Greener Aluminium Online Summit May 2022

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CONTENTS

G U I D E

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Welcome by Nadine Bloxsome

4 w w w. a l u m i n i u m t o d a y. c o m / g r e e n e r - a l u m i n i u m

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION

Green Aluminium in the News

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Editor & Content Director Nadine Bloxsome +44 1737 855115 nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

Alternative Energy: Long-term sustainability of the aluminium industry

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

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Green Aluminium: Let’s pick the low-hanging fruits for Greener Aluminium

Production Editor Annie Baker Advertisement Production Martin Lawrence

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SALES

Green Aluminium: CCS, innovative electrolysis, recycling our path to zero-emission aluminium

International Sales Manager Nathan Jupp +44 1737 855027 nathanjupp@quartzltd.com

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Green Aluminium: The time for green aluminium companies to scale is now - let’s embrace it

CORPORATE Managing Director Tony Crinion

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Alternative energy: The renewables race

CEO Steve Diprose

Published by: Quartz Business Media Ltd Quart House, 20 Clarendon Road Redhill, Surrey RH1 1QX, UK +44 1737 855000 www.aluminiumtoday.com www.futurealuminiumforum.com

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Supporting Cop26: Low-carbon aluminium is the customer’s choice

© Quartz Business Media Ltd 2021

ISSN0143-7798

@alu_forum

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Green Aluminium: TotanEnergies ambitions: More energy, lower emissions

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Green Aluminium: GHI presents the Aluminium Recycling Plant of the Future

36 Conference Agenda 40 Speakers’ biographies 60 Exhibitors’ profiles

Photo: Getty/iStock / A Valetka (rev.)

Materials for life – choose aluminium

Achievin g clim ate- n eu tral p rod u cts is the n ex t d es ig n challen g e. L ow carb on alu m in iu m ticks all the b ox es .

W e can help you r d es ig n s w ith: • 1 0 0 % recyclab le m aterial • E co d es ig n f or you r p rod u cts • E PD an d f u ll tran s p aren cy, in clu d in g all s cop es , in ou r calcu lation s • Alu m in iu m w ith a hig h p ercen tag e of p os t- con s u m er s crap • L ow - carb on alu m in iu m T here are m n ot harm ou b e you r tru s a f air an d m

an y challen g es ahead in p rod u cin g in a w ay that w ill r p lan et. W e d on ’ t have all the an s w ers yet, b u t w e can ted p artn er in that everythin g w e d o w orks to create ore circu lar econ om y w ith p eop le an d p lan et in m in d .

C on tact u s tod ay to s ee w hat m aterials is m os t s u itab le f or you r n ex t p roj ect. hydro.com

WELCOME

A Greener Reality However ambitious, ‘net zero’ from the leaders in the aluminium sector will not be enough if decarbonisation stalls across the industry as a whole. This requires a united front — within the industry, with other sectors and with global policymakers.

Any comprehensive definition of sustainable aluminium must consider all steps of the aluminium value chain, from sourcing raw materials to the management of the end-of-life of products, holistically covering all relevant sustainability aspects along environmental, social, and governance pillars.

And with the global demand for aluminium expected to grow by 80% over the next 30 years, this growth reflects aluminium’s potential as a material that can enable sustainable development and provide solutions to global challenges.

This year’s Greener Aluminium Online Summit returns to focus on making a greener industry a reality and will bring together aluminium manufacturers and environmental solutions providers to discuss how the industry must continue to adapt, minimising the impacts associated with production of the metal today, while also developing technological pathways for the future.

I hope you enjoy the event!

Nadine Bloxsome, Content Director

Aluminium International Today

GREENER ALUMINIUM

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GREEN NEWS

Novelis expands production capacity for growing aluminium coffee capsule market Novelis has announced it is investing more than $30 million to build a new continuous annealing line at ist Plettenberg-Ohle, Germany, facility. The additional line will double the plant’s capacity for aluminium used in the production of coffee capsules, a market that is growing in response to increased demand for sustainable packaging solutions.

Many coffee brands choose aluminium over plastic to produce long life, flavorfresh coffee capsules. Aluminium offers unique barrier properties and protects the freshness and aromas of capsulated coffee from moisture, light and air better than other materials. In addition, aluminium is a perfect material for the circular economy and resource efficiency because it can be recycled again and again, without losing its properties.

Today, the starter material for most of the world’s aluminium coffee capsules comes from Novelis’ Ohle plant. This investment will further strengthen the company’s leadership in high - recycled-content packaging. Expected to begin operations in spring 2024, construction preparations will commence upon receipt of

final government approval.

“The investment demonstrates our commitment to serve as a trusted partner for our food and packaging industry customers and create more sustainable solutions for

consumers,” said Emilio Braghi, Executive Vice President and President, Novelis Europe.

“Increasing the use of recycled aluminium helps us reduce the use of natural resources, strengthen the circular economy and thus

Ball Aluminum Cup™ is now composed of 90% Ball Corporation and supplier Novelis have announced that the Ball Aluminum Cup™ is now composed of 90% recycled content.

This evolution builds on the Ball Aluminum Cup’s infinite recyclability by lowering its carbon footprint, therefore further positioning the product as a sustainable solution for packaging waste challenges across the sports and entertainment, food service, retail and beverage industries.

Ball designed the lightweight aluminum cups to bring beverage packaging circularity to sports and entertainment venues in response

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to growing consumer preference for more sustainable products. Producing the cup with 90% recycled content significantly reduces its carbon footprint, as doing so with recycled aluminum uses 95% less energy than doing so with primary aluminum. Ball also recently received Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze for the aluminum cup, underscoring the company’s commitment to making products that are safe, circular and responsibly made.

“At Ball, we’re committed to innovative solutions that contribute to creating a truly circular economy,” said Dan Fisher, President

and CEO of Ball Corporation. “Aluminum beverage packaging – including the Ball Aluminum Cup - has always been a sustainable alternative to plastic, and this update only further strengthens its sustainability attributes.

We aim to deliver solutions that not only benefit our global customers but also benefit the planet, and we are excited to partner with Novelis to bring a Ball Aluminum Cup made with 90% recycled content to communities everywhere.”

“In line with Novelis’ purpose of ‘Shaping a Sustainable World Together,’ we’re focused

Aluminium International Today

GREEN NEWS

limit climate change. Our sustainability commitments include a 30 percent carbon footprint reduction by 2026 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner, thereby helping our customers reach their sustainability goals as well.”

Together with its partners along the value chain, Novelis is developing innovative, lowcarbon aluminium solutions and creating recycling loops for production and end-of-life scrap. This enables the company to produce innovative alloys, such as those used in the production of coffee capsules made with more than 80 percent recycled aluminium confirmed by an independent international certification body.

In Nachterstedt, Germany, Novelis operates the world’s largest, most technologically advanced aluminium recycling centre, with an annual capacity of 400,000 tons. The starting material for coffee capsules is cast in Nachterstedt from used aluminium and then processed in Ohle to meet capsule producers’ most demanding product specifications.

% recycled content on innovating alongside customers like Ball to increase the use of recycled content in their products,” said Steve Fisher, President and CEO of Novelis Inc. “We’re proud of our long-standing partnership with Ball and our joint efforts to increase the use of aluminum for beverage packaging. Aluminum beverage packages – bottles, cans and cups alike – are a perfect product for the circular economy as they can be recycled over and over without ever losing their material properties.”

The aluminum cup, manufactured in Rome, Georgia, and made with 90% recycled content is available now and currently in use Aluminium International Today

by Ball customers. In fact, the aluminum cups are helping to drive sustainability at sports and entertainment venues across the country, including at Ball Arena in Denver, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. At Ball Arena, in particular, aluminum beverage packaging has helped to eliminate more than 350,000 single-use plastic cups and bottles, and the arena is on pace to eliminate more than 1 million single-use plastic cups and bottles in 2022.

Infinitely recyclable and economically

valuable, aluminum is the most sustainable beverage packaging material, and, like aluminum cans, aluminum cups can be easily recycled. In fact, 75 percent of the aluminum ever produced is still in use today and aluminum cans, cups and bottles can be recycled and back on a store shelf in as little as 60 days.

In addition to its sustainability and recycling strengths, the aluminum cup is lightweight, sturdy, cool to the touch and provides an elevated drinking experience.

GREENER ALUMINIUM

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GREEN NEWS

IAI Releases Updated Sustainable Bauxite Residue Management Guidance The International Aluminium Institute has published updated guidelines for the sustainable management of bauxite residue.

This is a revision of the Bauxite Residue Management Best Practice published in 2015.

The Sustainable Bauxite Residue Management Guidance document, explores and explains the lifecycle of bauxite residue and, through relevant case studies, shows how stakeholders can play an active role in its sustainable management.

Bauxite, the primary aluminium-rich ore, is found widely around the world, with global reserves estimated at 30 billion tonnes, and resources of between 55 to 75 billion tonnes.

Bauxite residue – also known as ‘red mud’ – is produced when extracting alumina from bauxite via the Bayer Process, which the aluminium industry has used since the 1800s.

In 2020 global alumina production was estimated at 133 million tonnes. For every tonne of alumina produced approximately 1.2 tonnes of residue is generated.

Because of its alkalinity, bauxite residue needs to be stored in Bauxite Residue Storage

Facilities (BRSF) until closed and rehabilitated into safe and stable landforms able to support vegetation and other land-uses. In some instances, residue can be used as raw material for other products or potentially valuable materials can be extracted from it.

“As aluminium production has increased, so has bauxite residue – estimated at almost 170 million tonnes generated in 2021. We’ll need to continue to manage bauxite residue in a sustainable way through innovative treatment, remediation, rehabilitation and utilisation options. This document aims to provide an overview of the varied approaches that can be adopted to minimise the impacts of bauxite residue from the facility design phase through to operation, closure and rehabilitation” says Pernelle Nunez, IAI Deputy Secretary General and Director of Sustainability.

Roberto Seno, Vice-Chair of the IAI’s Bauxite and Alumina Committee and Technology Manager at Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio said “the IAI and the aluminium sector continues to research how to extract the valuable materials remaining in bauxite

residue or use the residue for other production uses. Many opportunities have been identified – some of which, while technically feasible, are not yet economically viable. One of the most promising however has been residue as a raw material for cement production which presents a major opportunity for both industries and growing its bulk consumption is a focus in a number of regions.”

Eugenio Azevado, Chair of the IAI’s Bauxite and Alumina Committee and Vice President Continuous Improvement at Alcoa said “residue management goals require a culture of continuous improvement. An ideal future state would be producing zero residue but where this is not yet possible, we want to manage the residue safely stored in Bauxite Residue Storage Facilities (BRSF) so that we can rehabilitate and revegetate them or prepare them for the next useful land use.

Residue management is not “one-size fits all” and technology selection and management practices need to be adapted to specific local circumstances.”

Hydro Alunorte signs USD 200 million sustainability-linked loan to finance fuel switch project Alunorte has signed a USD 200 million sustainability-linked loan for the fuel switch project. The pricing of the loan will be linked to the performance of the company’s greenhouse gas emission reduction target.

“The Alunorte fuel switch project is one of the main enablers to deliver on Hydro’s

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sustainability ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. The strong relationship with the participating banks has enabled us to create a solution linking profitability and sustainability,” says Pål Kildemo, Executive Vice President and CFO of Norsk Hydro ASA.

Aluminium International Today

GREEN NEWS

Aluminium Stewardship Initiative certifies Alcoa Massena smelter against ASI Performance Standard Alcoa has achieved ASI Performance Standard Certification at its smelting and casting operation at Massena, New York, USA. The plant is known as the longest continually operating aluminium facility in the world, established in Massena in 1902 to take advantage of the region’s abundant hydro power. The plant’s annual production of primary aluminium is around 360,000 tonnes.

Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has announced that Alcoa has been successfully certified against ASI Performance Standard with Provisional status for its smelter and casthouses in Massena, New York.

The plant has received Performance Standard Provisional Certification under the ASI Interim Policy regarding Audits, AuditRelated Travel and Coronavirus, which clarifies the reasonable accommodations that can be made to audit plans in consideration of the current COVID-19 situation.

The independent, third-party audits of the Alcoa facilities were carried out by DNV Business Assurance Services UK Ltd. The audit was undertaken as a ‘desktop’ exercise with

Aluminium International Today

a remote review of relevant documentation.

Some criteria requiring on-site evaluation by the auditor will be evaluated when an on-site audit can be scheduled.

Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI said “ASI congratulates Alcoa on achieving Performance Standard Certification with Provisional status at the Massena, New York plant – one that is steeped in history, both for the aluminium sector and industrial development of the region. The plant’s hydrobased renewable energy has supported its operation for 120 years. Over that time, the facility has continued innovating to meet

the challenges of a constantly changing sustainability landscape. The achievement of ASI Certification is a demonstration of this commitment.”

“Earning certifications from ASI aligns with our vision to reinvent the aluminum industry for a sustainable future,” said John Slaven, Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer. “This recognition for Massena is welcome news for the facility’s 120 years of continual production and the important work that our employees do there every day to consistently improve for the benefit of our customers, communities and the environment.”

The Alunorte fuel switch project will replace heavy fuel oil with natural gas at the Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil. The fuel switch will reduce the refinery’s annual CO2 emissions by 700,000 tonnes when completed.

Hydro Alunorte is the world’s largest alumina refinery outside China and is located in the city of Barcarena, State of Pará.

The seven-year loan facility is structured as a sustainability linked loan, swapped to fixed rate. Six of Alunorte’s core banks participated in the financing: BNPP, acting as a coordinator and sustainability coordinator, DNB as the agent to the facility and Citi is the swap coordinator. Credit Agricole, ING and Itau also participated.

The sustainability link was incorporated

in the facility and interest rate swap, linking pricing to performance on the greenhouse gas emission reduction target to be achieved through the Alunorte fuel switch project.

This is Alunorte’s first loan and swap with a sustainability link, and the sustainability-linked derivative also constitutes a landmark as the first ever such structure to be executed in the Brazilian market.

“Hydro has a track record of utilising green and sustainable loans to finance activities, and our sustainable financing framework is directly linked to our medium- to long-term sustainability strategy, providing an advantage in terms of access to and cost of capital,” says Kildemo.

GREENER ALUMINIUM

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GREEN NEWS

Geomega Announces Funding from SDTC, Quebec and Rio Tinto for a $4M Pilot Plant and Feasibility Study of Sustainable & Complete Valorisation of Bauxite Residues Geomega Resources Inc. has announced that Innord Inc. has been awarded a $1.5M funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) towards the construction of a pilot plant and completion of a feasibility study using Innord’s technology, which is designed for a sustainable & complete valorisation of bauxite residues.

The Project cost is estimated at $4M, towards which Rio Tinto will invest $1.2M, the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation through Investissement Québec as mandatary of the Government of Québec with the Programme Innovation has provided $300K and Geomega will contribute $550K. The remaining $450K is intended to be funded by a 3rd party organisation towards the later stages of the Project and will be announced accordingly.

