduced slotted anodes at the end of the 1990s and early 2000s[2 – 4]. Talum also put a lot of effort into developing and optimising the technology for slotted anode production. With some industrial tests, the advantages of slotted anodes to minimise anode gas bubble voltage drop was proved, while improved current distribution and reduction of energy consumption was achieved. The question was not “to do or not to do?”, but “how to do?”

At that time two possible ways to prepare slotted anodes were studied: Creation of slots during vibro forming of green anodes before baking or slot cutting with a special machine after baking process.

Both solutions have positive and negative impacts on the quality, scrap ratio and overall costs of production. Finally the decision was to adapt vibro compactor with additional plates at the bottom of the model and to build a special machine for cleaning the slots of coke after baking.

After 10 years from industrial implementation of the bottom slots on the 160 cells AP18 potline, Talum explored and researched additional benefits from the third top-downward slot, which allowed for extending the positive effect of slotted anodes until the end of anode life time. The final design of slotted anodes is shown in Fig 1.

Introduction of the third topdownward slot Simulation of current density vectors and equipotential lines in the POLJE (FIELD) mathematical model demonstrates the effect of slots on the stability of the electrolytic process.

Simulation was done for an anode without slots (I.), anode with two bottom slots (II.) and anode with two bottom and one top-downward slot (III.).

The ideal situation will be if the current flow is oriented in a vertical direction only.

Because of variable geometry a horizontal component of the current flow appears.

Strong Lorentz force that is generated in the interaction between the magnetic field and the current in the electrolyte

Fig 1. New Talum AP18 anode design

a. Current density vectors and the equipotential lines. b. Current density.

Fig 2. Current density vectors, equipotential lines and current density (anode without slots, with 2 slots and 3 slots).

*TALUM d.d.,Slovenia Aluminium International Today

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with integrated conic plate was built (Fig 3). Lower consumption of raw materials, better quality of the anode and lower emissions of CO2 at anode baking were achieved with the new anode design.

A cleaning device was upgraded to the system of three blades from both sides of the anode.

a. a. New design of a mould cover. b. Adaptation of slot cleaning device.

b.

Fig 3. New design of mould cover and slot cleaning device.

a.

a. Central slot cleaning device.

Fig 4. Anode butts cleaning operation.

b.

b. Anode butt after cleaning.

Reconstruction of anode butts cleaning system The existing Anodes Butts Robot cleaning system was upgraded with a mechanical device to clean the butts in the central slot (Fig 4).

Results in the potline After 44 shifts in the cell, the bottom slots were burned off. The top-downward slot was active from 57th until 84th shift (Fig 5).

With the introduction of the third upper-down slot, the average instability was reduced by 0.025 μΩ (Figure 6). The average electrical resistance was reduced by 0.032 μΩ (Fig 7).

With the deployment of the Topdownward Slots, the improvement in the distribution of electric current through the anode was achieved. A higher current efficiency for 0.4 % was also achieved.

Summary By using a three-slotted anode, the consumption of raw materials, electric power consumption per tone of aluminum and greenhouse gas emissions were reduced. At the same time, however, due to greater stability of the electrolysis process, the production of primary aluminium is increased. The new form of the anode may be used by all producers of electrolytic aluminum.

Introduction of the three-slotted anode enables:

a.

b.

a. Anode after 44 shifts in the cell. b. Anode after 57 shifts in the cell.

Fig 5. Consumption of anode with three slots as a function of time in the cell

increases according to the proportion of the horizontal component of the current through the liquid electrolyte and metal.

The Lorentz force causes turbulence in the liquid, the instability of the process and the current efficiency decrease.

With simulation (Fig 2) it was found that horizontal component of the current was the lowest on the anode with three slots (III.) January/February 2017

primary talum.indd 2

Shaping of top-downward slots adaptation of vibro compacting process Different technical solutions were tested.

The best compromise between the production process and the results in the potline is a central slot from upper surface to the bottom of the anode (depth = 310mm). In the production process, a new design of mould cover

At production of the anodes: � Lower consumption of raw materials on annual basis � Improvement of the quality of anodes (higher density, more even distribution of weight, lower tolerances in dimensions of anodes, reduced sensitivity to thermal shocks…) � Reduced greenhouse emissions At rodding shop process: Increased number of anode sets Less bath material is returned for the processing � Lower manipulation costs for bath material � �

And at the electrolysis process: The improvement in the distribution of electric current through the anode �

Aluminium International Today

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0,12µΩ

∆R= -0,032µΩ 13,193µOhm

WRMIN8=-0.025µOhm

13,161µOhm

0,095µΩ

Fig 6. Average instability before and after introduction of the third top-downward slot.

Fig 7. Cell resistance before and after introduction of the third top-downward slot.

� Increased stability of electrolysis process � Higher current efficiency for 0.4 % � Reduction of electricity consumption for 80 kWh/t Al � Increase of annual production for of electrolysis aluminium

References 1. Zlatko Cus et al., 25 years of continuous improvements in TALUM smelter, Proceedings of 33rd International ICSOBA Conference, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 29 November - 1 December 2015, Travaux 44, Paper AL04, 533.

The challenges for the future: - Slots width and depth optimisation - Additional adjustments and R&D of slotted anodes production process and anode butts cleaning systems. �

2. Ketil A. Rye, Ellen Myrvold and Ingar Solberg, The effect of implementing slotted anodes on some key operational parameters of a PB line, Light Metals 2007, 293-298.

Aluminium International Today

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3. X. Wang et al, Development and deployment of slotted anode technology at Alcoa, Light Metals 2007, 299-303.

4. Erik Jensen, The effects slotted anodes on aluminium reduction cell performance, 18th International Symposium ICSOBA, Zhengzhou, China, November 2010, Travaux 35, 2010, Paper AS 8, 531-538.

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Power supply outages to cells in aluminium smelters

By Anthony Kjar *

Unlike data that is systematically collected on the reliability of power station by the Electrical Research Institute[1], there is little analysis of power outages in aluminium smelters.

Nevertheless, the need for reliability is well known, particularly for outages greater than two hours when modern cells start to freeze and restart becomes problematic. Some outages can cost up to hundreds of millions of dollars.

This paper builds on previous papers[2-6].

A comprehensive, but not necessarily complete, list of outages has been compiled and analysed. While not necessarily totally accurate, enough examples are available to give a reasonable picture.

All smelters, excluding China, are included in the analysis. China is only excluded as the data is not readily available and can be confusing with many more stops and starts to fit power availability and market conditions.

in Fig 1, separated into larger (> 5000,000tpy) and smaller smelters.

On inspection it is apparent that there was a significant increase in the period 2008 to 2011. This coincided with the startup of a significant number of new, larger smelters in the Middle East and India, with most suffering. Currently these 17 larger smelters represent 48% of production, but only 15% by number.

Since that time outages have increased from the lower base power to 2008.

It is likely that there have been additional outages in the smaller plants that have not been widely reported. Nevertheless, analysis of data suggests that at a minimum: � Frequency of faults for Larger smelters: 1 / 10 years per plant � Frequency of faults for Smaller smelters: 1 / 40 years per plant � Frequency of faults for all smelters: 1/34 years per plant

History To view a history of 50 outages including a few near misses over the last 15 years visit www.aluminiumtoday.com/features.

The references to this information are listed from[7-45].

