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NOVELIS TO BUILD $2.5 BILLION ALUMINUM RECYCLING AND ROLLING PLANT IN ALABAMA
Novelis will invest $2.5 billion to build a new low-carbon recycling and rolling plant in Alabama. The advanced facility will have an initial 600 kilotonnes of finished aluminum goods capacity per year.
“This investment marks the start of another transformational growth phase for Novelis,” said Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Novelis Board of Directors. “We continue to invest in each of the markets Novelis serves – from beverage can to automotive, aerospace, and specialties – and in all geographies.”
More than half of the new facility’s capacity will be used to serve the growing demand for aluminum beverage can sheets in North America, which is driven by consumer preference for more sustainable packaging.
The facility is expected to create up to 1,000 careers in modern manufacturing and will be powered primarily by renewable energy, will use recycled water, and will be a zero-waste facility. It will also rely on railroad transportation, which can reduce logistics-related carbon emissions by up to 70 percent compared to road transport. The plant will make significant use of automation and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and robotics.
With the addition of a new recycling centre for beverage cans, Novelis will soon be able to recycle 90 billion cans globally, up from the 74 billion used beverage cans the company currently recycles. To support this, Novelis has been working to develop circular economies for aluminum through state and federal public policies, as well as through partnerships with customers and other stakeholders on new approaches that encourage and incentivize U.S. consumers to recycle more often.
In addition to the beverage can market, the facility will also serve the automotive market, where aluminum is a growing material as automakers make plans to achieve their sustainability goals.
Novelis’ decision to build an integrated greenfield recycling and rolling plant is backed by strong North American demand for flat-rolled, low-carbon aluminum from can makers and beverage companies. Site work is underway now and the company expects to begin commissioning in mid-2025.
NEW MRF USES CP GROUP TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE RECYCLING CAPABILITIES
As a landfill owner and operator in Iowa, Metro Waste Authority was challenged by an uncertain future for recycling. The agency chose to develop a new material recovery facility (MRF) to provide a sustainable solution for the Des Moines metro area.
The agency began discussions with its Board of Directors about a new, agency-owned recycling facility in 2018 after the National Sword policy disrupted the recycling world.
After a feasibility study supported a new facility for the region, Metro Waste Authority’s Board of Directors decided to move forward with building an MRF owned and operated by the agency. The agency sought a partner to engineer, manufacture, and install processing equipment in the new facility, eventually choosing CP Group.
To meet the needs of Metro Waste Authority, CP Group developed a system that would improve purity on recovered commodities, be low maintenance, and protect workers.
At the front end of the system, the primary auger screen and OCC auger screen work together after the infeed conveyor to fractionate material prior to any people, eliminating the presort and creating a safer environment.
Another feature is the installation of CP’s new auger silos that maximizes silo storage volume. The augers act as a material metering system that eliminates half and quarter bales by emptying the correct amount of material to be baled.
In addition to establishing a recycling operation, the new recycling facility also features a space dedicated to learning, including educational kiosks, interactive infographics, and a hands-on sorting station for visitors to learn about accepted recyclables and the recycling process.
“The facility is the result of collaboration and a shared philosophy by the cities and county, and it will improve recycling and benefit communities throughout the state for years to come,” said Michael McCoy, executive director at Metro Waste Authority. “Just like when our agency was formed to create a regional approach with one landfill, we are excited to have this same opportunity with recycling.”
ZUME AND SOLENIS LAUNCH LINE OF PFAS-FREE PACKAGING
Zume has furthered its partnership with Solenis. Together the companies are launching a line of PFAS-free packaging to replace plastic and styrofoam with a sustainable alternative for food service applications.
Popular for their grease and water-resistant properties, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are widely used chemicals commonly found in sustainable food packaging. While moulded fibre packaging can be composted, PFAS do not degrade naturally and can leach from containers and move through soils, contaminating drinking water sources significantly damaging the sustainability and circularity profile of moulded fibres.