The collaborative research work will be led

by Dr. Pouya Hajiani, Geomega’s Chief Technology Officer, and will be performed

by Innord’s research team in collaboration with Rio Tinto’s R&D team.

“Bauxite residue, the waste generated from aluminium production, requires significant management and monitoring from mining companies to avoid environmental impacts. Innord Inc. is developing a process that reduces the volume of red mud by 70-90% while recovering valuable minerals from that waste. SDTC is pleased to provide funding to help Innord Inc. scale-up their solution to make the industry more sustainable.” commented Leah Lawrence, CEO of

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Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

Rio Tinto’s Director of By-product Valorisation Stephane Poirier said “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Geomega to support their development of this technology aimed at finding new uses for bauxite residue, the waste from the alumina refining process.

This has the potential to not only reduce the environmental footprint of aluminium production, but to also deliver new sources of materials such as critical minerals needed to support a low carbon future.”

“Investing in green aluminium is a strategic move for Quebec’s economy and the future of our manufacturing. We will continue to support any project that gives us a competitive edge in this area,” said Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation and Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development.

“We wish to thank SDTC for their contribution to this exciting, innovative and challenging Project. As a leading Canadian organisation in supporting the development of innovative clean technologies, we appreciate their contribution and look forward to working with the SDTC team as a valued partner in delivering a sustainable and complete solution to the bauxite residues challenge that is so important to both the Canadian and the global aluminium industry…. The Corporation is very grateful for the continued support from the Quebec Government through Investissement Quebec, which is dedicated

to supporting R&D, innovation and clean technologies in Quebec.” commented Kiril Mugerman, President & CEO of Geomega and Innord.

“Over the course of the last 12 months, Innord’s research team has worked closely with technical experts from our partner Rio Tinto to deliver a bench scale study project and is now prepared for the next stage of scale up. The Project, estimated to be completed over the next 24 months, will include the construction of a pilot plant, to be installed and commissioned at Innord’s facilities in Boucherville, which will ultimately form the basis for a technoeconomic feasibility study of the process.

The feasibility study will be used to assess the environmental performance of the technology and address the marketability of the final products. If this feasibility study is successful, it is intended that the consortium will continue to work together to bring the BR valorisation process to commercialisation.” commented Dr. Pouya Hajiani, Chief Technology Officer of Geomega and Innord.

Ownership of the intellectual property developed through the research work associated with the Project will remain with Innord.

The announced funding from all parties is non-dilutive to both Geomega and Innord. The SDTC funding is subject to a successful negotiation of a Project Funding Agreement (PFA) with SDTC. The PFA is expected to be entered into shortly.

Aluminium International Today

GREEN NEWS

Altek Metal Builds Aluminium Recycling Casthouse with EBRD and Garanti BBVA financing Altek Metal receives a 18 million Euro joint investment from EBRD (The European bank of Reconstruction and Development) and Garanti BBVA to build a casthouse with 50,000 ton per year capacity in Çerkezköy, Turkey. The main goal of this investment is to support business growth and improve the sustainability of Altek Metal’s high quality aluminium products. Altek Metal is the only company within the Turkish aluminium industry who is currently receiving active investment from EBRD at this point of time.

Altek Metal produces 5083 alloy precision milled aluminium cast plates under the brands of Aludur and Aludur Plus. With this latest investment, Altek Metal will be able to produce its own slabs and billets and will be less reliant on slab imports. ‘’We are proud to receive investment from EBRD to help us create a sustainable casthouse that will produce Aerospace quality (AMS) standard aluminium products. We will be able to increase our exports, reduce our imports whilst creating a casthouse that is respectful of Aluminium International Today

environmental standards,’’ explains the CEO of Altek Metal, Candan Karabağlı. ‘’One of the main reasons EBRD has chosen to work with Altek Metal on this investment is the projects contribution to Turkey’s green / circular economy. This investment will help Altek Metal develop its sustainable production capacity and reduce its reliance on imports.’’

Explains EBRD Analyst Nisa Koçaş.

Altek Metal specifically aims to reduce its scope 3 environmental footprint with this investment. By reducing the distance their products travel and recycling local scrap material, Altek will create more sustainable secondary aluminium slabs and billets.

Additionally, by installing solar panels on the roof of its facility, Altek Metal aims to improve its self-sufficiency and environmental footprint. The first products from this new casthouse will be distributed in both European and Turkish market beginning in January 2023.

Altek Metal has partnered with Almex, Sistem Teknik and Bonzet İnşaat to build this casthouse.

GREENER ALUMINIUM

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GREEN NEWS

EGA, TAQA, Dubal Holding and EWEC announce major initiative Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA), Dubal Holding and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) have announced a major initiative that would unlock significant further development of solar power generation capacity in Abu Dhabi, progress power asset and generation optimisation, and decarbonise EGA’s aluminium production in the United Arab Emirates.

The initiative, now subject to further negotiation and regulatory approvals in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, would advance TAQA and Dubal Holding’s growth strategies, see EGA become a leader in the global aluminium industry’s drive towards net zero by 2050, and support EWEC’s continued development of strategic renewable energy initiatives to reduce the carbon intensity of the energy sector.

TAQA and Dubal Holding envisage acquiring EGA’s electricity generation assets in the UAE, holding a 50 per cent share each.

The power generated from the assets would be supplied to the grid under a long-term power purchase agreement with despatch of the assets through EWEC’s load despatch centre.

The assets, located in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, total 6,474 megawatts of power generation capacity, predominantly combined cycle gas turbines technology. These include some of the most efficient turbines in the region, including an H-class engine in Jebel Ali that was commissioned in 2021.

TAQA’s operating company, Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (TRANSCO), would connect the power assets to the grid, as well as investing in developing the interconnections to upgrade the network to include new substations and strengthening connectivity in the UAE. For TAQA, the acquisition of EGA’s power assets would increase the company’s UAEbased capacity to more than 23 gigawatts, in line with TAQA’s growth strategy to increase domestic capacity to 30 gigawatts by 2030.

Dubal Holding, as a 50 per cent

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shareholder of EGA, supports EGA’s sustainability initiatives and also has its own goal of having a strong, diversified power and energy portfolio.

EGA would source power from the grid through a long-term electricity supply agreement, including an increasing proportion of clean energy procured by EWEC. This would make EGA the largest single electricity consumer on the grid.

The new steady power demand from EGA increases the predictability of the overall power system, and advances EWEC’s development of new solar energy projects. The scale of the expansion as a direct result of this initiative is expected to be greater than the current total installed solar generation capacity in the United Arab Emirates.

EGA would utilise this additional solar power once it is developed, which would enable EGA to vastly increase the proportion of its production that is CelestiAL solar aluminium.

EGA would also have access to clean power from existing solar power generation assets, and the Barakah nuclear power plant for other low carbon aluminium products.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA (top right), said: “Sourcing cost-effective clean power from the grid will enable EGA to lead our global industry into a more sustainable future. Today, we are taking another historic step towards achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We are also assuring that EGA’s global competitiveness will strengthen over

the decades ahead, not only as the world’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ producer but also one of its most environmentally-responsible.”

Jasim Husain Thabet, Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of TAQA (left), said: “At TAQA, we have set out our plans for sustainable growth, and the potential acquisition of EGA’s power assets supports our 2030 ambitions to add value for our stakeholders while further supporting the UAE’s sustainability efforts. Working together with EGA, Dubal Holding and EWEC, we will enable EGA to connect to a diverse energy mix as well as allow for the development of additional renewable energy projects in Abu Dhabi.”

Othman Juma Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer of EWEC (left), said: “This initiative supports EGA in making a powerful statement in their sustainability goals, and ensures EWEC can continue to significantly invest in our strategic clean energy initiatives and achieve greater efficiencies from our existing fleet through optimised operations. EWEC has overseen the development of the world’s current largest single-site solar power plant, Noor Abu Dhabi, and future world’s largest single-site solar power plant, Al Dhafra PV. Through this initiative we can secure new solar power generation capacity, diversify our power production portfolio with a focus on sustainability, and further advance our decarbonisation of the energy sector.”

Ahmad Hamad Bin Fahad, Chief Executive Officer of Dubal Holding (right), said: “Supporting the environment through systematic and careful investments in green energy projects aligns with our broader investment strategy and mandate. There is a global alignment to reduce our carbonfootprint and we are excited to pursue this initiative by supporting EGA with its goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. We are also encouraged to support the broader interEmirate cooperation in the energy sector as this will further boost both the local and larger UAE economy.”

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GREEN NEWS

EGA plans to build its first aluminium recycling facility, in the UAE, adding 150,000 tonnes billet capacity Emirates Global Aluminium has announced the company plans to build a 150,000 tonnes per year aluminium recycling facility, thecompany’s first and set to be the largest in the UAE. EGA intends to market recycled aluminium under the product name EternAL. The facility will process post-consumer aluminium scrap such as used window frames,

as well as pre- consumer aluminium scrapfrom extrusion production, into low-carbon, high quality aluminium billets.

Aluminium scrap for the recycling facility will mainly be sourced from the UAE and the wider region. More than half thealuminium scrap generated in the GCC is currently either disposed of or exported.

Feasibility studies for the project are underway. Production ramp-up could begin as early as 2024.

Production of aluminium through recycling requires a fraction of the energy consumed to produce new primary aluminium, with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of production as a result. The International Aluminium Institute forecasts that recycled aluminium will account for up to 60 per cent of global aluminium supply by 2050.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “End users of aluminium – from auto manufacturers to beverage makers – are increasingly committing to net zero in response to the expectations of society. This, our first recycling facility at EGA to produce EternAL, is one of the steps we plan to take to provide low carbon metal for ourcustomers around the

world.

“This facility will also strengthen EGA’s position as global leader in billet production, growing our capacity from some 1.15 million tonnes per year to some 1.3 million tonnes amid ever-increasing demand from our customers for this value-added product. And at home in the UAE, it will enable EGA to make a further contribution to both the achievement of Operation 300bn and the success of the In- Country Value programme, creating opportunities in construction and through the replacement of some imported rawmaterials with recyclable resources already in the UAE.” Aluminium is light, strong, durable, electrically and thermally conductive, formable and infinitely recyclable. These qualities make it ideal for applications from electric vehicles to windfarms to mass transit systems that are essential to reach net zero while improving living standards. The International Aluminium Institute forecasts that global aluminium demand will rise by 50 to 80 per cent by 2050 driven by global commitments to reduce emissions while furthering economic growth.

Last year, EGA began marketing aluminium made with the power of the desert sun under the product name CelestiAL.

Hydro building solar park to power new extrusion press in Poland The solar park is expected to be in operation in Q3 2022 and will generate 7.5 GWh/year to power a new extrusion press, currently under construction.

The solar park will be built next to the extrusion plant and supply electricity directly to the plant. It will power the new 8-inch extrusion

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press which is currently being built. It will also produce enough electricity to cover parts of the remaining power consumption of the plant.

The total investment amount for the solar park is EUR 5 million.

With increasing electricity prices in Europe, the investment will supply the plant with clean

renewable power. The Polish electricity grid mix is dominated by coal, so the solar park will reduce the carbon footprint of the extrusion process on the new extrusion press from an average of 0.68 kilo* CO2 per kilo aluminium down to an estimated 0.14 kilo**.

“This investment is a big step for our Polish Aluminium International Today

GREEN NEWS

Novelis to build $365 million recycling centre to support North American automotive customers and reduce carbon emissions Novelis to build $365 million recycling centre to support North American automotive customers and reduce carbon emissions by more than one million tons a year.

Novelis Inc has announced it will invest $365 million to build a highly advanced recycling centre for automotive in North America. With an annual casting capacity of 240 kt of sheet ingot, we expect the facility to reduce the company's carbon emissions by more than one million tons each year. The investment is expected to advance company's sustainability goals and create 140 new jobs in Kentucky.

The new recycling facility will be built adjacent to Novelis' existing automotive finishing plant in Guthrie, Kentucky.

The centre will enable Novelis to grow its closed-loop-recycling programs with more automotive customers in North America.

Through closed-loop recycling, the company takes back the aluminium remaining after automotive parts are stamped from sheets and remakes it into the same product for new vehicle production. The centre will also have the capability to process aluminium from vehicles at the end of their lifecycle. Using recycled aluminium, as input material requires only 5 per cent of the energy used to make

operations in supporting Hydro’s climate target of reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. With the solar park in place, our customers get access to aluminium profiles which have been extruded with a minimal environmental impact,”

primary aluminium, thus avoiding 95 per cent of the carbon emissions associated with production.

"Novelis aims to be the world's leading provider of low-carbon, sustainable aluminium solutions that advance our business, industry and society toward the benefits of a circular economy," said Steve Fisher, President and CEO of Novelis, Inc. "Through this investment, we will continue to increase the amount of recycled content in our products, reducing our CO2 emissions and moving us closer to carbon neutrality."

The new recycling centre will be equipped with industry-leading processes and capabilities, including advanced shredding and sorting technology, as well as energyefficient innovations to support the company's sustainability goal to reduce energy intensity by 10 per cent by 2026. Ground-breaking is scheduled for early 2022, with commissioning expected in 2024.

When fully operational, the expansion will add approximately 140 new jobs in Guthrie.

This announcement is on the heels of Novelis' October grand opening of the automotive finishing plant in Guthrie, which currently employs 150 people and will grow to 190 over the next two years.

"We are excited about this new investment in Kentucky, which will help Novelis achieve its sustainability goals, as well as support the carbon-reduction targets of our automotive customers," said Tom Boney, Executive Vice President and President of Novelis North America. "The Commonwealth of Kentucky has been a great business partner for many years and has a strong, highly skilled workforce to meet the growing need for high-strength, low-carbon aluminium. We look forward to deepening our relationships with community leaders to ensure our facility has a lasting, beneficial impact in the region."

"As we continue to build back throughout Western Kentucky, companies are committed to creating quality job opportunities for Kentucky families," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.

"I had the chance to join Novelis for the grand opening of the company's automotive aluminium finishing plant just over two months ago, and its leadership's decision to quickly move forward with plans for expansion is tremendous news. Novelis is proving to be a great fit for Todd County and the surrounding area, and I am eager to see the company continue to grow for years to come."

Image: A new solar park will supply Hydro’s plant in Trzcianka, Poland with renewable power.

Mauro Spizzo, Vice President of the Eastern Europe region in Hydro Extrusions *Source: European Aluminium Environmental Report 2018 **Includes emissions from electricity, gas, diesel and heating energy Aluminium International Today

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GREEN NEWS

Alba and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ink MoU for Carbon Capture In a step that will accelerate its ESG transformation, Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries EMEA Ltd. (MHI EMEA), part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, on 19 January 2022 to collaborate on opportunities to reduce Alba’s carbon footprint.

The MoU, first-of-its-kind, with an aluminium producer – will lay the foundations to conduct a feasibility study on utilising the technology to capture CO₂ from flue gas, developed

by MHI Group in collaboration with Kansai Electric Power Co., to reduce Alba’s plant emissions for decarbonization.