A history of outages by year is shown

Root Cause Analysis There is not enough data in the public domain to carry out a detailed Root Cause Analysis (RCA) such as outlined in[46]. Nevertheless, it would be useful for individual outages to be investigated in detail by smelter operators. When

12

sufficient data is available, techniques such as 5 why’s, 8D and Life Cycle analysis can be used to determine the basic physical and human causes of failure.

However, using available data, a basic high level RCA can be obtained by grouping failures and near misses into location in the supply chain of the plant, on site power station(s), or in the grid/of site power stations; source of equipment or systems failure eg. bus bar, rectifier etc; and type of failure or event eg. fire, electrical flash-over etc.

Further breakdowns are also useful in the age of the system and size of smelter.

The variants in technology have not been assessed as all aluminium smelters use the same basic Hall-Héroult technology and internationally procured equipment.

Analysis of the fault data is shown, by number of outages in relation to the age of the equipment, in Fig 2.

Outages over time are greatest in the mid-life of the smelter. This is in sharp contrast to a classical failure history of individual components with a typical failure history that is lowest in Mid-Life.

Also, high outage rates for new large smelters is apparent.

A classical failure history is superimposed for individual components, and large

20

10

15

8 6

10

4

5

2 0

0 2000 Larger

2002

2004

2006

Smaller

Fig 1. History of power outages by year

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016 to May

Mid-life

Early Larger

Old

Smaller

Fig 2. Number of outages in smelters (and equipment) of different ages

*Managing Director, Gibson Crest Pty Ltd, arkjar@bigpond.com January/February 2017

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40

40

30

30

20

20

10

10 0

0 Plant or main switch yard Larger

Plant or main switch yard & onside power station (direct)

Gridd off site

Onsite power station

Smaller

Larger

Fig 3a. Location of outages in main blocks of the plant

Grid/offsite powerstation(s) (indirect)

Smaller

Fig 3b. Effective company control

30

20 18 16 14

25 20

12 10 8 6

15

4

5

10

2

0

0 Bus bar Larger

Rectifier Smaller

Transformer Switch yard Transmission line

Fig 4. Outages grouped into type of equipment

smelters reported separately.

This analysis indicates that a number of failures are grouped in the early life of the smelter as would generally be expected, as a result of inexperience and preliminary failures, but most unexpectedly occur in the mid-life of the smelter. This is due partly to the grouping of a large number of components, with different equipment lives, but also reflect the many system failures.

These differences indicate that many of the outages are due to a systems breakdown, rather than an equipment breakdown, and points to the need for more effort to a maintenance reliability approach[9] and systems engineering, management approach organisation and audit.[52].

In Fig 3a, the number of the outage is shown plotted against the location of the main blocks of the plant and in Fig 3b, against the nature of the effective company control.

On inspection, it is apparent that the plant or main switchyard has the most impact. Collectively, the processes within which the operating company has effective control are larger than the grid/offsite.

Nevertheless, both need effective (but different) management so as to achieve control.

Aluminium International Today

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Cells

Other

Fire/Electrical Larger

Mechanical

Smaller

Lightening

Failed protection poor response, poor procedures, poor design, other

Fig 5. Outages grouped into event /result of failure

There have been a large number of major grid failures globally,[54] and with increased financial pressures in the future in a wide range of countries these are likely to continue.

Operating in this environment will require additional efforts so as to be able to maintain indirect control over the reliability of these systems.

In Fig 4, outages are grouped into type of equipment.

By far the largest group is of â&#x20AC;&#x153;otherâ&#x20AC;?, including protection equipment, circuit breakers, unreliable equipment, boiler tube leaks, earth faults, flooding, equipment did not start, etc. Again, this points to systems failures.

Of the large items of equipment, the main equipment involved in outages were transformers, switchyard as cells, including leakage resulting in bus bar failures or thermite fires[53].

In Fig 5, outages are grouped into event/result of the failure.

Again, the largest group involves systems engineering and operational management training.

Following the large number of protection type failures in new large smelters, improvements have been made as outlined in[47-[51]. However, more needs to be done so as to maintain and operate

these complex systems.

In addition, particular vigilance is required to develop, record, and organise appropriate management structures, train and then audit the startup, shutdown and restart major electrical and equipment circuits.

Further check lists are outlined in[6].

Conclusion Power outages (and also major safety accidents) should be reducing in the future, and each company maintaining meaningful databases of typical root causes is difficult due to a limited sample size. The various aluminium associations have stopped out of this field.

It would be useful for all producers if each company published its own high level root causes in their press releases and or annual reports. This would allow easier analysis and encourage improvement so as to be more competitive than other metals.

This paper outlines the importance of a focus on system design, maintenance, organisation and smelter management and audit both for processes under direct as well as indirect control. ďż˝ For the full list of references, visit www.aluminiumtoday.com/features January/February 2017

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The Hive Photo credit: Fahad Mohammed

Changes Time may change me, but I can’t trace time

By Chris Bayliss* I’m writing this on 6th January 2017 – I’ve promised Nadine an article today and I have left it very late. It has been hard to focus on the topic with so many fast-paced changes happening in the world over the last few months and with consequent uncertainty on what these mean for the industry and more widely in the coming year(s). What I need is some time…not just time to write this article, but a temporal context to place these changes in…a human timescale, an industrial timescale, a generational timescale…not the timescale of a Tweet, or an Administration.

So I am going to start on the 7th January… …7th January 1972 The day that David Bowie released “Changes”, turning to face the strange of a revolutionary year. A year in which the balance of crude oil price control shifted from the US to OPEC, which saw

the first visit by a US President to China, ratification of the Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the UK to the European Community. And of course, the incorporation of the International Primary Aluminium Institute (IPAI).

Global primary aluminium production in 1972 was 12 million tonnes (Mt), recycled production around 2.5 Mt, only 500 thousand of which was from post-consumer scrap – predominantly automotive castings. Semis shipments totalled around 14 Mt. Around 70% of that production was located in North America (5.5 Mt primary & recycled), Europe (3.5 Mt) and Japan (1.3 Mt); 75% of semis demandwas from the same regions: North America (5.3 Mt), Europe (3.8 Mt) and Japan (1.6 Mt).

The USSR accounted for a further 15% of production and consumption.

The incorporation of the IPAI, now the IAI, was a direct reflection of the fact that a post-second world war aluminium

industry, relatively concentrated in terms of national production centres and companies (the two were very much intertwined), vertically integrated and located in proximity to domestic markets, was undergoing significant structural change.

Look out you rock’n’ rollers Pretty soon now you’re gonna get older…

The seeds of European, North American and Japanese de-industrialisation were being sown, as costs of energy and labour rose and early 20th century production capacity began to come to the end of its natural life. New centres of production were being born in the Middle East (Alba 1971; Dubal 1979), south America (Alcominas 1965; Aluar 1974), Australia & New Zealand (Kurri Kurri 1969; Tiwai Point 1971; Boyne Island 1979) and southern Africa (Bayside 1971), close to sources of long term, competitively priced energy

*Deputy Secretary General, International Aluminium Institute (IAI) Aluminium International Today

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and/or raw materials. 2017 sees primary production having recently shifted from many of these “new” areas, as competition increases for limited energy resources (e.g.

Brazil, S Africa) and as resource-rich areas focus on upstream parts of the value chain (e.g. Australia, Brazil).