The joint partnership furthers efforts from Zume and Solenis to expand PFAS-free moulded fibre solutions to replace entire categories of single-use plastic without harmful chemicals. Zume will provide its moulded fibre manufacturing capabilities and Solenis will supply its experience in functional additives and surface coatings which will increase the strength and functionality of Zume’s fibre recipes.
“Until now, an economically viable solution for brands to transition from plastic and foam packaging hasn’t been available,” said Zume CEO and chairman Alex Garden. “Our patented moulded fibre manufacturing equipment system and technology enable us to offer sustainable packaging at the same price or less than plastic. This partnership with Solenis advances efforts to eliminate single-use plastic and enables brands to keep commitments to stop using PFAS.”
The companies have outlined a technology road map of solutions they will collaborate on, including cups, bowls, plates, egg cartons, coffee cup lids, protein trays, and yogurt cups. Zume and Solenis aim to help global food brands replace their plastic and foam packaging with a sustainable and cost-effective alternative.
Moulded fibre manufacturing cells integrated and installed by ABB will test the packaging line to ensure the solutions meet the standards consumers expect from food packaging, including grease resistance, snappable lids, and spill-proof boxes. ABB’s robots will automate production and enable the scale and speed needed to make Zume’s sustainable packaging.
Initially, this partnership will support innovative recycling projects in three NextCycle markets. Each state, through its NextCycle initiative, will identify projects that develop recovery infrastructure solutions for post-consumer recyclable materials with a focus on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and aluminum, optimize innovative collection systems for polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), and divert from landfill back into the supply chain.
CLOSED LOOP PARTNERS PLEDGES $5 MILLION TO SUPPORT CIRCULAR ECONOMY INITIATIVES
Closed Loop Partners has pledged support to Resource Recycling Systems’ (RRS) NextCycle, a customizable accelerator-style program that facilitates connections and innovation to create circular economies. Closed Loop Partners will work collaboratively with participating states in the NextCycle initiative – currently Colorado, Michigan, and Washington – to identify opportunities to provide competitively priced and flexible financing to organizations and municipalities, up to $5 million per project.
AQUA METALS PRODUCES HIGHPURITY NICKEL FROM LITHIUMION BATTERY BLACK MASS
Aqua Metals has plated high-purity nickel metal from black mass created from a variety of lithium-ion batteries which enables a streamlined process for producing lithium battery-grade material. The company’s Li AquaRefining process recycles spent lithium-ion batteries in a clean, economical way that is fundamentally non-polluting by utilizing the renewable electron as the reagent instead of chemicals or high heat.
To date, the Aqua Metals has also produced high-purity lithium hydroxide and copper from lithium-ion battery black mass at the company’s innovation centre in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center.
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BMW TO START USING SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED ALUMINUM WHEELS IN 2024
The BMW Group will use cast-aluminum wheels produced with 100 percent green power for its BMW and MINI brands from 2024 onwards. The transition applies, in particular, to the energy-intensive electrolysis used in producing aluminum and to the wheel-casting process. Wheels previously accounted for about five percent of supply chain carbon dioxide emissions. Transitioning to more sustainable production that relies on green power will reduce these emissions by more than half.
CANADIAN SOIL COULD OFFSET 73 MEGATONNES OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ANNUALLY
Canadian soil has the potential to offset 73 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, says new report.
“Recruiting Soil to Tackle Climate Change: A Roadmap for Canada” was recently released by the Soil Conservation Council of Canada and the Compost Council of Canada and includes input from soil health researchers and practitioners from across the nation. It outlines the current soil organic carbon status of Canada’s soils on a regional basis and provides projections for the potential to increase these levels.
Canada contains approximately 71 million hectares of managed agricultural and urban soils. The road map identifies methods of promoting healthy soils to increase and retain more carbon. The report also identifies that the soil has the potential to completely offset agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions footprint, currently estimated at 73 megatonnes annually.
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