Held at Al Dana Hall, the signing ceremony (pictured below) was attended by

Alba’s Chairman of the Board Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa and Kentaro Hosomi - CEO of MHI EMEA, in the presence of Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali and Chief Power Officer Amin Sultan, in addition to senior officials from MHI Group.

Speaking on this occasion, Alba’s Chairman of the Board Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa said: “Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) matters are fronting everything we do in Alba. This MoU will play a fundamental role as we want to be accelerators and embed sustainability considerations in our operations to be more environmentally responsible and inclusive.

We are also pleased to partner with MHI Group - a proven leader in Carbon Capture

technology - as we chart our journey in our race to decarbonisation.”

The CEO of MHI EMEA, Kentaro Hosomi, added: “As a market leader in decarbonization technology such as carbon capture, storage and utilisation, MHI Group is proud to support Alba and the Kingdom of Bahrain in reaching their ambitious sustainability goals. It is partnerships such as this that enable industry to move quickly on the way to carbon neutrality.”

As one of the leading industrial companies in Bahrain, Alba’s decarbonisation efforts will play an important role in achieving the Kingdom’s recently-announced Net Zero and Renewable Energy Targets by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain.

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Long-term sustainability of the aluminium industry

By Pernelle Nunez* In a world where expectations around sustainability are growing, demand for aluminium is also expected to grow.

Aluminium is widely recognised as a material that has a role to play in the low-carbon energy transition, with applications across the renewable power sector and in energy storage. Aluminium’s unique combination of properties makes it a valued material across many end-use markets.

For example, in the transportation sector, a high strength-to-weight ratio has made it possible for vehicles to be light, strong and fuel-efficient. This will continue to be important with the rollout of electric vehicles which need to be lighter and more efficient. In building and construction, the metal’s durability and formability results in very long lifetimes and enables innovative and energy-efficient buildings. While in the packaging sector, it is the barrier properties of aluminium that reduce wastage and enable food, drink and medicines to be transported across long distances.

These sustainability credentials make aluminium a material of choice today and for the future.

Delivering a sustainable future The concept of sustainability has been around for many decades but over the past few years momentum for change has grown in line with evolving societal expectations. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated society’s sustainability agenda and focused efforts towards rebuilding resilient, green and inclusive economies and

communities. Any recovery plans must have sustainability at their core.

Sustainability is inherently forward looking.

It is a much broader concept that considers impacts across a spectrum – environment, society, the economy; and that long-term holistic approach is crucial to finding a balance between today’s needs and those of the future.

While aluminium is part of the solution for a sustainable future, the industry also recognises that it must address its own impacts and act decisively to minimise these to remain aligned with, and deliver on, global sustainability goals. With global demand for aluminium expected to grow by 80% over the next 30 years, the industry must continue to adapt and develop sustainable pathways for

the future.

A growing demand Demand over the next 30 years is expected to be driven by growth across key sectors including consumer durables, which could more than double in size between 2018 to 2050, and transport and electrical end-uses which could see growth of over 85% between 2018 and 2050. Overall, demand for semifabricated products is estimated to grow from 95 million tonnes in 2018 to about 170 million tonnes by 2050.

Recycled metal will form an increasingly important part of supply out to 2050, and because of the energy-saving of almost 95% over the production of primary metal, its use should be maximised. However, the

Fig 1. 2018 total aluminium sector emissions (Mt CO2e) heat map by process and source

*Deputy Secretary General, Director - Sustainability, International Aluminium Institute Aluminium International Today

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key challenge with recycled metal, is that it is a limited resource – almost 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use and so not available for recycling. Fulfilling growing demand for aluminium will therefore still require an increase in primary metal production.

A balancing act ahead By 2050, it is estimated that an additional 24 million tonnes of primary production will be needed to meet growing demand. This means an increase in raw material inputs with greater tonnages of bauxite and alumina required, as well as an increase in outputs from the processing of these materials. This need for more raw materials will require careful management to mitigate impacts on the environment and local communities.

Bauxite residue is a prime example of one of the outputs from the process that will significantly increase during this demand growth period and so will require considered management. For every tonne of aluminium produced, approximately 2.2 tonnes of bauxite residue is generated. Most bauxite residue generated today is stored in specially designed facilities on the refinery site.

However, with increased bauxite residue generation out to 2050, innovative solutions such as utilisation in other industries will need to be maximised to reduce pressures on the environment.

Another critical output that could increase with growing primary aluminium production is greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Climate change is widely considered to be the most significant risk to modern society. Aluminium production is an energy-intensive process however and the energy source used in generating the significant amount of electricity required for electrolysis has a major impact on the total GHGs emitted by the sector. The industry has a long history of managing and reducing emissions directly from its processes.

In 2018, total GHG emissions for the sector were close to 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2e (Fig.1) which equates to approximately 2% of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Electrolysis was the most influential unit process on the overall sector emissions profile, contributing over 670 million tonnes of CO2e, followed by thermal and direct process emissions which accounted for over 300 million tonnes of

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Fig 2. 2050 total sector emissions under a business-as-usual scenario by source and IEA B2DS Aligned Budget

CO2e. The industry recognises the importance of aligning its decarbonisation efforts with global climate goals to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

only be possible with both the widespread deployment of existing decarbonisation technologies and implementation of newer innovations to address emissions along three key pathways (Fig. 3):

Aligning with global climate goals Alignment with global climate goals for the aluminium industry requires an understanding of the broader, systems-wide context.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) acknowledges aluminium’s contribution to a decarbonising society through its use in renewable energy, lightweight electric vehicles and energy-efficient buildings. The IEA’s Beyond 2 Degree Scenario (B2DS) and Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) assign the aluminium sector a GHG budget in 2050 that is greater than zero even though the world would need to be at or near netzero by that time.

The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) has modelled a scenario aligned with the IEA’s B2DS (Fig. 2) and estimates that the sector’s emissions would have to be reduced to approximately 250 million tonnes by 2050 compared to 1.1. billion tonnes in 2018 or a Business As Usual (BAU) estimate for 2050 of 1.6 billion tonnes CO2e. This significant shift would require electricity-related emissions to decrease to near zero and all other emissions to reduce by about 50% to 60%.

Such a dramatic decrease in emissions will

Pathway 1: Electricity decarbonisation More than 60% of the aluminium sector’s 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions (2018) are from the production of electricity consumed during the smelting process. Decarbonised power generation (renewables) and the deployment of carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) offer the most significant opportunity to reduce emissions to near zero by 2050. Improved energy efficiency will also play a role, but incremental improvements and retrofitting are unlikely to see reductions that address more than 10% of these emissions.

Pathway 2: Direct emissions This focuses on the reduction of direct emissions associated with the process and thermal energy. The reduction of these emissions is dependent on technological step changes that can provide heat and steam without the combustion of fossil fuels. Emissions from fuel combustion make up 15% of the Aluminium International Today

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Fig 3. Aluminium sector decarbonisation pathways to 2050

industry’s emissions. Here, electrification, fuel switching to green hydrogen and CCUS offer the most credible pathways to achieving the sector’s climate goals. Process emissions make up a further 15% and require new technologies, such as inert anodes. These emissions and those in transport and raw materials will need to be reduced by 50-60% from BAU baseline scenario by 2050.

Pathway 3: Recycling and Resource Efficiency Recycled metal will play a greater role in fulfilling future demand for aluminium and if recycling processes and sorting technologies are improved and optimised, there is potential to save approximately 300 million tonnes of CO2e. Increasing collection rates to near 100% as well as other resource efficiency progress by 2050 would reduce the need for primary aluminium by 20% compared to BAU. These three pathways layout a potential way forward for the sector to deliver on society’s climate goals. Different corporate actors will follow different pathways and advance at different rates given the varied starting points, local resources and technologies they have access to. There is, however, promising momentum building throughout the sector and significant progress has already been made in research and development, and technology implementation, across the sector. From increasing solar power usage in the UAE to Aluminium International Today

inert anodes in Canada and fuel switching in Brazil, there are many operations exploring options for decarbonisation already (Fig. 4).

Beyond GHGs Other sustainability challenges are also being addressed in parallel with decarbonisation efforts. Key to all these efforts is collaboration, a thread at the core of many new cross-sector initiatives. In recent years, partnerships and investments in technology to maximise the use of industrial wastes and by-products in other industries has enabled the magnification of sustainable practices across different industries. For example, in India and the UAE, waste recycling partnerships with the cement industry have brought GHG savings and reduced other environmental pressures

by avoiding further sourcing of new raw materials.

The long-term sustainability of the aluminium sector will be dependent on the industry’s ability to adapt and respond to the different challenges ahead. It will also require a holistic approach to sustainability that considers the environment, communities and the economy. Action will be needed from participants across the entire value chain, and technology providers, governments and investors. There is no single solution to the sustainability challenges facing the industry and society as a whole, but one thing is clear, collaboration, innovation and investment will be essential to delivering a sustainable future for all. �

Fig 4. Examples of recent investment and deployment of technology to address sustainability challenges across the sector

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Let’s pick the lowhanging fruits for Greener Aluminium

By Gunther Schober*

Aluminium is a vital material for a modern, industrialised economy and the backbone of global sustainable initiatives. But the metals’ industry is also one of the world’s most energy-intensive industries, responsible for around 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Metals producers are increasingly making decarbonisation of production their global priority. And if the producers reach into the Industry 4.0 toolbox, they can discover some low-hanging fruits that can be implemented quickly and cost-effectively to improve production efficiency and thus contribute to decarbonisation.

Investments in production efficiency mean “going green” with the benefit of saving costs at the same time. Most of the efficiency improvements that can be achieved through Industry 4.0 initiatives also have significant environmental benefits.

Optimise the Energy Consumption The direct application of Industry 4.0 concepts to production management holds great potential for saving energy. Smart software can use the flexibility of the smelting process to balance electric power on a wider perspective across the borders of a plant. Prediction models can forecast the entire power consumption of an area and

balance the electric supply to smoothen the consumption waves and avoid peaks. This helps reduce the costly and usually fossil fuelbased additional energy needed to meet the extra demand for electricity when everyone is requesting energy. This leads to lower production costs and drastically reduces CO2 emissions.

Invest in Better Quality Tools Design your production individually for each customer requirement. This happens automatically, rule- and characteristic-based by “Order Dressing”, in just a few seconds.

This not only gives you all the necessary production details. In addition, you get the detailed CO2 emissions per process step, which you can later compare with the actual.

Together with improved quality tracking and genealogy as well as defect prediction, you can increase “first time right” rates by up to 20%, which significantly reduces the need for rework, and thus reduces energy consumption for reprocessing materials. Advanced quality tracking functionality can also lead to the elimination of customer complaints.

Improve Material Handling Within the Plant By optimising warehouse management,

metals producers can avoid unnecessary transports of materials, as well as the transfer of materials between locations due to an unplanned yard strategy. Not only will this significantly reduce CO2 emissions but it will also increase the efficiency of the processes in your plant.

Dynamic Order Combination We see another great potential for avoiding energy and waste in the introduction and implementation of Order Combination models and tools into an existing planning & scheduling landscape. Production can follow the increasing demand of small and special orders by combining them on the fly. Such tools take advantage of flexibility and reduce scrap and overproduction by intelligent netting of orders into planned and existing materials.

Let’s Pick the Low-Hanging Fruits Together!

Just by introducing and improving optimisation tools and digital initiatives, we see the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 5% and reducing production and material costs at the same time. Production efficiency will save you costs and preserve our environment with Greener Aluminium.

*(gschober@psi.de) Sales Manager at PSI Metals Non Ferrous GmbH

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Digitalization

Empowering Sustainable Operations For Future Generations

www.psimetals.com

Software Excellence for Steel & Aluminium Producers

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CCS, innovative electrolysis our path to zero-emission al

Hydro recycling plant in Spain

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s, recycling – luminium Aluminium is a key enabler in the green transition, but production must become emission free. Because it takes a lot of energy to produce aluminium, it is very important to use energy sources that leave a small carbon footprint.

Main image: Hydro’s recycling plant in Clervaux, Luxembourg recently produced 130 tonnes of near-zero carbon aluminium with 100 % post-consumer aluminium scrap. Here is Kamil Kutlu, Continuous Improvement Engineer, in front of 100% post-consumer aluminium scrap the scrapyard at Hydro Clervaux.

(Photo: Marius Motrøen/Hydro).

It matters where and how aluminium is produced An aluminium plant that bases its electricity on coal, as is common in several regions of the world, has five times higher CO2 emissions than one that bases it on electricity from renewable sources.

Hydro has for many years been producing aluminium with a lower footprint through its Hydro CIRCAL 75R and Hydro REDUXA 4,0 products through the use of renewable power and recycled aluminium that requires 95% less energy.

But even with renewable power, the industry is still not able to produce zero-carbon emissions aluminium products. Hydro has made great strides in the last three decades – cutting CO2 emissions per tonne by 70% at our fully owned Norwegian smelters. The next advancements will be driven by new technology and more recycling.

3 roads to reaching zeroemission aluminium production with technology development Many companies are now working to ensure they can produce materials with a low or close to zero footprint. To offer zero-emission aluminium, Hydro is pursuing three technology pathways

Aluminium International Today

towards zero-carbon aluminium production.

On one side Hydro is developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) solutions that can be retrofitted into aluminium plants in operation.

Another pathway more suited for greenfield smelters is Hydro’s proprietary HalZero technology. Hydro has been working on lab-scale development of this technology for five years and has now developed a concrete roadmap for piloting this to industrial scale before 2030.

A third and faster pathway to zerocarbon aluminium production is by recycling more post-consumer aluminium.

Using 100% complex post-consumer scrap, we are able to produce a near-zero carbon product at a competitive abatement cost. When recycled aluminium is made from used beverage cans, windows, or car parts, the material starts another life.

Previously used aluminium is referred to as “post-consumer” scrap, and its carbon footprint is close to zero. Hydro’s recycling plant in Clervaux, Luxembourg has to date produced 130 tonnes of Hydro CIRCAL 100R with less than 0,5 CO2/kg aluminium, through the value chain, with work now ongoing to optimize the production. This is a small, but big step towards offering our customer a truly circular and fossil free material.

We are now working on both the long term technological pathways of CCS and HalZero as well as investing in technologies and facilities that can ensure we can make more use of post consumer scrap to be able to do our part to accelerate the transition to a low carbon and circular economy. �

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The time for green aluminiu is now – let’s embrace it

By Konrad von Szczepanski* The aluminium industry is facing a fundamental paradigm shift. The introduction of carbon taxation schemes, coupled with the pressure from customers and investors for the sector to decarbonise, is having a significant impact on the market’s competitive landscape – boosting demand for green aluminium while helping to reduce the industry’s emissions.

Yet, to truly unlock the potential for green aluminium companies to reign the market, key stakeholders – including government, investors, and customers – will need to do their part to accelerate the transition.

The Carbon Tax: A new era for the aluminium market The introduction of a carbon tax by the EU (and possibly other governments) is set to shift the dial on the industry’s competitive environment, benefitting low emission producers regardless of where they’re domiciled.