Globalisation of the aluminium industry necessitated a global forum, for the industry to come together to discuss common issues of a pre-competitive nature and to collect and publish statistics on the global aluminium industry (the two early objectives of the nascent IPAI). The introduction of an aluminium contract by the London Metal Exchange at the end of the decade created a global price discovery mechanism (in US dollars).

The aluminium industry, sparked by the energy of the second industrial revolution and forged in the post-war economic boom, began to float free of its traditional moorings at a time when currencies were floating free of Bretton Woods.

I watch the ripples change their size But never leave the stream…

In the second decade of the 21st century we are in the midst of an even more spectacular shift, a generational change in centres of production and consumption, both in terms of location, but also sheer volume.

One and a quarter billion tonnes of primary aluminium has been produced since 1900; over one billion of that (almost 90%) has been produced since 1972. Around 75% of that volume is still in use…in lightweight cars, in tough MacBooks and protective drinks cans, in durable window frames and photovoltaic panels, in art and machinery. And while in 1972 it was to the traditional markets of Europe, Japan and North America that aluminium flowed, today, as well as those regions, it services the needs and improving quality of life of the billions of people in other areas.

Of the 900 Mt of aluminium in use today, over 200 Mt is located in China (150 kg per capita), 200 Mt is in North America (400 kg per capita), 170 Mt is in Europe (250 kg per capita), 50 Mt in Japan (400 kg per capita) and 75 Mt elsewhere in Asia (40 kg per capita). North American/Japanese levels of per capita inuse stock in China and a doubling in other Asia by 2030 (with ageing populations and despite further falls in population growth) would necessitate a global 2 billion tonnes of aluminium in use– such a level (an average 70 million tonne net addition per annum 2017-2030) cannot be met by improving recycling rates alone.

In 2016 we recycled almost 30 Mt of aluminium scrap, just under half of that was new scrap – with very close to 100% January/February 2017

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In 1972…

• 3.7 bn global population • 60% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty (living with less than US$1.90 per day); o Down from 86% in 1888, the year that Julia Brainers Hall, Charles Martin Hall and Paul Héroult invented the Hall- Héroult process (pop. 1.6 bn) o Down from 95% in 1825, the year that Hans Christian Ørsted first produced aluminium (pop. 1.1 bn); • Global child mortality (survival to 5 years old) was 14%, o Down from 38% in 1880 • Global average life expectancy at birth: 60 years (from 30 in 1888) • 56% literacy rate • Population growth rate had just peaked at 2.2% in 1962/63 • 37% of the world’s population living in cities*

In 2015…

• 7.4 bn population • 10% living in extreme poverty • Child mortality at 4% • Global average life expectancy at birth: 71.4 years • 85% literacy rate • Global population growth rate is 1.1% • 54% of people live in cities* All data except * from the excellent Max Roser (2016) – ‘A history of global living conditions in 5 charts’. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/a-history-of-global-living-conditions-in-5-charts/ [Online Resource] * from The World Bank

recovery (collection) rates. The remainder, around 17 million tonnes, was from postconsumer sources…around 8 million tonnes was “lost”, went to landfill, to energy recovery, didn’t get collected. In 2016 the most scrap we could hope to collect, from used products, equalled 25 million tonnes.

Semis demand in 2016 was 85 Mt, 75% of which (65 Mt) was for wrought applications, requiring clean, well sorted low-silicon scrap or primary metal.

Primary aluminium production will continue to grow into the middle of the twenty first century, on the back of increasing demand for our metal and the long, durable, productive lives of its applications. …7th January 2017 – I’m late…sorry Nadine!

Strange fascination, fascinating me Changes are taking the pace I’m going through Next week the aluminium-intensive, re-useable Falcon 9 spacecraft, which achieved its first vertical landing on a drone ship at sea in 2016, will deliver a payload of 10 communications satellites into orbit.

Last week at the Consumer Electronics Show CES2017, Hyundai presented their battery-powered, wearable, aluminium exoskeletons H-WEX and H-Mex, with the potential to change the way people move, work and live.

Last year, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History & Culture, on Washington DC’s

National Mall was opened. Architect Sir David Adjaye, who was knighted last week said of the building’s innovative cladding system: “Aluminium solved the problem. With these panels, four men can basically unbolt a panel and take it off…

We talked with foundries and they said, ‘Look, recycled aluminium is incredibly sustainable. And we can use a bronze alloy finish that is exactly the same as bronze.’

So we said great.”

Last year, the award winning artwork The Hive, a 170,000-piece, geodesic, aluminium structure was brought to Kew Gardens, London by its artist Wolfgang Buttress. The immersive sound and visual experience tells (and sings) the story of the honey bee and the important role of pollination in feeding the planet. This important story, of a 130 million year old biological system, which supports a tenthousand year old agricultural system and 500-year old distribution system, that enables six and a half billion of us to be well nourished (and 800 million to not), is being told in a botanical garden that is 250 years old, in a 40 tonne structure built from a material which had a daily production of only 40 tonnes in 1900, modelled using a 3D design system that has been only 20 years in development.

One year ago, China’s primary aluminium production exceeded 50% of global production for the first time. IAI data published on 20th January 2017 will show that in 2016 it reached 55%.

Ten years ago next week the first iPhone, with its iconic aluminium casing, was launched. Every iteration since has used aluminium in its design.

Aluminium International Today

17/01/2017 09:04:50

PRIMARY 41

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EU28 & EFTA: 4Mt

CIS: 3.5Mt

N America: 6Mt China: 1Mt GCC: 0.5Mt

S America: 2Mt Australasia: 1.5Mt Primary aluminium production 1990 (20Mt)

EU28 & EFTA: 4Mt

CIS: 4Mt

N America: 4.5Mt China: 32Mt GCC: 5Mt

Ten years ago it took on average 14.3 kWh of power (DC) to produce one kilogram of aluminium from alumina, today it takes 13.4 kWh. Over the past 150 years our metal and our industry has underpinned socioeconomic developments that see the health and wellbeing of the world’s population reach levels never seen before in the history of humankind…and it is ready to play a key role in the fourth industrial revolution and beyond.

Giving designers the opportunity to move people and things in novel ways: in driverless cars, lightweight exoskeletons or re-useable spacecraft; to house and protect them in durable, recyclable, modular, green buildings; to tell their stories…of beauty, of love, of hate, of power…in beautiful but challenging and powerful spaces; to network them and their world through the internet of things, via smartphones, wearable devices and virtual reality. To build a new and better world for future generations.

I said that time may change me But I can’t trace time

S America: 1.5Mt Australasia: 2Mt

David Bowie, 8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016

Primary aluminium production 2015 (58Mt)

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17/01/2017 09:04:53

42 CASTHOUSE TECHNOLOGY

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The sustainable casthouse There are two challenges for every casthouse operation to remain competitive: The changing economics of energy production, availability and efficiency, and stricter guidelines for its production, use and environmental impact.

New standards relating to aluminium production and recycling (emissions), EU policies regarding recycling, which demands all vehicles must be 95% recyclable by 2015 and National Restrictions on the production of Greenhouse gasses and carbon footprint are a few examples.

To have a clear picture of the possibility for improving the efficiency in producing in aluminium, an approach could be looking at the gap between the current industry values for producing ingots and comparing them to the minimum theoretical values.

Production of primary aluminium ingot from bauxite requires approximately 23.8 kWh/kg. Recovering aluminium from post consumer feedstock to produce secondary aluminium ingot consumes about 6% of the energy required to produce primary aluminium (1.428 kWh/kg). These figures are “current practice values” (CPV – Average of the actual measurements of existing processes). This considerable difference drives the emphasis on secondary aluminium production.