According to BCG analysis, a $50 per ton of CO2 carbon tax in the EU could raise the costs of aluminium produced in a coalpowered smelter by approximately $800 per ton, clearly benefitting low emission producers in the long run1. And this is only an estimated cost for the base case scenario. If we are to meet the 1.5-degree target from the Paris Agreement, carbon taxes would have to become even more onerous, at $150 per ton of CO2.2 Once fully implemented, the EU carbon border tax will have an immediate impact on global trade dynamics. According to another BCG research, high emission producers, such as China, South Africa, and India, will see the cost of materials produced in their countries increase by 15% to 30% almost overnight3. Unless high-emission producers

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*Konrad von Szczepanski is a Partner & Director a of BCG’s Global Advantage practice and led BC Benelux from 2015 to 2020. He’s also the global l integration in metals and mining.

are willing to pay the cost, they’ll most likely avoid selling to markets that have such taxes.

As a result, the carbon tax would enable low emission producers based anywhere to claim substantial amounts of demand in markets

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um companies to scale covered by carbon taxes (and carbon border adjustments).

The combination of higher prices and the relatively small uptick in emission-tax-related costs would boost the profitability of lowemission producers – regardless of where they’re domiciled. In short, green aluminium companies should remain confident about their growth prospect. But only so long there’s a market for them to scale.

The pressure to decarbonise: propping the industry to meet the growing demand for green aluminium As customers and investors become gradually more inclined to prioritise those companies with the most sustainable operational profile, demand for green aluminium will be steadily increasing.

However, this growing demand will mean nothing to the sector if key-stakeholders don’t create the conditions for producers to make the switch. As high emission producers start ceding ground to low-emission ones, industry players looking to benefit from this paradigm shift will need to have the right infrastructure in place to ensure green aluminium companies

at Boston Consulting Group. He’s a core member CG’s Industrial Goods practice in the UK and lead for strategy, value creation, and ecosystem

1.

2.

3.

4.

have the potential to grow. This means that private and public sectors will need to collaborate in order to scale this brewing market.

The carbon tax will have a significant impact on the market’s landscape, but, in itself, will do little to boost demand for green aluminium. For production to scale, governments will need to understand the impact of carbon taxation on domestic players.

Firstly, as the industry undergoes this shift, governments will need to provide temporary measures that ensure the availability of aluminium supply amid the new trading dynamics – be it through incentives and schemes to ensure the transition to green aluminium is attractive and sustainable.

Secondly, governments must look into opportunities to reinvest the profits from carbon taxation in new low-carbon energy sources and sustainability measures for the industry. This sort of investment will be critical to propping up the industry for success and reducing costs for those companies developing green solutions, while at the same time boosting production of green aluminium.

Outside of government, industry players will need to do their part to ensure the market is ripe for success. Producers can switch from coal-based smelters to cleaner sources of power generation, such as hydroelectric power, as long as renewable power generation capacity is brought online in sufficient quantity and at competitive cost. For this to happen, key stakeholders – including

governments, power companies, and investors – will need to partner to increase renewable power production capacity for green aluminium to scale. This alone could significantly improve the industry’s carbon footprint, emitting six times less CO2 per ton compared to coal-based smelters4.

But more innovation will be needed to make sure green aluminium can become a mass-market commodity. Aluminium companies will also need to collaborate within the industry and with research organisations, governments, and investors to develop, fund, and accelerate innovation that could spur greener technologies that reduce direct CO2 emissions and reduce waste, such as inert anode and red mud reuse.

Finally, companies must also explore industry consolidation to increase the sector’s ability to lower cost, fund innovation, and scale the market at the speed the climate crisis warrants.

Grasping an opportunity The aluminium industry is undergoing a transformational shift. The introduction of a carbon tax, coupled with the pressure to decarbonise, will significantly change the market’s competitive environment for good – benefitting green aluminium companies in the long run.

The time is now for industry players to grasp this moment and work together with governments, customers, investors, and academia to ensure green aluminium companies can scale. �

https://www.bcg.com/en-gb/publications/2021/going-green-and-sustainability-in-aluminum-industry https://www.woodmac.com/news/opinion/carbon-taxes-which-mined-commodities-will-be-the-winners-and-losers/wl;. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2021/eu-carbon-border-tax https://www.bcg.com/en-gb/publications/2021/going-green-and-sustainability-in-aluminum-industry

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The renewables race

By Myra Pinkham*

The aluminium industry has integrated renewable energy as power for its smelters for several decades, but with the recent global push for industries to increase their sustainability and reduce their carbon footprint, both producers and power providers have been exploring the use of up-andcoming energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

It isn’t surprising that the global aluminium industry is at the crux to this push, Geordie Wilkes, head of research at Sucden Financial, said, given how energy intensive – therefore electricity intensive – primary aluminium production is, using approximately 95% more energy than it takes to make recycled aluminium.

This isn’t to say that some global primary

aluminium producers haven’t previously adopted renewable power. Hydroelectric power, according to Martin Jackson, a senior analyst for CRU, has been used in certain regions of the world since the 1920s and continues to be well established there. John Mothersole, the director of IHS Markit’s pricing and purchasing service, added that in the past, hydropower – where available – had been the cheapest source of electricity, which attributed to its early integration. But, he continued that these prices are being challenged with solar and wind power starting to become more competitive.

Jean Simard, president and chief executive officer of the Aluminium Association of Canada, noted that, since hydroelectric power- is very location based, there are

potential limitations on how hydroelectric power capacity is able to grow from its current levels. This is despite the traditional hydropower locales; including Canada, Iceland, Norway, and Russia, as well as some pockets in South America and the Yunnan Province in China, are amongst the “greener” locales for the primary aluminium industry. It isn’t just that hydroelectric power is locationally limited, as Matt Aboud, Century Aluminum’s senior vice president for strategy and business development explained; the growing concerns about the environmental damage that could be caused by damming rivers also poses as a key issue.

However, CRU’s Jackson observed that there are a few new aluminium smelters being built in Russia that plan to use hydropower,

*USA correspondent

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Image courtesy of Century Aluminum

“

Going forward, wind, solar and hydropower should eventually become the main

”

energy source for the aluminium industry, Fastmarkets’ Cao said,

“

But it will take some time to go through that

transition period.

”

which are supported by the push by Rusal to produce greener aluminium. There are similar moves being made in North America, where, according to a recent Aluminum Association study, renewables, including hydropower, now account for about 80% of the energy used at primary smelters, up from about 60% in 1991 with potential for further growth. Ivan Vella, Rio Tinto Aluminium’s chief executive officer, announced in November that as part of its commitment to strengthen its position as a low-carbon hydro-powered producer, the company is adding 16 new smelting cells at its Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, AP60 smelter.

Nevertheless, Jackson says that most of the growth opportunities for hydropower capacity is in Asia – particularly in China’s Yunnan Province, where, like in Canada, the infrastructure was built in the 1920s and 1930s. “Smelters there have the advantage of extremely competitive power, keeping them in the game.” However, another limitation for hydropower is that it is subject to weather conditions. In fact, Gregory Wittbecker, another CRU senior analyst, pointed out that last year’s drought conditions in Yunnan led to some smelter curtailments there.

Yang Cao, a senior analyst with Fastmarkets MB, noted that about 88% of China’s aluminium smelting capacity is still coal fired, with only about 8% being hydropowered and only about 3% powered

Current status of the Maple Hill Solar Park, courtesy of the developer, Competitive Power Ventures (CPV).

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ALTERNATIVE ENERGY Plants & products overview. Courtesy of Century Aluminum

Images courtesy of Century Aluminum

by other forms of clean energy.

But with the further growth potential for hydropower generally seen as being limited, and with aluminium producers looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprints and most major companies setting carbon neutrality goals, other alternative energy sources – particularly wind and solar energy – seem to have increasing potential for growth. These developments in renewable energy have been assisted by the certain technological improvements combined with a lower cost, enabling the building of more big utility-scale projects – particularly solar projects, added Century’s Aboud. He went on to note that while not traditionally being the case, recently, some of the lowest cost energy coming into the electric grid is coming from solar or wind farms.

In light of this, several aluminium producers are taking moves to use more solar and wind

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at their smelters. One example of this is Norsk Hydro, who has adopted diverse renewable energy as part of a goal to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 30% by 2030.

Mike Stier, vice president of finance and strategy at Hydro Extrusions North America, announced that in addition to a lower carbon footprint, raw materials and including more recycled products, Hydro has made a 10 year commitment to power its Cressona, Pa., aluminium extrusions facility with solar energy from Competitive Power Ventures’ Maple Hill, Pa., solar park, starting in the summer of 2022.

Stier added that the commitment would save about 32,000 tons of carbon, reducing the plant’s carbon footprint by about 27%. He continued, “While we are mainly looking at sourcing energy from utilities or alternative energy providers, we are also entertaining some site specific projects to install our own alternative energy generation.”

Middle Eastern aluminium producers have also made the decision to move to renewable energy sources, Century’s Aboud observed.

For example, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has announced that they are partnering with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) on a solar park to be located next door to its smelter and Aluminium Bahrain

(Alba) – the world’s largest aluminium smelter outside of China – has invited bids for the development of solar farm in Bahrain. CRU’s Jackson said that while EGA currently only uses solar energy for its aluminium production, he expects that on this investment alone, its solar energy use will increase quickly over the next decade to about 10% of its production.

He added that there has been some moves elsewhere in the world, including some related to wind power. For example, Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA) in Brazil, which had already been using hydroelectric power, has invested in a wind farm, and the Eoliennes en mer de Dunkerque (EMD) consortium in Dunkirk, France, sources power from the grid that is based on nuclear and wind power. Rio Tinto also contracted with global energy provider EDL to build, own and operate a 4MW solar farm and 4MWh battery storage facility which will Aluminium International Today

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

triple the supply of solar energy to its Weipa bauxite mine in Queensland, Australia, once the project is completed in late 2022. The new solar farm and battery storage will complement the existing 1.6MW solar farm at Weipa, which was completed in 2015 and is also owned and operated by EDL. Industry observers, however, say that there are many challenges for the aluminium industry to engage in a large scale transition to using wind power, solar power and other renewables other than Hydropower, from the fossil fuel based energy that they are currently using.

One such challenge, Sucden’s Wilkes pointed out is that, like hydropower, wind and solar power generation is only available in certain regions where it is viable. “While we are seeing more aluminium producers trying to source renewable power whenever possible, you can’t put a wind farm where the is no wind or a solar farm where there isn’t enough sun.”

And even in those regions, the generation of solar and wind energy tends to be very intermittent – by Simard’s estimation, energy production only occurs 20-30% of the time – which not only means that there is no reliable renewable power source, and so a base energy source such as natural gas, hydro or nuclear power is required for peak times, but also a large amount of land is needed for industrial-scale solar and wind farms. “For example, if a wind turbine only generates energy 30% of the time, there is a need for three times the number of windmills to produce the amount of energy needed,” he explained, adding that the same is the case for solar panels.

Even though renewable energy is becoming more available, Hydro’s Stier said he views solar and wind power as being supplemental, given that Hydro and other aluminium producers need reliable power even when it is dark and/or the wind is calm.

But there is no question that demand for wind and solar power has been growing, with the push not just coming from governments around the world, which, as is evidenced by what was discussed at COP26, but aluminium companies doing so as well. And on top of that, Stier observed that end-users are generally becoming more aware as well and are expecting the aluminium industry to use more renewable energy. With this increased Aluminium International Today

demand, the price of wind and solar prices have already come down massively and is already seen as very competitive with such fossil fuels that are currently used for base energy sources by the industry. In fact, Sucden’s Wilkes observed that in some regions it is the cheapest fuel source.

Its cost competitiveness with fossil fuels, however, could be somewhat deceptive, CRU’s Wittbecker said, given that it assumes that such power is being sold immediately after it has been generated, as opposed to being stored until needed, which would greatly reduce its sustainability. Mothersole adds, this highlights the need to greatly enhance industrial energy storage capacity capabilities, stating, “Without that I don’t see how the wind and solar generation industries become sustainable to the level that carbon policy activists would like to see,” which, he said, is why the percent aluminium smelters that are currently fired by these less conventional renewable power sources is relatively small. That is because, at least at the present time, the technology doesn’t yet exist to store enough solar- or wind-based power, long enough, Jackson said, explaining that most battery storage systems aren’t able to hold the power for more than about six hours.

“So, it isn’t something that you can store for days on end and slowly discharge into the grid,” he said. That, however, could be starting to change somewhat, Mothersole said, noting that while battery technologies capable of storing energy at that scale, aren’t available quite yet, it is possible that they could be able

to do so in another five to 10 years.

There, however, are a number of uncertainties about the upcoming storage infrastructure, Simard observed. One being that, since not all batteries are born equal, it is unknown what the carbon footprint of such systems will be. He said that would depend upon a number of factors, including the emissions generated in the fabrication of the batteries and how disposable they will be at the end of their lives.

Also, Jackson pointed out that these industrial batteries are currently extremely expensive, therefore, storage could add quite a bit to the cost of the energy that aluminium companies are buying. “But eventually battery technology will become less expensive,” he said, especially given that some batteries used for energy storage infrastructure are able to be repurposed from the automotive sector.

“Going forward, wind, solar and hydropower should eventually become the main energy source for the aluminium industry,” Fastmarkets’ Cao said, “But it will take some time to go through that transition period.” But even then, aluminium producers will need to continue to use some fossil fuels as a balancing agent, Century’s Aboud said.

“Aluminium facilities that are adjacent to hydropower or geothermal or a nuclear plant could be totally supplied by those sources because they are fairly constant,” he said. “But on the other hand, solar and wind isn’t reliable all the time, so I don’t think it is feasible for exclusively by those sources,” although the ratio might change. �

Image courtesy of Century Aluminum

GREENER ALUMINIUM

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SUPPORTING COP26

Low-carbon aluminium is the customer’s choice

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Aluminium International Today

SUPPORTING COP26

As the demand grows for manufactured, high-quality aluminium products, with a low carbon composition, Nadine Bloxsome* spoke with Pierre Labat** and Suzanne Lindsay-Walker*** of Novelis to find out which verticals are setting the trends and seeing the most interest.

Novelis has kept it no secret that its ambition is to be the world’s leading provider of lowcarbon, sustainable aluminium solutions that advance its business, the industry and society toward the benefits of a circular economy.

Its targets are high and it is committed to a 30% reduction in CO2 footprint by 2026 and being carbon neutral by 2050.

So, while the company is working to reach its own goals, it is also focused on helping its customers along their own sustainability journeys and has recently seen a shift in demand for low carbon, premium products.

“We’ve seen different trends converging over the past two years – the stakeholder pressure is building, with our customers really driving the request for our help to hit their own targets,” says Pierre Labat.