Although we are “only” using 6% of the energy compared to the primary route, there are still possibilities for improving efficiency and savings.

The process theoretical minimum (PTM) – Theoretical minimum energy requirement for chemically transforming a material through chemical reaction – for aluminium at 775°C is 0.33 kWh/ kg. PTM is very simplistic and assumes thermodynamically “ideal” conditions.

Energy required to produce secondary aluminium at 775°C is 0.33 kWh/kg.

GARMCO project In order to bridge this gap between the CPV and PTM in current aluminium production processes, and to face the increasing environmental and energy needs that today’s casthouses are facing, Fives Group is building a “Sustainable Casthouse”, with its latest project, the GARMCO Re-melt expansion at GARMCO, Bahrain.

January/February 2017

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One of the goals is to produce cast slabs in a sustainable way and to achieve it, three objectives had to be met: The casthouse had to have competitive metal recovery rates, be energy efficient and environmental compliant.

The project, which started in October 2015, is a Lump Sum Turnkey EPC project and Fives Group is responsible for all engineering, project management and construction services.

Metal recovery is possible thanks to a twin chamber furnace, capable of melting post-consumer feed stock from external and internal sources.

The twin chamber furnace has two definitive chambers; a pyrolysis chamber which is dedicated to accepting contaminated metal (oil, paint, plastic, etc.) and a clean chamber where a portion of clean metal can be melted.

The profile of the furnace opening matches the profile of a purpose built charging machine charging machine, so that when the door opens, there is a low amount of oxygen that enters the furnace.

The chamber dedicated to process the contaminated metal is also atmospherically controlled: Depleted oxygen levels prevent metal loss from oxidation, due to formation of dross. This is achieved by a small burner, running gas rich to maintain the desired oxygen levels.

Once the door has closed, the pyrolysis process will start, at Low levels of oxygen and lower temperatures (600°C) which are ideal conditions for the recovery of aluminium.

At this temperature, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released from the contaminant, without the risk of burning metal.

Also, during the de-coating stage, the metal is effectively preheated before being submerged into the molten metal. After a predefined time, a second charge of metal is pushed onto the slope. This in turn pushes the previous charge (now decoated) into the melt.

This combination means that higher recovery rates can be achieved than in a conventional reverberatory furnace.

Pyrolysis gasses released from the contaminant are collected and diverted to an afterburner they then improve energy efficiency in the clean chamber by enhancing combustion.

A dedicated proprietary APC has been

designed to match the requirements for the fumes coming from the TCF, specifically hydrogen chloride and dioxins. In order to comply with the local regulations, such fumes are conveyed to a Venturi reactor where pollutants are neutralised by injecting hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2 for the HCl) and activated carbon (for dioxins).

This design provides an optimised contact between pollutants and reagent, while minimising at best pressure drop.

Then, dust and the by-product are separated from the fumes by TGT® filter bags. This technology allows a large fumes flow rate (more than 200,000m3/h), in a compact footprint.

The GARMCO project also involved Fives best practises in energy efficient design: a good example is resorting to “power on demand” technology, by using variable speed drives on components like fans, pumps, etc., to supply power only when their working cycle demands for it.

Further than good design practises, operations and maintenance are two key aspects to make sure the casthouse runs efficiently. There are numerous ways to ensure cost efficient operations within a furnace, the two main complementary approaches include: Maximising available heat and minimising controllable losses.

Making sure the burners work with the right air ratio is key to maximising efficiency, as well as reducing fuel consumption and carbon monoxide production: Monitoring exhaust gas emissions gives an indication of burner efficiency and furnace Oxygen content. Having high air preheat with the use of regenerative burners is another example of the first approach.

Minimising controllable losses, on the other hand, will help to make the most out of the available heat.

Losses can be: Infiltration through openings, radiation from openings and through refractory walls. Having a reliable pressure control by adjusting the flue damper or tuning door and spouts cycle times are good ways to tackles these possible problems.

Last but not least, it is worth mentioning the importance of good maintenance (i.e. seals, thermocouples and other components) which ensure the efficient functionality of the furnace. � Fives Group www.fivesgroup.com

Aluminium International Today

16/01/2017 16:12:11

CASTHOUSE TECHNOLOGY 43

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Making the most of scrap The demand for aluminium melting and casting furnaces is increasing in line with the growing importance of recycling. Due to the relatively high value of aluminium, the metal is recovered from practically all its applications. This article looks at how Hertwich Engineering GmbH has prepared various melting processes and furnace designs in a way that scrap of the most varied types and qualities can be melted.

Continuous homogenising plant

Helical ultrasonic testing station

Vertical casting machine in the front, continuous homogenising and sawing plant in the background

The focus of Hertwich’s activities is on the design, construction, supply and commissioning of equipment for aluminium casthouses.

One example for recycling methods developed by Hertwich is the melting technology for aluminium chips. With the continually increasing use of aluminium, the interest in an effective chip processing method is necessarily growing as well.

Today it is estimated that around two million tonnes of chips are generated worldwide each year.

The main problem affecting chip recycling is the disadvantageous proportion of surface area and volume, which suggests substantial material loss during melting. When Hertwich first addressed this problem approx. 10 years ago, the company based its approach on the already successful Ecomelt technology.

By utilising the energy content of the organic compounds, operating costs and emissions (NOx, dioxins, VOCs, no salt) are reduced. With the development of a compact chip treatment and melting plant, Hertwich managed to use these advantages for chip recycling as well. The first unit of that type, with a capacity of 3 t/h, started operation at Otto Fuchs in 2004. In the following year, 2005, Hertwich commissioned three plants of

the same type at various international customers. In 2007 this was followed by a unit with capacity increased to 5 t/h, and in 2012 the capacity was increased again to 7 t/h for a unit supplied to the USA. In such a plant the preheat shaft is replaced by a chip dryer. Loose chips are fed into the hot gas flow of the dryer, where they are heated to 400°C within a few seconds and thereby freed from moisture and organic compounds. The energy required is drawn from hot gases coming from the melting furnace. Waste gases from the dryer, which contain hydrocarbons, are fed back into the melting furnace and used as fuel. This contributes toward providing the plant’s heating requirements. Heat from the furnace flue gases is extracted as much as possible in a regenerative burner system and used to preheat the combustion air to some 900°C. During the melting process the preheated chips are fed continuously into a downward directed melt flow generated by an electromagnetic inductor positioned at a side-well of the furnace.

This melt stream immediately draws the chips below the bath surface and down to the bottom of the furnace. Accordingly, a maximum metal yield and melt loss values in the range of merely 0.5% are achieved.

In the sector of aluminium casting equipment, Hertwich supplies all the plant types used by the industry. Besides vertical direct chill casting units, the product range has included horizontal direct chill casting machines for the last 40 years. The position of the company can also be appreciated due to the fact that the ingot format (75mm x 54mm) established by Hertwich is the European standard nowadays. Horizontal direct chill casting, initially applied for the casting of foundry products (ingots), has been further developed and is now successfully used to cast extrusion and forging stock, T-bars, busbars, etc.

Open mould ingot casting plants built

by Hertwich are available with either water or air-cooling. Those plants built to modern design work fully automatically and also include the downstream work steps in the automated sequence, all the way down to bundles ready for shipment.

Heat treatment in continuous or batch homogenising furnaces For metallurgical reasons the as-cast aluminium intended for deformation (rolling slabs, extrusion billets, forging stock, etc.) have to be heat treated with subsequent cooling (homogenisation). In the homogenisation of extrusion billets

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January/February 2017

16/01/2017 16:13:15

44 CASTHOUSE TECHNOLOGY

Hertwich has considerably influenced the present technical standard.

A decisive step was the development of continuous homogenising plants.

Since 1980, when the first continuous homogenising plant for extrusion billets built by Hertwich. Engineering started operation at AMAG in Ranshofen, continuous homogenising has become generally accepted because of its advantages. Today, this furnace type is used in around two-thirds of worldwide billet production. To date, Hertwich has supplied more than 120 continuous homogenising plants.

Following that success, a few years ago Hertwich started to improve the standards of batch homogenising furnaces, which are still indispensable for longer holding times or frequent production changes, aiming to achieve results comparable with those of continuous homogenising furnaces. In 2010 batch furnaces were completely redesigned. The newly developed heating concept achieves high metallurgical standards due to the uniform temperature distribution in the furnace chamber. Supplemented by automated billet handling, batch furnaces have now come close to the performance of continuous homogenising furnaces.

Today, users are free to choose between the two concepts, or they are able to combine both furnace types with one another.

The significant feature of the redesigned Hertwich batch furnace is the new heating concept. During heating in a conventional batch furnace, the hot air stream loses energy while passing through the batch.

This results in a non-uniform temperature distribution; the billets are heated differently. To equalise these temperature differences, longer heating times are required. The newly developed Hertwich batch furnace generation overcomes this disadvantage by alternating the flow direction of the hot gases whilst still maintaining a high air pressure within the furnace.

Flow direction is reversed by movable flaps while the fans continue to operate at full power. During the holding time the heat loss is compensated by the energy input of the frequency-controlled recirculation fans only.

For the cooling process, of course, the same applies as for heating. Uniform cooling requires a reversible cooling airflow pattern by movable flaps and baffles.

The complete plant consists of two batch furnaces, complemented by one cooling station. This combination allows idle times to be minimised and at the same time the capacity of the cooling station to be used intensively. The billets are stacked outside the furnace in a rack January/February 2017

casthouse hertwich.indd 2

and put into the furnace as a batch.

Billets are transported by a transfer car in combination with a stacking crane and a spacer handling system.

Fully automated inspection and auxiliary equipment The widespread use of extruded products and the associated increase in quality demands, require as-cast material inspection by ultrasonic testing. To integrate this inspection process, which was previously carried out on a random sample basis using manual instruments, into the industrial sequence, Hertwich developed automated ultrasonic testing stations. Inspection directly after the casting process avoids the expensive further processing/scrapping of defective material.

In accordance with the required safety standard two options are available: � In the linear ultrasonic testing unit two probes offset by 90° are moved along the surface in longitudinal direction. � In the helical ultrasonic testing unit the rotating billets are inspected in sections by multiple probes in axial direction.

Melting and casting furnace (70 tons)

The UT Stations can be integrated into the automated process. For the necessary auxiliary activities such as handling, sawing, stacking, marking, strapping, etc., thoroughly field tested components are available, with which the whole process can be automated down to the bundles ready for shipment. Auxiliary equipment around the new batch furnaces for loading of transfer cars, stacking with automatic spacer insertion, charging the furnace, transport to the cooling station and unloading the furnace has been automated as well.

Automation not only increases productivity and flexibility, but also provides an ergonomic workplace with high safety standards.

Compact remelt plants The concept of the compact remelt plant developed by Hertwich was implemented for the first time in the 1980s. This type of plant combines the entire production

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process – from melting scrap, all the way to the bundled billets – in one continuous automated sequence. By virtue of continual improvements this concept is now extremely attractive and in demand for in-house scrap recycling.

In general scrap is melted in an Ecomelt type melting furnace. The melt is degassed, filtered and fed to a horizontal direct chill billet casting unit. Billet diameters of up to 15” are possible. The solidified billet strands are cut into billets by a flying saw, placed on a storage conveyor and then checked by an ultrasonic testing station for centre cracks and inclusions. Any defects found are marked and cut out after homogenising, if necessary.

The checked billets are heat treated in a continuous homogenising furnace.

Continuous homogenising is characterised by its exact and uniform temperature control during heating and holding, and can moreover be easily integrated in the continuous process. The cooling station is arranged directly after the continuous homogenising furnace. Once the billets have passed through this, they can be automatically separated, stacked and strapped. With the help of the equipment available it is possible to implement the best suited automation solution for every casthouse.

To ensure reliable plant operation, all the units are provided with the necessary control instruments, diagnostic systems and other equipment. Furthermore, besides the usual equipment, Hertwich plants have: � An automatic product tracking (Hertwich Log Tracking) throughout the entire system. At any time, all product data and the current production status are stored. � A sophisticated diagnostic system.

Each individual work step is monitored by special control and diagnosis programs.

If there is any deviation from the nominal values, this system reacts immediately. � An automatic restarting program.

After any interruption of operation, this program automatically restores the units to the position in which automatic operation can restart.

Future prospects Further development in this sector may be considerably influenced by the expected increase in the quantity of aluminium returned for recycling. In the coming decades, the rapid increase in the proportion of aluminium used in automobiles, will necessarily lead to a corresponding spread in scrap processing. Besides the larger quantities, this will involve a more far-reaching differentiation of the objectives – all in all, a trend which will continue to create new challenges for Hertwich. � Aluminium International Today

16/01/2017 16:13:18

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46 RECYCLING

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Recycled, recyclable, renewable, sustainable: Battle of the brands

By Melanie Williams* The past two years has seen a flurry of announcements of new brands associated with different types of recycled and ‘renewable’ primary aluminium. Added to this, the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), an industry grouping of aluminium producers, processors and purchasers is preparing to launch a system for sustainable aluminium. But how will this branding activity affect the market for aluminium and will a price premium develop for sustainable, renewable or recycled aluminum? Aluminium is not the first commodity to differentiate a more sustainable product in the market place so there are precedents to help answer this question.

To understand these announcements, we need to put ourselves in the position of consumers and the international brands that sell to them. Aluminium has excellent lightweighting and recycling characteristics, in addition to its attractive physical properties. However on the opposite side of the coin are direct greenhouse gas emissions, high-energy use, red mud waste streams and bauxite mining risks for indigenous people.

Recycled aluminium does not have these risks and so it is not surprising that it has become increasingly attractive to the industry. There has been an increased focus on the general recyclable properties of aluminium and other metals with the slogan and logo ‘Metals recycle forever’.

Members of the public and businesses have been encouraged to recycle more with the ‘every can counts’ campaign. But these are neutral in their impact. ‘Recyclable’ is not the same as ‘recycled’. Products made from actual recycled aluminium appeal to the environmentally conscious consumer and could actually encourage recycling.

Manufacturers are therefore including more recycled content in products and backing up their claims with verification by external auditors. Brands designed to capitalise on these efforts have been launched - Evercan, RealCar, Victorinox

penknife cases made from recycled Nespresso capsules.