“The automotive OEMs have almost all pledged carbon neutrality. Not all in the same year or with the same level same level of support from their suppliers, but they all have a plan now to involve their suppliers in their overall goals. That’s really where we see the requests originating,” he continues. “ There’s more to it, however. There’s also shareholders being much more active and demanding, as well as regulatory pressure – in Europe especially and the interest from consumers is growing, in ways we have not seen before.

And while the automotive industry has been very clear about its use of aluminium for its lightweight properties, Pierre notes that previous demand was driven more from a fuel efficiency perspective.

“The focus is now more targeted towards the manufacturing-phase,” he says. “Even with the automotive OEMs all having different years in mind to hit their targets, they all need their suppliers help to get them there.”

Keeping the conversation going With this need for suppliers and OEMs to work together, the question remains whether there is enough of a conversation across the value chain.

“I would say it’s certainly gained in intensity, but is it where we want to be yet?” asks Pierre.

“There are a lot of things we could do better – one is to be connected on designing for dismantling instead of assuming everything

is going to be shredded at the end of service life. If we had a good, shared view on how to design for dismantling, we could certainly come up with proposals from our side that would make the design more effective,” he continues.

The customer is always right Another vertical seeing this increase in demand for low carbon aluminium is the can packaging sector.

Pierre Labat

*Editor, Aluminium International Today **Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer, Novelis ***Vice President, Sustainability, Novelis Aluminium International Today

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SUPPORTING COP26

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SUPPORTING COP26

“We typically are seeing more requests for increased recycled content in the packaging sector,” says Suzanne Lindsay-Walker.

“We are then focused on meeting the evolving needs of our customers here, so for us, the main driver of that is recycled content in our products. We are now at about 61% across all of the business lines,” continues Suzanne.

“Of course, there are some customers that ask for above and beyond – looking at third party certifications – those are usually when they want to have that third party verification for ‘on pack messaging’ and we’re seeing a lot more of this attention of this ‘proof-point’.”

Double-edged ‘aluminium’ sword “Given aluminium’s inherent sustainability benefits; the fact that it’s lightweight and the ability to be recycled indefinitely, we are enjoying the demand for this metal!” says Suzanne.

“However this comes with associated carbon increases as well, so we have to be careful about managing that.”

With the demand coming from the can sector, Novelis is seeing customers asking to increase rolling capacity and this comes with its own challenges.

“To expand our capacity is going to result in an increase in energy use and CO2 emissions, but overall, we believe the conversion to more sustainable materials is a positive for the environment and we’re getting better every day, so that will contribute to that. We’ll work with our customers and the supply chain to make that value proposition even better – we’ve got some pretty big goals and we’re dedicated to meeting this growing demand in the best possible way that we can,” continues Suzanne.

As this article went to press, Novelis was releasing information about its latest investments in rolling capacity and finishing enhancements in Oswego, NY; recently completed recycling and rolling expansions in Brazil to support can packaging growth; and also plans for expanding its manufacturing footprint in China to create recycling capacity for closed loops with automotive customers.

goes hand in hand with building a sustainable supply chain. Whether this is through energy efficient software solutions or increasing traceability across products, OEMs are also developing ways to ensure low carbon composition starts as early as possible in the production process.

“Traceability is something we are interested to pursue,” says Pierre. “What we intend to do is really push towards a coil by coil traceability. As our products are typically coils, the ultimate challenge is to be able to do what you would do on a product in a retail environment – pick it from the shelf and know when it was made and with what material.”

“We have some way to go,” continued Pierre. “Some of our products are continuous and not in a batch manufacturing system, so we tend to have different types of flow used on shared machines, going into different end markets. But it is clearly a goal to get to full

transparency. For us, ASI chain of custody certification is the first step toward this and we are working on certifying plants in all of our four regions.”

Collaboration is key The most sustainable solutions will come from collaborative efforts across supply chains but also within the sector itself.

“The aluminium industry coming together to elevate the industry as a sustainable solution is a main focus going forward,” says Suzanne.

“We’re trying to initiate some of that conversation and from my perspective – the focus on the goals is how do we do that. How do we increase our recycled content and find new technologies that are going to reduce our energy intensity – there’s a lot of exciting work that’s going on, but it can’t be done in a bubble. It has to be the industry working together.” �

Suzanne Lindsay-Walker

Digital sustainability Here at Aluminium International Today, we support the idea that digital manufacturing

Aluminium International Today

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GREEN ALUMINIUM

TotalEnergies ambitions:

More energy, lower emissions The world leaders are committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.

Governments are progressively increasing green taxes and launching incentive schemes to encourage change towards climate neutrality.

TotalEnergies has already taken a step forward in 2020 in response to the climate challenges ahead by adopting a new ambition to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050, thereby complying with the Paris Agreement carbon neutrality objective for the second half of the century.

TotalEnergies Lubrifiants, affiliate of TotalEnergies, has developed 2 axes to fulfil this objective; The first one is to reduce the C02 emissions of its own operations by increasing the use of green electricity, decreasing emissions linked to products transportation and involving its people to improve energy and waste management.

The second one is to accompany customers towards carbon neutrality by using Ecosolutions products and services, increasing the use of renewable, recycled base oils (RBO), low carbons solutions and services

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GREENER ALUMINIUM

(energy efficiency, solarization, etc.)

TotalEnergies Lubrifiants already offers products and services to help the Aluminum industry to produce greener Aluminum.

Products based on RBO are already available for the Aluminum Industry: Azolla ECO 2, a multi-purpose hydraulic oils available in ISO VG 46 Lubrilam Cleaner ECO 2, an Airwash scrubbing oil designed to recover cold rolling oils vapors from the Aluminum mills.

Similarly, Lubrilam BIO, a bio-based cold rolling oil made from renewable feedstock is available on the market.

Besides, all our ranges of specialty products such as hot rolling oils (Noa and Tandemol Series), compatible hydraulic (Vital Fluid and Noalubric Series) as well as low-stain oils (Carter ALS and Azolla ALS) are designed to provide the highest quality and productivity hence minimizing scrap rate and

re-treatment costs that require energy and therefore produce C02 emissions.

Noa technology brings an additional quality and cost improvement in volume reduction, consequently less deliveries and good benefit on TCO2.

In addition, TotalEnergies Lubrifiants is also developing tools to calculate the environmental footprint of its products. In the near future, this data will drive our product development process and will be shared with our customers in order to integrate the environmental aspect into the decision-making process. In addition, this data will be coupled with the benefits provided by the lubricants in use (increased drain interval, lower consumption, lower tool wear, etc.) to provide a global picture of the emissions reduction at stake. � You want to know more, come and join us on our virtual booth!

Aluminium International Today

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A KEY ENABLER FOR GREEN ALUMINIUM

Join us at the Virtual Greener Aluminium Summit and learn how Rockwell Automation helps mining and cement producers plan their decarbonization journey from start to finish.

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GREEN ALUMINIUM

GHI presents the Aluminiu Plant of the Future The world leaders are committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.

Governments are progressively increasing green taxes and launching incentive schemes to encourage change towards climate neutrality.

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Aluminium International Today

GREEN ALUMINIUM

um Recycling

To produce aluminium 4.0, the industry needs fully digitalised and sensorised equipment to have a total control over the plant’s emissions, while also ensuring efficiency in its operation.

Equipment powered by clean energies such as green hydrogen and renewable electricity is key to achieve those objectives. The process of recycling salt slag and dross, the treatment of fumes and effluents, etc. are the way to reach zero waste plants.

With this objective in mind, GHI Smart Furnaces, the company leader in the industrial furnaces industry for the aluminium sector, is continuously working on the engineering development and execution of the the Plant of the Future, which is already, to a large extent, a reality.

Integral solution The price of Carbon dioxide emission rights in some countries have increased five-fold in recent years and governments are increasing green taxes to force clean technologies to be used.

These clean technologies, include renewable energy and green hydrogen and governments are launching subsidy schemes for R&D and investments in recycling assets.

The final objective is to drive additional benefits in terms of resource efficiency, energy consumption and carbon emissions.

With the current situation, in 5 years’ time, melting aluminum using hydrogen as fuel could be cheaper than using natural gas.

ABOUT THE COMPANY GHI is an industrial engineering company with a high technological and innovation component, focused in developing customized solutions. With more than 80 years of experience, GHI designs and manufactures turnkey plants and industrial furnaces for melting, heat treating and heating any type of metal. GHI has equipped hundreds of companies from different sectors such as automotive, aeronautics, railway, steelworks, renewable energy, among others that sum up to 8.000 references around the world. GHI’s equipment uses cutting-edge technology, which enables the identification of anomalies, provides support for in-use improvement, and plans predictive maintenance activities.

decarbonization targets with the principles of the circular economy.

– EMISSION-FREE PLANTS Clean renewable energy is used to feed an electrolyzer to generate hydrogen and oxygen.

To recycle post-consumer scrap, tilting rotary furnaces and vortex furnaces with delacquering systems are powered with this low-carbon fuel. Hydrogen will replace natural gas to push down CO2 emissions.

The aluminium holding and alloying furnaces use renewable electricity as heating medium.

– ZERO-WASTE SCENARIO The plant recycles and treats all its byproducts such as dross, salt slag cakes and generated fumes to create zero waste circular plants through sustainable methods of producing aluminum alloys.

Total circularity is the obvious way, and GHI Smart Furnaces is already driving the transformation.

- SMART TO BE PROFITABLE The plant of the future uses machine learning technologies to propose comprehensive solutions, and state-of-the-art facilities that improve cast house operations.

More than 10 thousand data per second are captured in the plant, stored, and processed to simulate and predict the performance with a digital twin. �

Reinventing aluminium recycling plants The aluminum recycling plant of the future, developed by GHI Smart Furnaces, combines Aluminium International Today

GREENER ALUMINIUM

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CONFERENCE AGENDA

GREENER ALUMINIUM ONLINE SUMMIT CONFERENCE AGENDA* 2 JUNE – DAY ONE 8.55 - 9am WELCOME � Nadine Bloxsome, Editor, Aluminium International Today 9.00 - 9.30am KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Flameless Oxyfuel and Hydrogen for Greener Aluminium Production � Joachim von Scheele 9.30am - 10am ASI: The Next Five Years � Dr Fiona Solomon, CEO, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) 10am - 10:30am The Technology Roadmap to Achieve the Aluminium Industry’s Net Zero Ambitions � Rosa M. García Piñeiro, Vice President of Sustainability, Alcoa 10.30am - 11am Hydro’s Decarbonisation Roadmap � Hans Erik Vatne, Chief Technology Officer, Norsk Hydro 11am - 11.15am Networking Break *Timings and speakers subject to change

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Aluminium International Today

CONFERENCE AGENDA

11.15am - 11:45pm Responsible Aluminium: Enabling Modern Life � Paramita Das, General Manager, Global Marketing and Development 11:45pm - 12:15pm Digital Transformation in Action: Aluminium Customer Use Case � Steffen Zendler, Heavy Industry Strategy and Marketing Manager EMEA, Rockwell Automation 12:15pm - 12:45pm Recycling & Electrification: Roadmap for Automotive Aluminum & Aluminum Content in BEVs � Chuck Johnson, President & CEO, The Aluminum Association 12:45pm - 1:15pm Decarbonization Roadmapping – Modeling of Reductions, Costs and Schedule � David Mysko, Global Director – Bulk Metals Decarbonization HATCH 1:15pm - 1:45pm Networking Break (Lunch) 1:45pm - 2:15pm Role of AI on the Road to Sustainable Aluminium Production � Hilbrand Kuiken, CEO, Quantillion 2:15pm - 2:45pm Greener Aluminium: Saving Costs with Intelligent Software � Gunther Schober, Sales Manager, PSI Metals 2:45pm - 3:15pm Decarbonisation - from Pathways to Action � Pernelle Nunez, Deputy Secretary General - Sustainability, International Aluminium Institute

Aluminium International Today

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CONFERENCE AGENDA

3:15pm - 3:45pm Closing the Loop on Automotive Aluminium Scrap to Minimise Carbon Emissions � Alison Conroy, Director, Sustainability, Novelis � Mickaël Faliu, Sustainability Engineer, Constellium 3:45pm - 4:15pm The Chasm Between Demand and Supply � Paul Adkins, AZ Global Consulting 4:15pm - 4:30pm Networking Break 4:30pm - 5pm Application and Results of Mpot® Diluted Combustion in Aluminium Furnaces and the Complete Carbon Free Future Technology � Michael Potesser, Managing Director, MPOT � Curt Bermel, Vice President in sales and engineering, MPOT 5pm - 5:30pm Decarbonisation of Aluminium Production by Demand Side Response � Dr. Nick Depree, Head of Technology, EnPot 5:30pm - 6pm Hot Form Quench – Enhancing The Recycled Content for High Strength Aluminium Sheet Structures � Jonathan Watkins, CEO, Impression Technologies 6pm - 6.30pm New Al Alloys with Lower CRM Content � Manel da Silva Lopez, PhD, Researcher, Eurecat 6.30pm Conference Close

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SPEAKERS

CHUCK JOHNSON

PRESIDENT & CEO, THE ALUMINUM ASSOCIATION

‘RECYCLING & ELECTRIFICATION: ROADMAP FOR AUTOMOTIVE ALUMINUM & ALUMINUM CONTENT IN BEVS’ The transition to BEVs and how to implement processes and design considerations advantageous to sustainable outcomes are top-of-mind in the automotive industry.

Recycling, BEV material considerations and manufacturing initiatives to achieve these ends are outlined in the Roadmap for Automotive Aluminum. This document is the culmination of aluminum and automotive stakeholders coming together to develop a blueprint for how aluminum can assist creating safer, better performing and more sustainable vehicles during the next decade and beyond.

The aluminum industry’s sustainability goals range from improved infrastructure for

the recovery of aluminum scrap to greater capability for scrap use and widespread aluminum content adoption in automotive design. The industry has a strong foundation with end-of-life recycling processes already in practice through leading automakers. Nearterm goals include building and deploying the infrastructure needed to collect, sort and reuse scrap. Key factors to achieving those goals will be the ability to return scrap to the mill, application to pre- and post-consumer recycled materials, and the ability to identify, segregate and use different types of alloys effectively. As aluminum content grows in future vehicles, aluminum industry stakeholders

aim to benchmark current recycling technologies and assess composition of final remelted scrap, including the full spectrum of dismantling, shredding, and sorting.

The ATG is also eager to share results from a new ATG study that finds today’s BEVs contain more aluminum than ICE counterparts and that as battery prices and storage densities improve aluminum lightweighting in BEVs continues to be economically justified.

The session will draw real-world conclusions to aluminum technologies available today and those under development while quantifying aluminum’s value as penetration of BEVs into fleets grows.

BIOGRAPHY As president and CEO of the Aluminum Association, Charles “Chuck” Johnson serves as the chief advocate for the full aluminum value chain in the United States, which supports hundreds of thousands of American workers. The association’s 120+ members make 70 percent of the aluminum and aluminum products shipped in North America.

Prior to joining the association in 2022, Charles served as the President of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), the trade organization for personal protective equipment and technologies. During his tenure, he modernized ISEA’s operations and spearheaded the passage of key liability legislation for safety equipment manufacturers. Notably, Charles led the ISEA as the industry was at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

He previously served as the vice president of policy for the Aluminum Association, acting as strategic advisor to the industry and advancing the aluminum industry’s interests in Washington D.C. and abroad. His responsibilities included federal affairs, environmental regulation, occupational health and safety, community and consumer protection, international regulation and sustainability.

Charles has 18 years of aluminum industry experience, during which he represented the U.S. industry in international corporate stewardship deliberations, diverse standards setting forums and at the WHO/FAO. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in international environmental policy from The American University.

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Aluminium International Today

SPEAKERS

DR FIONA SOLOMON

CEO, ALUMINIUM STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVE (ASI)

‘ASI – THE NEXT FIVE YEARS’ ASI has grown strongly thanks to the aluminium sector’s commitment, and in the next five years we will continue to support and drive the industry’s sustainability journey.

This presentation will provide a snapshot of key developments and the longer-term goals of ASI. In May 2022, new ASI Standards will be launched after a lengthy and consultative multi-stakeholder revision process. ASI’s four

sustainability priorities – climate change, circularity, nature positive and human rights – play central roles in a comprehensive certification program for performance and chain of custody.

Our strategic pillars of effective governance and a robust program will enable us to drive change both within – and beyond – certification. ASI’s whole of supply chain approach creates a foundation

for responsible sourcing, and we are also working on alignment with sustainability-linked finance and investment.

Ultimately, the sustainability challenges are clear – and we believe collaboration and a collective approach will help build the improvements and transformations that are urgently needed.

BIOGRAPHY Fiona is the Chief Executive Officer of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), which she joined in March 2015 with the responsibility for leading the development and implementation of ASI’s strategy and operations. Her career has specialised in building new and innovative initiatives in mineral supply chains over more than twenty years. She was previously Director – Standards Development at the Responsible Jewellery Council from 2007 to 2015, where she developed a certification program for gold, diamonds and platinum group metals which has been adopted by more than 1000 companies across the supply chain from mine to retail. She has served as a Board Member of the ISEAL Alliance and a founding member of the OECD’s Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group for responsible mineral supply chains. From 1997, Fiona worked for ten years at Australia’s CSIRO, leading research into mining and sustainability, and was also seconded to WWF to manage a multistakeholder project on the feasibility of mine-site certification. She has a Bachelors degree (Hons 1) in mechanical engineering and a PhD in philosophy of technology, both from the University of Queensland, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Aluminium International Today

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SPEAKERS

HANS ERIK VATNE

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AND HEAD OF HYDRO’S CORPORATE TECHNOLOGY OFFICE

‘HYDRO’S DECARBONISATION ROADMAP’ Hydro has a clear ambition to industrialise technology and offer near-zero aluminium products to the market by 2030. We pursue three main paths towards zero carbon aluminium; (i) Path 1: Decarbonised Bayer process and carbon capture and storage (CCS) for existing smelter capacities. For the Bayer process we explore electrical boilers for team generation and pilot use of hydrogen for calcination, (ii) Path 2: Decarbonised Bayer process and development of Hydro’s

proprietary HalZero technology for new smelter capacity. The HalZero technology is a technology based on converting alumina to aluminium chloride prior to electrolysis.

Carbon monoxide is used in the chlorination, in a reaction where alumina is mixed with chlorine and carbon monoxide to produce aluminium chloride and CO2. The aluminium chloride is split by electrolysis into aluminium and chlorine and the chlorine is fed back to the start of the process and kept in a closed

loop. The resulting CO2 is pure and fully concentrated and is converted to carbon monoxide and oxygen, where also the carbon monoxide is fed back to the start of the process and kept in a closed loop, and (iii) Path 3: Recycling of post-consumer scrap with decarbonised operations. To get all the way to zero carbon aluminium we are also exploring ways to decarbonise our casthouse operations.

BIOGRAPHY Hans Erik Vatne is Chief Technology Officer in Hydro and head of Hydro’s Corporate Technology Office. He holds a Master degree in Physics and a PhD in Metallurgy, both from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway. He has more than 20 years of experience within the aluminium industry in Hydro, holding positions in R&D, management positions in rolling and recycling and lately Chief Technology Officer. Vatne is also chairman of the portfolio board for energy, transport and low emissions of the Research Council of Norway.

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Aluminium International Today

SPEAKERS

JOACHIM VON SCHEELE

GLOBAL DIRECTOR COMMERCIALISATION, LINDE TECHNOLOGY

‘FLAMELESS OXYFUEL AND HYDROGEN FOR GREENER ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION’ Commitments to achieve substantial decarbonisation across metal producing industries, have put focus on energy-efficiency and use of hydrogen as a fuel. A large part of the aluminium industry’s carbon footprint results from primary operations, which might take long time and huge efforts to address.

However, in the melting operations for remelting and recycling there are great opportunities for immediate decarbonisation.

One such technology is oxyfuel

combustion, which would maximize the heat transfer in the melting process. But it is important that this is carried out in such a way it does not create hot spots and thereby dross formation – this can be achieved by using Flameless Oxyfuel. The features of Flameless Oxyfuel technology are described here together with results from full-scale installations in aluminium melting furnaces. These results include energy-savings and reduction of CO2 emissions by up to 50%, but also 35%

increased melt rate and massively reduced flue-gas volumes.

Recently tests with Flameless Oxyfuel using hydrogen as fuel have been carried out. The tests were done in 10 kg scale together with several aluminium producing companies and for various alloys. The results are encouraging, and this solution could ultimately bring the carbon footprint of aluminium melting down to zero.

BIOGRAPHY Joachim von Schéele is a world leading promoter of oxyfuel solutions in the aluminium and steel industries. He received his MSc in Process Metallurgy and PhD in Production Engineering from Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden in 1987 and 1992, respectively.

With a mix of steel research and consultancy background, he joined the industrial gases industry in 1996. Since then, he has served in many different technical and commercial management roles at AGA, BOC, and Linde, and been actively doing business in more than 40 countries around the world. After a decade in Asia, first in India as VP for South Asia and then in China heading Application Development & Sales for Asia-Pacific, he is since 2020 based in Munich, Germany, pursuing his current role at Linde Technology.

Focusing on decarbonisation including use of hydrogen, Joachim von Schéele is very much engaged in driving the sustainability agenda supporting Linde’s customers in steel and other hard-to-abate industries to achieve measurable progress and success.

Joachim von Schéele is a well-known speaker and has published more than 200 papers, mainly on energy and emission conservation (largely on use of Flame Oxyfuel), recycling, and production. He has served as a member of more than 30 boards of companies, associations, and research and education organizations. He is included in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Engineering, and Who’s Who in Asia, and he holds seven patents related to combustion and recycling. Joachim von Schéele is the author of the chapter on China in the recently launched book ‘Touching Hydrogen Future – Tour Around the Globe’.

Aluminium International Today

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SPEAKERS

PAUL ADKINS

MANAGING DIRECTOR, AZ GLOBAL CONSULTING

‘THE CHASM BETWEEN DEMAND AND SUPPLY’ The reality right now is that there is not enough metal in the world today that can even remotely be called green. The goal of 4 tonnes of CO2 is handy for the industry, or at least those in the industry who can achieve this level, but it is an artificial construct based on what the supply side can achieve today, not what consumers demand. While it’s true that for many industries, the standard of “zero carbon aluminium” is not mandated until the second half of the next decade, the fact is, it is going to take about that long for the aluminium industry to get to zero. To put it another way, the supply side is largely stuck

where it is today, but the demand side for truly green aluminium is only growing. The chasm between supply and demand for zero carbon aluminium is going to widen significantly.

My point is, any new investor seeking to capitalise on the demand is not incentivised today. First, he has to find hydroelectric power (or nuclear I guess). Second, he has to wait until the inert anode is a proven commercial and viable option. Then it takes 4-5 years to build a smelter. Any inert anode smelter will have zero experience in operating this brand new plant, so it could take another 1-2 years to stabilise. It could be well into

the next decade before such a plant really delivers. And what if a smelter retrofits the technology onto a new plant? That will be great for the environment but will do nothing for volume, since the existing output will be greatly reduced while the plant goes through retrofitting, and may not come back to its previous levels – there is little argument that the inert anode will increase output, only that it will increase costs. So all in all, the industry is going to be in for some very hard times over the next several years.

BIOGRAPHY Paul Adkins, Founder and Managing Director of specialist consulting firm AZ China Ltd, has had over 30 years’ experience in the aluminium industry, including 13 years at Alcoa, 4 years at Tomago Aluminium and 3 years at Alcan Australia.

Paul did his undergraduate studies at Deakin University in Australia and attained his MBA with Merit from the Newcastle Graduate School of Management in Australia.

From 2001, he was Raw Materials Manager at Tomago Aluminium, before being seconded to Alcan early 2005 to set up their Global Sourcing office in Beijing China. Paul was also involved in Alcan’s FECRI project, which was aimed at significantly reducing the cost of building new aluminium smelters.

On completion of that assignment, Paul chose to remain in China and to establish his own business. Paul has been Managing Director of AZ China Limited since 2007.

AZ China is a specialist consulting company, with focus on the global and Chinese aluminium industry. AZ China publishes multi-client reports on the market trends and outlook, as well as providing consulting services to individual clients. AZ China has been holding conferences since 2008. As the aluminium and raw materials markets have evolved, so has Paul’s company, which in 2022 changed its name to AZ Global Consulting Limited.

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SPEAKERS

ROSA M. GARCÍA PIÑEIRO

VICE PRESIDENT OF SUSTAINABILITY AND PRESIDENT OF ALCOA AND ALCOA FOUNDATION

‘THE TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP TO ACHIEVE THE ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY’S NET ZERO AMBITIONS’ Aluminium is one of the most essential materials in a decarbonising world, and global demand for primary aluminium is expected to see continued increases. But delivering on the material’s full potential requires solutions that can help decarbonise aluminium production across the full value chain. The good news – the technology

roadmap to achieve this ambition exists.

Alcoa has game changing technology innovations in development that include new methods to decarbonise aluminium production and improve the sustainability footprint across the value chain, from mine to metal. These include a zero-carbon smelting technology that produces oxygen as a byproduct,

a combination of technologies that can decarbonise alumina refining, and a novel technology that can turn difficult-to-recycle post-consumer scrap into super-high purity aluminium.

In this session, attendees will learn about these new technologies and how they can help decarbonise the aluminium industry.

BIOGRAPHY Rosa M. García Piñeiro is Alcoa’s Vice President of Sustainability and also serves as President of the Alcoa Foundation. Rosa has also served as President of Alcoa Spain and held numerous sustainability and government affairs positions since joining the company in 1999. In addition to her role at Alcoa, Rosa has served on the Advisory Board of the School of Mining Engineers of Madrid since 2014. Rosa holds a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Vigo (Spain), a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Escuela de Organización Industrial - University of Madrid (Spain), an Executive MBA from the Haute École de Comerce at the University of Geneva and a master’s degree in Commodity Trading from the Geneva School of Business.

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SPEAKERS

STEFFEN ZENDLER

HEAVY INDUSTRY STRATEGY & MARKETING MANAGER EMEA

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN ACTION: ALUMINIUM CUSTOMER USE CASE Digital Transformation in Action for the Aluminium industry Regardless of size or scale, the day-to-day challenges faced by heavy industries share commonalities – maintaining productivity,

quality, low cost, and a skilled workforce, just to name a few. Embracing digital transformation can reshape operations allowing for more agility and responsiveness.

A solid operational foundation and

applying smart strategies can prepare organisations in the Aluminium sector for better adoption, future integration and ultimately growth

BIOGRAPHY Steffen Zendler executes the growth & performance strategy, building account relationships & expanding the Rockwell Automation portfolio in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Steffen holds a Diploma in Engineering/Mechatronics, has 19 years’ experience, 6 with Rockwell Automation.

Previously, he worked at global OEMs in international sales positions, mainly in Heavy Industry.

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5:1 125

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SPEAKERS

GUNTHER SCHOBER

SALES MANAGER AT PSI METALS NON FERROUS GMBH

SAVING COSTS WITH INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE It is smart to reduce CO2. Smart software can help you achieve this goal by saving production costs and, additionally, CO2 taxes. Intelligent software can also help you use green power and avoid power spikes or hikes in energy prices. For example, Industrial Intelligence helps you use electricity when it is windy and leaves you with the satisfaction of brewing your morning coffee when others need electrical power.

It is as simple as it sounds.

How can software like this help you optimise your production? By increasing your yield - reducing the required input material for the same output, or increasing your output

with the same amount of input material. This saves CO2. You can also optimise production by increasing the OEE, which reduces energy consumption per ton produced and thus CO2.

By optimising the use of scrap, you reduce the amount of primary material significantly. This is not only a considerable savings potential in Euros and Dollars, but also reduces your carbon footprint substantially.

The forecasting algorithm predicts energy consumption depending on the time of day and weather forecast. This enables the use of energy when it is cheap and clean.

Software may not succeed in completely avoiding CO2 consumption. However, there

are different smart software services that help to reduce CO2. Each of them contributes to the reduction in various degrees. When orchestrated by the Service Platform, these smart services work together and support your CO2 reduction targets autonomously. Like humans, software services are stronger as a team.

It is good to note that there is always room for further intelligent solutions, despite our efforts in putting them together. However, the benefit is decreasing our manufacturing carbon footprint and reducing costs.

BIOGRAPHY Gunther Schober, born November 21, 1970 in Leoben, Austria, graduated in 1994 as Metallurgical Engineer with focus on industrial and energy economics at the Mining University of Leoben.

After his first experience as sales engineer and sales manager, he took over management responsibility as head of sales & marketing for AVL DiTEST, an international automotive company.

In 2007, he joined PSI Metals. As Senior Consultant, Project Manager and Sales Manager, his expertise in metals and international experience in process development and Supply Chain Management is highly sought after.

With more than 15 years of experience in the field of Production Management Solutions encompassing Supply Chain Management and Planning, Product Design, Quality Management, Production Execution and Logistics, he has become a recognized expert in these areas.

PSI Metals, known as an innovative company, became the metal industry’s partner for Industry 4.0. Gunther Schober’s expertise together with PSI Metals’ innovative approach make him a demanded contact for future solutions.

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SPEAKERS

HILBRAND KUIKEN

CEO OF QUANTILLION

ROLE OF AI ON THE ROAD TO SUSTAINABLE ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION Quantillion’s mission is to empower Smarter, Greener and Safer industrial operations.

By combining the latest industry equipment, our unique integration layer and process optimisation techniques we deliver flexible, profitable, and sustainable operations for the heavy industry.

Industry 4.0 is currently one of the most talked about topics in the aluminium industry, with such elements as automation, robotics, IIoT, ML, AI and AR leading the way towards the ‘smelters of the future’. Next to that ESG practices are becoming increasingly important, with the push towards sustainability coming from customers, governments, and

potential investors. Getting hold of clean energy is only one side of this journey. The other side concerns process optimization opportunities arising from new technical developments.