Producers like Novelis, Alcoa and Hydro are setting targets for the amount of recycled aluminium they will be using, with figures ranging between 50% and 80% by 2020. The IAI predicts recycled scrap to grow to 31 M tonnes by 2020 compare with primary aluminium production of 70 M tonnes pa. It is worth noting that both post-consumer and pre-consumer scrap is included in these figures. Whilst it is more difficult to recycle post-consumer scrap, both need to be encouraged to overcome barriers to recycling.

While recognisable products from recycled aluminium encourage recycling and appeal to green consumers, there are barriers to this approach. A purchasing and cobranding agreement is needed to ensure continuity of supply and to maximise the marketing opportunities.

Regionally there may not be the availability of recycled input. Also, as the demand for aluminium grows, and products are in use for many years, there may not be enough recycled aluminium to satisfy demand.

We are also seeing producers of primary aluminium based on renewable electricity promoting the low carbon intensity of their product with the launch of new brands.

‘RenewAl’ was launched by RioTinto. Alcoa launched ‘Sustana’ recently at Aluminium 2016. Rusal has started to use the slogan ‘aluminium crafted by hydro energy’.

Customers who buy directly from these smelters will be able to take advantage of the claims to boost their low carbon credentials, and most importantly, reduce the greenhouse gas intensity they quote for their products. However, most low carbon aluminium will pass through a supply chain and without traceability, the origin of the aluminium will be lost.

The next step would be to apply software developed in other sectors where traceability is important e.g. conflict minerals, agricultural products and timber, to low carbon aluminium supply chains.

Claims about the use of low carbon or ‘renewable’ aluminium could then be backed-up and passed to the final product manufacturer. Without this traceability it will be difficult to monetise the benefits of low carbon primary aluminium.

The ASI is more of an industry wide approach, which promotes not only the production of sustainable aluminium but also traceability through the supply chain. It has recently published a draft proposal for a Chain of Custody Standard, which describes the traceability model.

ASI differentiates between post and pre-consumer scrap in its treatment of recycled aluminium. Post-consumer scrap from controlled sources will be straightaway ASI compliant as input to an ASI certified casthouse. This will provide a mechanism for traceability, as ASI compliant aluminium is transferred between certified facilities. There is also a proposal to allow casthouses to sell sustainable credits/certificates separately from physical aluminium.

Experience from other sectors tells us that sustainably certified commodities can attract a price premium over the conventional material. This partially compensates for the additional costs of production and compliance. The premium depends on the perceived risk of the product and whether it is segregated from, or mixed with, conventional material. On the flip side, there is sometimes an oversupply of the sustainable material in the market.

The initial success of the ASI look sure, as the ten production members and seven users are committed to using the Scheme within two years for some production and purchasing.

Suppliers of post-consumer recycled aluminium should then be able to access the same premium that ASI primary aluminium achieves. Suppliers of verified and traceable low carbon aluminium, could also achieve this premium. �

*Consultant: Sustainability Environment www.melaniewilliamsconsulting.com January/February 2017

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Aluminium International Today

16/01/2017 11:21:35

7th International Conference on Electrodes for Primary Aluminium Smelters 25 – 27 April 2017, Reykjavik, Iceland ABOUT THE EVENT: The 7th conference will be held on 25-27 April 2017 in Reykjavik, Iceland.

The conference has now been firmly established as a platform for development and exchange of ideas in this important and previously neglected field of the aluminium industry. The scope of the conference has now been widened to include cathode rodding.

Emphasis will be on environmental issues, increasing productivity and future prospects and challenges in the aluminium industry.

More than 100 delegates gathered at the successful 6th conference in 2014 and the organisers are expecting this number to grow in 2017.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME The conference programme is currently being developed and will include international leading experts in this field. Programme announcements will be available online at www.rodding-conference.is EXHIBITION Alongside the conference, a dedicated tabletop exhibition will take place.

The exhibition will provide a platform for companies to display their work and products in the primary aluminium industry to an audience of international experts and decision makers.

There is limited space within the exhibition, so don’t miss out; book your space today!

The cost of a tabletop space starts from just £933 and there are sponsorship opportunities available.

Contact Anne Considine today to secure your spot: Email: anneconsidine@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 1737 855 139

For all other enquiries, contact Birgir Jóhannesson: Email: Birgirj@nmi.is Tel: +354-522-9174

For conference enquiries, contact Nadine Bloxsome: Email: nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 1737 855 115

We look forward to seeing you in Iceland in April 2017!

www.rodding-conference.is

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48 RECYCLING

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Keeping cans out of landfill The aluminium can recycling process represents one of the best near-to-closed loop recycling stories in the whole of the worldwide metals industry. However, when you look at the figures, we’re still wasting a huge amount of valuable resources, says Geoff Scamans* I’m passionate about recycling aluminium and, to me, this loss should be avoidable.

In this article I’ll shed some light on what’s happening with can recycling.

Can scrap price Since 2006 I’ve kept track of the relative price of primary aluminium on the London Metal Exchange with the price of can scrap. This is the price Novelis pays at their can recycling plant in Latchford, UK. The graph shows how the price paid for baled cans directly tracks the LME price for primary aluminium. It is always roughly half the primary price, particularly when any premiums are taken into consideration. I don’t know who sets the can scrap price, but it is clearly directly related to the price of prime metal.

The can recycling process The recycling of can scrap from used beverage cans (UBC’s) is excellent business for aluminium companies like Novelis.

This is because they are essentially getting pre-alloyed prime metal back at half price.

However, it is not a trivial process to turn this scrap back into the large rolling blocks needed to make the next tranche of cans.

Novelis at Latchford are world leading experts in turning vast numbers of recycled UBC’s back into 27 tonne rolling blocks.

Amazingly, each of these blocks contains about 1.5 million recycled cans!

A major part of the can recycling process is to get the alloy composition right to make the can body stock alloy.

The can body and the can end are made from different alloys. Can end alloy is made directly from a prime alloy base.

However, both alloys are recycled back into can body stock. Alloying additions and dilutions (using prime aluminium or purer grades of recycled metal from other scrap sources) adjust the composition to that required for can body stock.

Current levels of can recycling The cans made from recycled UBC’s are indistinguishable to the can-maker from those made from prime aluminium. Can stock must also be made from prime metal to replace the cans that are lost from the recycling loop.

The percentage of recycled UBC’s, and the fraction of these that make it back into can body stock again, varies significantly from country to country.

The UK is close to the world and EU average for UBC recycling at about 65%.

Therefore, the recycling loop still loses 35% of all drinks cans, mainly to landfill.

This is a huge loss of a valuable resource with a high level of both embodied energy and embodied carbon. Both of these come mainly from the prime aluminium production process.

The second issue is the actual number of

recycled cans that find their way back to Novelis at Latchford for making into new cans. This is quite difficult to determine but is around 30 to 40% of all the cans used each year.

Waste of resources This is clearly a huge waste of a valuable resource, although the UK is not the worst in the world. The US had already lost its trillionth recycled can by 2003. This represents a massive loss of 17.5 million tonnes of aluminium.

Estimates say that the energy required to replace the 50 billion UBC’s wasted in the US each year is equivalent to that lost by pouring away 16 million barrels of oil. In the longer term we could recover some of these lost cans by landfill mining.

However, we are a long way from even starting this process today.

The key question is how to raise the awareness of the loss of all these cans from the recycling loop every year.

Unfortunately, there’s no appetite for a deposit system in the UK. This system works exceptionally well in the other countries and the US states which use it.

UBC recycling is high in countries where there is a more developed environmental awareness. It is also high where economies are so bad that collecting and recovering discarded cans provides a subsistence level income. �

1800

Fig 3. The UK is close to the world and EU average for UBC recycling at about 65%

1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 UBC scrap (baled)

200 0 Jan 06

LME monthly average

Jan 08

Jan 10

Jan 12

Fig 1. Price paid for baled cans vs the LME price (£/tonne)

Jan 14

Jan 16 Jan 17

Fig 2. An aluminium ingot cast by Novelis at Latchford (image from www.thinkcans.net)

*Chief Scientific Officer at Innoval Technology January/February 2017

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Aluminium International Today

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RECYCLING 49

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The recycling challenge Rick Hindley* emphasises the importance of achieving challenging recycling targets.

The UK has made significant improvements in the recycling performance for aluminium packaging over recent years.

More than 75,000 tonnes of aluminium packaging was collected for recycling in 2015 and over 60% of this material was recycled in the UK. Whilst the momentum continues, it could be undermined unless ambitious targets are set for the recovery of this valuable material, backed by infrastructure and creative ‘behaviour change’ programmes.

At a European level, increased recycling targets proposed under the European Commission’s revised Circular Economy Package are currently being analysed by Member States. The Package proposes aluminium packaging recycling targets of 75% by 2025 and *85% by 2030.

As a permanent material that can be recycled over and over again without any loss in quality, aluminium is already contributing to the circular economy.

It is clear that making the circular economy a reality will require long-term involvement and commitment at all stages in the packaging supply chain, working in partnership with local authorities, waste management companies and ultimately consumers. Since the UK voted to leave the EU at the referendum in June 2016, the industry has been seeking clarity from government on how this might affect the country’s approach to the Circular Economy and future recycling targets.

New recycling targets for aluminium and steel packaging will be set in early 2017.

For now the strategy is very much ‘business as usual’ as we look to maintain the momentum we have achieved in recent years, which has seen the aluminium packaging sector consistently exceed its statutory recycling targets.

The UK’s circular economy approach Whether in or outside of the EU, recycling must be a key focus. The present UK recycling system needs to be modified in order to ensure that it is ‘fit for purpose’ to measure the true recycling performance

and to direct investment to where it is needed; in the case of aluminium ‘changing consumer behaviour’.

Alupro acts as the voice of the UK aluminium packaging industry, representing the industry to policy makers and opinion formers in the UK and Europe, and helping it to meet and exceed, statutory recycling targets for aluminium packaging.

The organisation runs behaviour change programmes on behalf of members and the wider metal packaging sector to educate and encourage consumers to recycle more. Alupro lobbying has led to a more robust and accurate system for data measurement and we believe challenging recycling targets are essential to maintain the sector’s positive growth.

At the same time, we must be realists and recognise that recycling is unlikely to be top of the UK government’s Brexit strategy, but that is not an excuse not to

try harder to achieve still more recycling.

Stimulus for recycling must come from all sections of the supply chain.

Alupro’s existing programmes ‘Every Can Counts’ and ‘MetalMatters’ have already achieved impressive improvements in recycling performance as well demonstrating that, working together, raw material suppliers, converters and brands can make a real difference.

Gaps in data According to 2015 figures, the UK’s national recycling rate for all aluminium packaging is 55% and the estimated recycling rate for aluminium drinks cans has reached 69%.

Figures for 2016 are due to be published at the beginning of 2017. Based on the recycling performance in the first three quarters of 2016, we are confident the 52% recycling target for 2016, will be achieved.

*Executive Director of the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation, Alupro Aluminium International Today

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The UK’s recycling performance is driven by the Producer Responsibility (Packaging) Regulations, whereby producers purchase evidence of recycling in the form of Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs). This is a system unique within Europe, and indeed the world. Accredited reprocessors issue PRNs to producers and retailers for every tonne of material delivered for recycling.

However, reprocessors and exporters are not obliged to register within the system and many choose not to become accredited, due to the system’s perceived complexity and the low average price of aluminium PRNs, so material flows outside the system and tonnages go unrecorded.

A study conducted by Alupro shows there is substantial tonnage of aluminium packaging that is reprocessed or exported

collections and bring sites, under a ‘closed loop’ recycling system is always going to be the preference, newer treatment technologies are making a valuable contribution to recycling performance across Europe, In the UK, residual household waste is increasingly being treated in Energy from Waste (EfW) plants rather than going to landfill.

With the growth of these plants across the UK these technologies will make an increasingly important contribution to reaching challenging targets – and to achieving a more circular economy by enabling the extraction of even the smallest aluminium packaging fractions from incinerator bottom ash (IBA).

Revisions to the aluminium protocols,

beyond that reported by accredited organisations. These gaps in the data means that UK recycling performance appears weaker than the reality.

In 2015, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced changes to the accreditation and application process to reduce the administrative burden, for packaging reprocessors. The changes to the accreditation process marked one of the most significant successes to-date for Alupro’s lobbying activities.

There is still work to be done to encourage more reprocessors to become accredited so that recycling data is an accurate record of recycling performance.

The sector needs to record tonnages accurately in order to meet ambitious material recovery targets, whether set by the EU or based on UK legislation.

which took effect in 2015, enable reprocessors of IBA to issue PRNs. This was a direct result of Alupro’s on-going strategy to ensure recycling performance data reflects the collection infrastructure, and so accurately reflects the industry’s efforts to meet recycling targets. As a result the majority of IBA reprocessors are now accredited to issue Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) on the aluminium fraction recovered. During the first nine months of 2016, 20% of all PRNs were issued on aluminium packaging recovered from IBA.

Newer treatment technologies Whilst focusing on recovering materials through non-contaminated kerbside January/February 2017

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Consumer confusion Recent UK media attention has focused on packaging that is regarded, by consumers at least, as being ‘hard to recycle’. It is important that we get the message across that recycling of used aluminum packaging is easy, viable and is happening! We need to give consumers the confidence that, if aluminium is used in their packaging, industry can, and will,

recover this valuable material.

Alupro has a successful track record of changing perceptions that everyday items are ‘hard to recycle’. In particular, this can be seen in recent campaigns focused on aerosols, foil containers and screw caps and closures. Over the past three years, the number of councils collecting aerosols has increased from 87% to 96%, providing almost complete coverage throughout the UK. Meanwhile, foil recycling has also seen a dramatic increase in collection, from just 35% of councils in 2007 to 86% today.

Alupro’s ‘Leave your cap on’ campaign, in partnership with British Glass, now reaches over two million households.

Within our industry we know that aluminium can, and will be, recovered from the waste stream, but we need to help consumers understand the ‘how and why’ of recycling and give them the confidence to recycle more, wherever they are. The aluminium packaging industry is working with local authorities and the waste management sector to improve understanding.

Alupro project manages several programmes funded by metal packaging manufacturers, reprocessors and leading brands, which the industry believes are making a vital contribution towards encouraging people to recycle more.

‘MetalMatters’ focuses on improving metal capture rates in local authority recycling schemes; whilst ‘Every Can Counts’ supports organisations wanting to enable people to recycle the beverage cans used outside the home. Campaigns like this are having an impact and breaking down the barriers to recycling.

A recent MetalMatters campaign in Warwick, UK saw a 28% increase in metal packaging collected for recycling – at a time when local authority budgets are being cut it is testament to the strength of our message, and our material, that we can achieve such impressive results. We will continue to invest in developing campaigns across all sectors: A collaborative approach enables consumers to receive reliable information and prevent unnecessary contamination of household materials.