At Quantillion, we strongly believe that making use of Industry 4.0 technologies is not only complementary to, but necessary for the success of ESG goals. Without an Industry 4.0 approach, it will simply not be possible to deliver these long-term goals with existing potline technology and control practices alone.

At Quantillion we have been using AI and a digital twin of smelter operations to optimize

production processes. We see production environments as a cyber-physical area where humans, machines and equipment need to work together in the most optimal way. These optimization gains are directly related to the increases in sustainability of operations. But how do you do it? Where do you start? How can we leverage the power of AI on the road to sustainable aluminium production?

In this presentation we will showcase examples of AI solutions which can help in improving sustainability of a smelter operations as well as explain the steps that need to be taken when it comes to implementation of such solutions.

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

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SPEAKERS

PERNELLE NUNEZ

DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL / DIRECTOR – SUSTAINABILITY

‘DECARBONISATION – FROM PATHWAYS TO ACTION’ In 2021, the International Aluminium Institute outlined potential technology pathways for sector decarbonisation to 2050. These demonstrated the significant undertakings that would be required for the industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from each step of the value chain whilst continuing to meet demand for the material. With these

pathways established, the focus has shifted towards action and implementation and it is acknowledged that action must happen swiftly but it cannot happen at any cost. Over the past twelve months, companies across the industry have take decisive steps towards decarbonisation and have done so with consideration of broader sustainability goals

and in partnership with key stakeholders.

Further action will be needed, and from a host of actors, to ensure aluminium continues to play a key role in sustainability applications of the future including clean energy technologies, greener transportation, and waste-saving packaging solutions.

BIOGRAPHY Pernelle has over 12 years of experience in the metals and mining industry. She began her career at CRU where she was a part of the consulting team and worked on a range of market strategy and valuation projects across base metals, aluminium and iron ore. Pernelle joined the International Aluminium Institute in 2015 and is the Deputy Secretary General and Director of Sustainability. She has worked on a range of collaborative industry projects including life cycle impact assessment, environmental footprint analyses, sustainable waste management and GHG emissions accounting and pathways. Pernelle holds a MSci Geology (Hons) from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Value Chains from the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

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SPEAKERS

ALISON CONROY

DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, NOVELIS

CLOSING THE LOOP ON AUTOMOTIVE ALUMINIUM SCRAP TO MINIMISE CARBON EMISSIONS Aluminium is a vital material for a more sustainable future, because it is both lightweight and strong. But equally important to its value is aluminium’s superior recyclability.

At the manufacturing stage, circularity is the most powerful lever for automotive OEMs to

reduce their CO2 footprint. And introducing as much recycled aluminium sheet as possible is fundamental to reducing the industry’s emissions.

Alison Conroy and Mickael Faliu will highlight opportunities for automakers, press

shops, and aluminium suppliers to work together to maximise the collection and sorting of aluminium scrap, increase recycling rates and efficiency, minimize carbon emissions, and contribute to a circular economy.

BIOGRAPHY Alison Conroy is Director of Sustainability at Novelis. She supports the sustainability strategy efforts to achieve Novelis’ goals, including focusing on coordinating the execution of the sustainability roadmap. Among other responsibilities, she also contributes to Alumobility’s sustainability working group.

Prior to joining Novelis, Alison led Georgia-Pacific’s efforts to identify actionable opportunities to drive waste minimization and efficient use of resources. She was the driving force behind Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies and integration programs supporting the company’s interests in relevant industry associations. Earlier in her career, Alison was a process engineer and LCA practitioner at Archer Daniels Midland Company.

Alison holds a Master Master’s of Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University and is a Life Cycle Assessment Certified Professional.

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SPEAKERS

CURT BERMEL

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES & ENGINEERING, MPOT

APPLICATION AND RESULTS OF MPOT® DILUTED COMBUSTION IN ALUMINIUM FURNACES AND THE COMPLETE CARBON FREE FUTURE TECHNOLOGY Diluted or flameless oxy-fuel combustion has shown in the past year’s huge successes as an optimisation tool for a variety of high temperature applications. This innovative combustion technology has a lower flame temperature, more uniform temperature distribution, and with MPOT® burners, utilises air participation, leading to lower fuel consumption and ultra-low NOx levels.

MPOT® burners are designed to minimise

pure oxygen participation, which reduces oxygen costs, and results in an overall higher melt efficiency.

The carbon free future will be CCU, in the purest sense, as the process of capturing CO2 at the point of generation and utilising that CO2 within the same facility. MPOT engineers embraced this challenge with these solution tenants: Utilise at least 95% of process generated CO2 inhouse, improve heat flux

in process, improve fuel efficiency, decrease turnaround time, and improve product quality with this solution.

In this work we analyse the optimisation processes of different types of rotaries and reverberatory furnaces with MPOT® burners and the details of the first MPOT®-CCU commercialisation’s in Europe.

BIOGRAPHY Curt Bermel is currently the Vice president of Sales and Engineering in MPOT, Americas. He is also the Senior Engineer, Metals & Glass Industries at Messer Gases America and Praxair.

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COLLABORATIVE INTELLIGENCE

Combine individual intelligences of your people, vehicles and equipment into a unified problem solving network where they all work together towards a common goal.

Each task is distributed in such a way that a set of machines will work together best way possible to finish the schedule.

Humans interact with a group of machines instead of one machine.

ABOUT US Pioneer in intelligent automation, Quantillion revolutionises the way humans and machines work together and the way workflows are optimised.

We build innovative technology for the heavy industry that connects all individual workflows and agents enabling the most optimal process management at any time. This allows plants to continuously and autonomously improve safety, quality, output, and at the same time reduce the ecological footprint.

QUANTILLION.IO INFO@QUANTILLION.IO

Through the ability to learn as they encounter new situations, machines become more flexible and handle more throughput.

BENEFITS

Smarter way of working

Resilient system Best use of resources at any time New levels of connectedness

SPEAKERS

MANEL DA SILVA LÓPEZ

HEAD OF LIGHT ALLOYS RESEARCH LINE, EURECAT AND TECHNICAL MANAGER OF SALEMA PROJECT

NEW AL ALLOYS WITH LOWER CRM CONTENT Aluminium is not a new solution in cars. On average there is 15% of all parts made from aluminium in large scale production cars while this number is higher than 50% in the case of electric vehicles. Meanwhile, it is increasing every year because of the feasibility of aluminium. Thus, the European automotive sector needs reliable aluminium sources, that are not dependent on foreign critical raw

material imports.

The SALEMA project will produce novel aluminium alloys with minimalised critical raw material content (silicon and magnesium), integrating scrap metal recycling. The suitability and performance of these new aluminium alloys will be demonstrated through four pilot actions and five demonstrators. The integration of scrap metal recycling is essential

to create a sustainable circular economy and it is going to serve as a reliable source for high-quality alloys in the future.

16 partners from six European countries have joined forces because we believe, driving the way for a green automotive industry starts with lightweight cars made of aluminium.

BIOGRAPHY Dr. Manel Da Silva completed a PhD at the University of Navarra, studying about semi-solid processing of aluminium and magnesium alloys.

He is a researcher at ASCAMM (current EURECAT) since 2008 and, currently, manager of the Light Alloys line of the Unit of Metallic and Ceramic Materials of EURECAT. He has more than 18 years of experience working on research projects related to High Pressure Die Casting and processing of aluminium alloys at CEIT, CURAL (University of Quebec), ASCAMM and EURECAT. He has been involved in nine European projects, being the technical director of four of them, in addition to numerous national projects. Author and co-author of 14 publications in SCI journals and over 20 communications in national and international conferences.

His research has been focused on High Pressure Die Casting process, researching on metal treatment techniques and the HPDC process itself, correlating part quality to processing conditions and developing new aluminium alloys by understanding the effect and interaction of minor elements.

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SPEAKERS

MICHAEL POTESSER

MANAGING DIRECTOR AT MPOT GMBH

APPLICATION AND RESULTS OF MPOT® DILUTED COMBUSTION IN ALUMINIUM FURNACES AND THE COMPLETE CARBON FREE FUTURE TECHNOLOGY Diluted or flameless oxy-fuel combustion has shown in the past year’s huge successes as an optimisation tool for a variety of high temperature applications. This innovative combustion technology has a lower flame temperature, more uniform temperature distribution, and with MPOT® burners, utilises air participation, leading to lower fuel consumption and ultra-low NOx levels.

MPOT® burners are designed to minimise

pure oxygen participation, which reduces oxygen costs, and results in an overall higher melt efficiency.

The carbon free future will be CCU, in the purest sense, as the process of capturing CO2 at the point of generation and utilising that CO2 within the same facility. MPOT engineers embraced this challenge with these solution tenants: Utilise at least 95% of process generated CO2 inhouse, improve heat flux

in process, improve fuel efficiency, decrease turnaround time, and improve product quality with this solution.

In this work we analyse the optimisation processes of different types of rotaries and reverberatory furnaces with MPOT® burners and the details of the first MPOT®-CCU commercialisation’s in Europe.

BIOGRAPHY Michael Potesser is currently the Managing Director of MPOT GmbH, Taibinger & Co Sondermaschinenbau GmbH, and MPOT LLC. He is also the Head Market Development Metallurgy/Combustion and Senior Technology Manager Metallurgy/Combustion at the Messer Group, Austria.

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SPEAKERS

MICKAËL FALIU

SUSTAINABILITY ENGINEER, CONSTILLIUM/AUTOMOBILITY

CLOSING THE LOOP ON AUTOMOTIVE ALUMINIUM SCRAP TO MINIMISE CARBON EMISSIONS Aluminium is a vital material for a more sustainable future, because it is both lightweight and strong. But equally important to its value is aluminium’s superior recyclability.

At the manufacturing stage, circularity is the most powerful lever for automotive OEMs to

reduce their CO2 footprint. And introducing as much recycled aluminium sheet as possible is fundamental to reducing the industry’s emissions.

Alison Conroy and Mickael Faliu will highlight opportunities for automakers, press

shops, and aluminium suppliers to work together to maximise the collection and sorting of aluminium scrap, increase recycling rates and efficiency, minimize carbon emissions, and contribute to a circular economy.

BIOGRAPHY Mickaël Faliu is a Sustainability & Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Engineer for Constellium. He joined Constellium in 2020, he is responsible for providing technical support on sustainability topics such as GHG accounting, recycled content, and LCA calculations both for strategic and customer support purposes. In this role, he actively contributes to the Alumobility sustainability working group and provides technical support for ongoing LCA studies.

Mickaël holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Polytech’ Lyon in France and has completed an advanced program in LCA and Ecodesign.

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SPEAKERS

PARAMITA DAS

GENERAL MANAGER, GLOBAL MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT

RESPONSIBLE ALUMINIUM: ENABLING MODERN LIFE Rio Tinto produces some of the highest quality, lowest-carbon footprint aluminium in the world. But we are only scratching the surface

of the opportunities for aluminium. Hear from Paramita Das, General Manager, Global Marketing and Development, about the

advanced technology that brings responsible aluminium to market.

BIOGRAPHY Paramita Das is a global executive with extensive experience in the commodities segment (metal and oil and gas). She leads market development for aluminium globally and the establishment of a more customer-centric approach in the Americas. Prior to her work in the aluminium marketing and development space, Paramita was the Chief of Staff to the CEO of Rio Tinto and Chief Transformation Officer for the Atlantic Operations for Aluminium segment with Rio Tinto. Paramita joined Rio Tinto in 2015, prior to which, she has worked with companies including Sumitomo Corporation and BP. She is a passionate advocate for ESG and inclusion.

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SPEAKERS

JOHNATHAN WATKIN

CEO OF IMPRESSION TECHNOLOGIES

HOT FORM QUENCH – ENHANCING THE RECYCLED CONTENT FOR HIGH STRENGTH ALUMINIUM SHEET STRUCTURES There is a growing emphasis on the circular economy and the embedded carbon in the materials for manufactured products, particularly in automotive. Aluminium presents a major opportunity to reduce the carbon content of vehicle production. High strength 6x series alloys are seeing increased use within automotive body structures, particularly for electric vehicles; but their limited cold stamping formability restricts their use or makes designs complicated with multiple

joined parts. Some automotive makers, such as Ford and JLR, have already incorporated tight waste stream sorting of sheet scrap within plants to feed back into alloy sheet production but these measures alone will not achieve the goal of fully recycled sheet stock for body structures. The challenge is to enable the addition of additional waste streams into the production of 6x series sheet (which was developed f or cold forming) for the automotive and other sectors, taking

advantage of the significant formability enhancement enabled by the Hot Form Quench (HFQ®) manufacturing process.

Impression Technologies has already done promising HFQ trials on the use of near 100% bottom ash for 6x structural parts and is undertaking a programme this year to develop a full-scale automotive body structure component using 100% recycled 6x series aluminium.

BIOGRAPHY Jonathan is CEO of Impression Technologies. He has over 25 years of experience in commercialising technology in the international automotive, industrial and cleantech sectors, having held senior commercial and operational leadership positions in Federal-Mogul, Textron, and most recently, Ceres Power. He is a Chartered Engineer with a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science; Technology from the University of Birmingham and a masters in Design, Manufacturing; Management from the University of Cambridge.

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SPEAKERS

DR. NICK DEPREE

HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY, ENPOT

DECARBONISATION OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION BY DEMAND SIDE RESPONSE Baseload energy consumption by primary aluminium smelters is rapidly becoming less valuable to power grid operation and stability due to the increasing penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE). For global industry to decarbonise, many smelters must find pathways to reduce their dependence on thermal baseload generation. One such pathway is power modulation and

the retrofittable EnPot technology can now enable ±20% modulation at any time, allowing smelters to increase the use of VRE in their energy mix, or for them to help firm VRE in national grids. Decarbonising power systems provide by far the greatest driver to reduce carbon footprints and firming of VRE via smelter modulation is the cheapest way to achieve this, thereby attracting governmental

attention and potential funding. A detailed analysis of two energy markets (coal versus hydro-dominated) showed that beyond the decarbonisation benefits, modulation is also economically advantageous both to smelters and energy providers, and opens the door to new contractual scenarios to share this value.

BIOGRAPHY Nick leads the design and development of EnPot technology. He was deeply involved in the original research and plant trials undertaken by the Light Metals Research Centre at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, as well as the full commercial installation in Germany. He has experience in many aspects of aluminium smelting, particularly process control, modelling, and data analysis.

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EXHIBITOR PROFILES

ALUMINIUM INTERNATIONAL TODAY

(THE) ALUMINIUM ASSOCIATION

Aluminium International Today (AIT) is the leading bi-monthly journal dedicated to all sectors and regions of the international aluminium manufacturing and processing industry.

The Aluminum Association represents aluminium production and jobs in the United States, ranging from primary production to value added products to recycling, as well as suppliers to the industry.