A ‘green’ future Whether inside or outside of the EU, the UK government needs a clear, ambitious but achievable recycling strategy. Brexit shouldn’t mean putting a hold on things or asking for targets to be downscaled.

The UK government must build the support of businesses and consumers and work alongside its international counterparts, sharing recycling best practice. By delivering lasting and positive recycling behaviour change, we can all have a brighter future. � Aluminium International Today

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Sorting technology

Short laser pulse induced plasma for breakdown spectroscopy

LIBS offers a viable means of ending the down cycling of valuable production scrap into lower grade materials.

TOMRA recently introduced its latest LIBS-based sensor sorting technology at ALUMINIUM 2016 in Düsseldorf, Germany – a method which now, for the first time, can sort and separate different aluminium wrought alloys and achieve high levels of separation efficiency.

Aluminium is becoming an increasingly important component in the manufacturing of industrial goods. For instance, in recent years, car manufacturers have begun to change their production methods as well as the materials they use: Where they once would have used a steel-based body, more and more auto manufacturers are now producing body panels, and even entire car bodies, from valuable wrought aluminium – a production process which creates a substantial amount of additional aluminium scrap comprised of different mixed aluminium wrought alloys as a byproduct.

Past recycling methods were only partially successful in solving the problem of recycling such mixed aluminium Aluminium International Today

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production scrap. Often, the practical outcome being simple down cycling of valuable and highly specific aluminium wrought alloys. This inevitably resulted in the generation of a significantly lower monetary value than might be obtained if the material were effectively separated prior to the recycling process.

Modern sensor-based sorting technologies such as X-Ray transmission and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) offer much greater potential for sorting this type of scrap into different grades, such (and economic uplift) as 5xxx and 6xxx series alloys, whilst simultaneously removing all unwanted products. Employing a dynamic laser across the full width of the conveyor belt, TOMRA’s LIBS technology permits a high throughput of materials and results in sustained optimal purity levels – developments which are highly relevant to the recycling industry and will clearly extend the options for the usage of scrapand secondary aluminium.

The LIBS process LIBS is an essentially non-destructive method of rapid and remote chemical analysis, which without any sample preparation, produces a quantitative assessment of materials based on their elemental composition. LIBS technology has attracted significant attention in recent times, principally because of the development of relatively compact, industrial-grade equipment such as lasers and spectrometers which are the two key components the process requires.

A compact, high-repetition-rate laser is a fundamental part of the technology and is first focused on a particle which requires analysis. Discharging a laser pulse excites the particle, causing the ablation (removal from the surface) of a minute amount of the material, which instantly forms a plasma plume. The high temperatures present immediately cause the tiny volume of ablated material to dissociate (break down) into excited ionic and atomic components. Within a January/February 2017

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Where the mixed aluminium production scrap is only of limited value because of the problem of down cycling, the incremental revenue gained by efficient separation of the product can range from 150 €/t up to as much as 300 €/t for the separated materials (dependent upon market conditions and prices).

Fig 1

Feeding of unsorted material 3D-object recognition Scanning/LIBS analysis Separation chamber

rapid timeframe, the plasma expands at a supersonic velocity and then cools. At this precise moment, the characteristic atomic emission lines of the elements the sample material contains can be observed via an integrated spectrometer [1].

Using a control computer programmed with the necessary algorithms to measure and compare the sample composition in terms of defined material groups, it is then possible to determine the classification of the sample material, and also – in the case of wrought aluminium – the precise alloy group to which the sample particle belongs.

Sorting system TOMRA Sorting has developed a system consisting of a normal, industry-standard vibratory feeder which is used to transport the material to be sorted to a fast moving conveyor belt, operating at a speed of 3m/s (approx. 590 feet/min). The material is then randomly distributed across the full width of the conveyor belt, thus enabling material processing at rates of several (metric) tons per hour.

A 3D camera system also detects the precise position on the conveyor belt of the material, which is about to be inspected, measured and sorted.

Following this, the material then enters the inspection area where, using a 3-axis scanner, which directs a laser burst at the target coordinates, the TOMRA LIBS sensor then analyses the material. This process instantly identifies the aluminium alloy group to which the particle belongs, and using that information, the particle is subsequently sorted into two fractions by a pneumatic air burst.

The graphic gives a schematic view of the process in (Fig 1).

Applications In general, metals industry applications suitable for TOMRA LIBS processing are those that demand a high level of January/February 2017

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accuracy whilst simultaneously allowing a significant throughput of the machine.

The accuracy levels required often range above 99% purity, and minor misidentification of particles – especially zinc- and copper-containing alloys – can pose significant problems for the recycling process at a remelter’s facility.

At the same time, throughput must be significant due to the production process for aluminium alloys demands large quantities of material. Therefore, highspeed material processing is essential.

TOMRA’s LIBS system offers a solution to both these problems: Sorting accuracies – for instance with production scrap – range above 99% purity, and throughput through the sorting system are between three and seven tons per hour, depending on the input characteristics and bulk density of the material to be sorted.

Today’s recycling landscape has several applications where TOMRA LIBS processing is a viable option: Sorting needs within vehicle manufacturing Vehicle manufacturers are being pressurised due to legislation to reduce carbon footprint and CO2 levels. They are there for looking for weight reductions within their portfolio, choosing aluminium in the chassis production that not only achieves reduced weight and therefore reduced CO2 levels but also increases the vehicle recyclability.

The consequence is that a vast amount of mixed aluminium production scrap is created, which – in its mixed state – has a significant lower value than would be achieved if it were properly sorted and separated.

Field tests conducted with TOMRA Sorting’s LIBS-based sorting technology have shown there is a solution to these problems, and indeed one that proves to be both highly effective and highly productive in terms of financial gains.

Recycling of wrought alloys and other production scrap In addition to the aluminium production scrap generated by the automotive vehicle industry, it seems reasonable to assume that all kinds of production/new scrap can be sorted into different alloys. The TOMRA LIBS sorting system is not limited solely to the detection of 5xxx and 6xxx alloy groups – TOMRA LIBS technology is capable of separating all the different wrought alloy (from 1xxx through to 7xxx/8xxx) and can also detect and identify cast materials.

Other scrap sources Other, more “run-of-the-mill” scrap sources, such as taint tabor or used extrusion profiles, present a somewhat bigger challenge to operators of sorting systems. Due to surface coatings of foil and paint, or just simply because of surface contamination by dirt, dust and grime, such material will always prove difficult to analyse in the absence of an effective sorting set up. However, by carefully adjusting the laser system and spectrometer to match the composition of the (old) scrap to be sorted and the qualities of the elements to be recovered, it is very possible to get a separation of valuable materials from such scrap sources. In these contexts, pre-processing and pre-sorting steps would undoubtedly improve the efficiency of the process.

Summary For the first time, the new TOMRA LIBSbased sorting technology now offers a method of sorting wrought aluminium alloys into their respective alloy groups.

This development offers a means of ending the routine down cycling of valuable production scrap into lower grade materials, thus making high-value recycling a viable proposition.

The application of this technology promises incremental revenue gains of up to several 100 €/t whilst also offering a relatively short payback period.

TOMRA sorting is currently offering testing of the new TOMRA LIBS technology (using customer materials) at their facility in Koblenz, Germany. � References: [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laserinduced_breakdown_spectroscopy Aluminium International Today

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