With more than 30 years’ of experience, AIT is committed to delivering up-to-date global news, events, and statistics, as well as mire detailed technical articles, company profiles , conference reports and regular regional economic briefings.

As the industry’s leading voice, the association represents over 120 companies that make 70% of the aluminium and aluminium products shipped in North America. The group develops global standards, business intelligence, sustainability research and industry expertise for member companies, policymakers and the general public.

the journal has changed dramatically since its formation and now publishes news regularly on its website: www.aluminiumtoday.com as well as a free weekly newsletter, which is sent to the inbox of more than 24,000 industry professionals.

For more information, visit: www.aluminiumtoday.com

ALCOA

Through its Aluminium Transportation Group (ATG), The Aluminum Association communicates the benefits of aluminium in ground transportation applications to help accelerate its penetration through research programs and related outreach activities. The ATG’s mission is to serve member companies and act as a central resource for the automotive and commercial vehicle industries on aluminium issues. In the U.S., the aluminium industry supports more than 634,000 jobs and more than $176 billion in economic output. https://www.aluminum.org

ALUMOBILITY

Alcoa is a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina and aluminum products with a vision to reinvent the aluminum industry for a sustainable future. Since developing the process that made aluminum an affordable and vital part of modern life, Alcoa has continued to deliver on its purpose to Turn Raw Potential into Real Progress.

The company has developed breakthrough innovations and best practices that have led to greater efficiency, safety, sustainability and stronger communities wherever it operates. https://www.alcoa.com/global/en/home/

Alumobility is a global ecosystem of leading aluminium and downstream technology partners that supports automotive manufacturers in creating lighter, safer, smarter and more sustainable vehicles. The non-profit association was founded to focus on technical studies to advance the adoption of aluminium automotive body sheet (ABS). Working with global automakers, Alumobility is helping to fulfil the promise of a lighter, more efficient, more sustainable mobility future. https://alumobility.com/

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EXHIBITOR PROFILES

ASI

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is a global, multistakeholder, non-profit standards setting and certification organisation. It works toward responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium following an entire value chain approach.

To this end, ASI launched its Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard in December 2017, with revised Standards planned for release in May 2022.

ASI’s 220+ members include leading civil society organisations, companies with activities in bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting, semi-fabrication, product and component manufacturing, as well as consumer and commercial goods, including the automotive industry, construction and packaging, as well as industry associations and other supporters. https://aluminium-stewardship.org

AZ GLOBAL CONSULTING

AZ China Limited becomes AZ Global Consulting Limited I am pleased to announce that AZ China has changed its name to AZ Global Consulting Limited. The name change is effective immediately.

Why did we change our name?

We are the same team, the same quality and the same focus. But our focus has shifted in recent years to a more global outlook. In today’s world, the issues facing the aluminium industry are becoming truly global. The entire industry the world over must address CO2 and other emissions as we move to truly green aluminium. Supply of petroleum coke is now becoming a major global concern. Whether we are looking at the metal or the raw materials, it’s important to understand the entire picture, not just one part of it.

Will you still report on China?

Yes. We plan to introduce some new reports and services which will Aluminium International Today

provide you with a global perspective, but our existing fleet of reports and services will not change. We are still AZ China, but we are more than that.

Can you still help me meet Chinese suppliers and markets?

Yes. We have the same team of people in the office, and we are still in constant contact with the key market makers inside China. Whether you are competing against China, selling to or buying from China, or you are looking for investments and strategic alliances with China, we can still help you?

Are you putting your prices up?

No. Can I still reach you at your old AZ China email address?

Yes. Do you have a new website address?

Yes. It’s www-az-global.net, or www.az-globalconsulting.com Are you changing your business structure?

No. We are still registered in Hong Kong and already have the approval for the change of business name. Our Hong Kong address remains as 1101, 299 Queens Road Central, Hong Kong.

What about payments? Do we have to change our records in our enterprise systems and accounting systems?

Yes please. Our HSBC bank account details are unchanged, and HSBC will identify payments to the old name, but the sooner every accounting or enterprise system can reflect our new name, the better.

What about your China business?

We still have our office in Zibo, and the team there continues to service our Chinese customers. The name of that business will remain as Ai Ze Consulting.

What if I have a strong opinion about this move?

You are welcome to let us know if you like or don’t like the name change. We love to hear from you.

When is this all happening?

Our name change has already happened, and over the rest of March, we will be rolling out our new logo and name on letterheads, the website, the newsletter, our reports and so on.

We will also be introducing some important new products and services that reflect the new name in the coming weeks. Watch out for some exciting news on our new Green Aluminium Report and our Global Petcoke Report.

New name but same great service. With global issues confronting our industry, we want you to know that you can rely on us to provide in-depth meaningful and data-based market intelligence. Please welcome AZ Global Consulting. https://www.az-globalconsulting.com/

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EXHIBITOR PROFILES

ENPOT

HATCH

EnPot fundamentally changes the way smelters use energy to produce aluminium. Ultimately, the technology reinvents smelters into “virtual batteries” capable of providing valuable storage and back-up power to the world’s electricity grids when they need it most, accelerating the adoption of variable renewable energy. This is made possible by innovative technology that enables smelters to vary the amount of energy they consume without interrupting the delicate heat balance required to make aluminium. The end product is greener aluminium from smelters that have been reinvented as green energy providers.

Hatch is passionately committed to the pursuit of a better world through positive change. As a global multidisciplinary management, engineering, and development consultancy firm for the metals, energy, and infrastructure sectors, our corporate roots extend more than a hundred years. Our exceptional, diverse teams combine vast engineering and business knowledge, working in partnership with our clients to develop market strategies, manage and optimize production, develop innovative technologies, and design and deliver complex capital projects. https://www.hatch.com/en

https://energiapotior.com/

EURECAT

Eurecat, Technology Centre of Catalonia, brings together the expertise of 650 professionals who generate a volume of income of 50 M € per year. Serving close to two thousand companies, Eurecat is involved in more than 200 projects of R&D national and international with high strategic value and has 153 patents and 8 technology companies. It has eleven centres in Catalonia.

HENCON

Hencon designs and build innovative products and services to help their partners secure a profit in a safe and sustainable manner.

The Hencon Group sets new standards in the engineering, manufacturing and servicing of reliable, special and custom-made mobile equipment for the aluminium and mining industries. We focus on flexibility, high-quality standards and customer satisfaction.

https://eurecat.org/ https://www.hencon.com/

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EXHIBITOR PROFILES

HYDRO

aluminium companies such as Novelis and UACJ), with HFQ production sites now operating in Germany, UK and China and facilities pending in the USA. https://impression-technologies.com/

INTERNATIONAL ALUMINIUM INSTITUTE Hydro is a leading industrial company that builds businesses and partnerships for a more sustainable future. We develop industries that matter to people and society. Since 1905, Hydro has turned natural resources into valuable products for people and businesses, creating a safe and secure workplace for our 31,000 employees in more than 140 locations and 40 countries. Hydro is present in a broad range of market segments for aluminum, energy, metal recycling, renewables and batteries, offering a unique wealth of knowledge and competence to our customers and partners. https://www.hydro.com/en-NO

IMPRESSION TECHNOLOGIES

The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) is the only body representing the global primary aluminium industry. The IAI was established in 1972 and current IAI membership includes global bauxite, alumina and aluminium companies in all the major producing regions. Through the IAI, the aluminium industry aims to promote a wider understanding of its activities and to demonstrate both its responsibility in producing the metal and the potential benefits to be realised through its use in sustainable applications and recycling. The IAI’s purpose is to promote the sustainable development of the aluminium industry and to increase demand for aluminium products by raising awareness of their unique and valuable properties. https://international-aluminium.org/

Impression Technologies Limited (ITL), based in Coventry UK, was formed in January 2013 to commercialise HFQ® Technology, which was developed at the University of Birmingham and Imperial College London. HFQ® enables standard grades of lightweight, high-strength aluminium to be formed into complex shapes in a single pressing operation. The shaped aluminium blanks are heated, formed at high speed in a stamping press, quenched in the forming tool and then undergo artificial ageing to achieve full strength. ITL currently supplies parts on seven different vehicle platforms and is working with leading aircraft manufacturers. Its team of alloy specialists and experienced application engineers work with customers from the outset of projects to help maximise the potential of this revolutionary technology. The company is fully equipped to carry out in-house prototyping and production runs to support HFQ® Technology customers, operating the world’s first HFQ® production line. One of the advantages of using HFQ® Technology is significantly increased design freedom, resulting from the use of HFQ design tools with commercial design software and from the new design opportunities the HFQ process affords on the material and part. ITL offers its technology to automotive and aerospace OEMs via an accredited global tier supplier network (with close collaboration with leading

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EXHIBITOR PROFILES

LINDE

MPOT

Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2021 sales of $31 billion (€26 billion). We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing highquality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain and protect our planet.

MPOT GmbH stands for qualified advisory services, plant design, solution creation, fabrication of equipment, installation, and commissioning of all MPOT systems with ongoing customer support.

Our strengths are: • Feasibility studies for existing/future operations for all aspects in refining operations • Plant layout, design, and related engineering services • Identification of funding resources, i.e., energy efficiency/ carbon capture utilisation programs • Supply of technologies that enhance metallurgical refining & handling operations • Process technology and optimisation: accomplish more with current, even more with new • Industrial melting and holding furnaces, & ancillary equipment design & construction • Innovative refractory applications • Advanced combustion technologies that provide the lowest OpEx ($/lb) to Producer • Local sourcing for locations such as China, CEE, and South America Differentiation: We look after and support our customers in all stages of a project, from initial meetings through commissioning, in small companies and large corporations. From years of experience, we provide exceptionally competent guidance to optimise our customer’s processes. We bring forth and stand for holistic and sustainable solutions for our customers.

Commitment: We commit to our customers from start to finish, from the feasibility study, financing options, to planning, design, fabrication, construction, and commissioning, we purpose to be partners for life. We support our customers comprehensively and individually in all respective areas involved in an MPOT optimisation.

Sustained Success: We proudly offer select examples of our work for review. We welcome small projects up to greenfield design, construction, and commissioning. You will not find lower operating costs coupled with higher productivity & yield than MPOT optimisation provides… anywhere!

The company serves a variety of end markets including chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. Linde’s industrial gases are used in countless applications, from life-saving oxygen for hospitals to high-purity & specialty gases for electronics manufacturing, hydrogen for clean fuels and much more. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions. https://www.linde.com/

MATRIX

Matrix Specialty Lubricants BV has been created by a group of enthusiastic people who have been working for major oil companies for many years.

Our vision is to provide the right lubricant for the right application.

Too often historically wrong recommended and old technology products are used in applications where new technology can bring solutions. It is just a matter of knowledge.

http://s391222558.website-start.de/

https://www.matrix-lubricants.com/en/home

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OUR VISION Achieve growth through innovation to protect the planet, people, and our future.

Primary Aluminium Seals External Cathode Bar Seals

Anode Bar Seal Gaskets

Crucible Lid Seals

Our patented Cathode Bar Seals are the most improved seal, in the most economical and easy to use design ever available to primary aluminium smelters.

Durable and highly resistive to hydrofluoric gas atmospheres, heat, and electrical conductivity of reduction cells. Very easily customized to the exact fit of any size anode bars.

Excellent airtight seal that allows negative pressure to be maintained in the crucible during tapping. Available in rectangular, square and round formations unique to your application.

info@mid-mountain.com www.mid-mountain.com

5602 - 2nd Ave South

Get In Touch

Seattle, WA 98108

+1 206.762.7600

EXHIBITOR PROFILES

PSI

QUANTILLION TECHNOLOGIES

PSI is the leading partner for digital production in the metals industry combining SCM, APS and MES in one software platform – PSImetals. Our software solutions enable producers of aluminium and steel products to ensure their competitive edge by delivering products as agreed in quantity, quality and time whilst considering inventory, productivity and performance targets.

The PSImetals software line is an end-to-end approach for the overall supply chain caring for all the needs of the primary metals industry. From supplier to customer, PSImetals offers powerful and highly configurable standard products to support all processes from planning to execution while respecting the complexity of metal production: • Planning level to support all planning processes from Business Planning via Production Planning to Detailed Scheduling, • Execution level to monitor and control production activities as well as to assure quality, • Level of material- and transport logistic to optimise all transports requested to keep production running, • Energy management level, • Cross-application KPI and production monitoring functions.

As the market leader, PSI also claims technology leadership.

Therefore, the PSImetals FutureLab researches and develops the solutions of tomorrow on the basis of the PSImetals Service Platform, taking into account: • latest developments around Industry 4.0 • a collaborative approach with customers, partners and experts • leading edge IT technology based on PSI Java Framework.

Pioneer in autonomising industrial operations, Quantillion contributes to Industry 4.0 through revolutionising the way equipment and operators work together and how workflows are optimised.

Quantillion’s software solutions help to autonomise core operations in the heavy industries by connecting all separate workflows and agents, either human or machine, into one environment, with a layer of business logic and artificial intelligence, and an easy-to-use user interface for precise control and process management.

For the past 4 years, Quantillion has developed and deployed autonomous decision solutions using Artificial Intelligence. By integrating it with our client’s business operations and IT, we create more profitable, more efficient, and more responsive operations.

Proud to be working with multiple equipment suppliers, of both fixed and mobile equipment, we see ourselves to be the integration partner in the industry. Headquartered in Amsterdam, our highly skilled and passionate people make sure to introduce new technology to the industry and put the data to work! https://quantillion.io

ROCKWELL AUTOMATION

https://www.psimetals.de/en/met-home/

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 24,500 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing The Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit our website. https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-mde.html

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EXHIBITOR PROFILES

SIM

A series of regional exhibitions and conferences that can support and facilitate the transition towards cleaner manufacturing around the world.

Why? Heavy industry is responsible for 30% carbon emissions and an industry transition towards net zero is vital to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius by 2050. And we’re passionate about manufacturing!

The team behind SIM has been delivering events for heavy industry for 40+years.

For more information, visit: https://sustainableindustrialmanufacturing.com/europe

TOTAL ENERGIES LUBRICANTS

TotalEnergies is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of lubricants, with 42 production sites around the world and more than 5,800 employees in 160 countries. TotalEnergies’ Lubricants division offers innovative, high-performance and environmentally friendly products and services, developed by its R&D centers, which employ over 130 researchers. TotalEnergies’ lubricants division is a key partner for players in the automotive, industrial and marine markets. https://totalenergies.com

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Aluminum processing fluids

Hot & cold rolling mills TotalEnergies is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of lubricants, with 42 production sites around the world and more than 5,800 employees in 160 countries. TotalEnergies’ Lubricants division offers innovative, high-performance and environmentally friendly products and services, developed by its R&D centers, which employ over 130 researchers.

TotalEnergies’ lubricants division is a key partner for players in the automotive, industrial and marine markets.

lubricants.totalenergies.com

TotalEnergies Industry Solutions

ms.industry@totalenergies.com TotalEnergies 552 006 454 RCS Nanterre - France. Photos: 123RF - Design: