Aluminum is an essential metal in modern life. Its properties enable airplanes to fly, cars to travel at high speeds, and countless industries and products that define life today, from beverage cans to smartphones.
However, production can be very energy-intensive; And demand for this metal is expected to increase by almost 40% by 2030more environmentally friendly production methods are increasingly needed.
Here, we explore how sustainable aluminum production is growing and the breakthrough technologies and initiatives being developed to reduce the industry's emissions.
Aluminum emissions issues
Aluminum is used in a variety of industries because it is lightweight, has a high strength-to-weight ratio, and is a good conductor of electricity and heat.
100% recyclablea valuable metal for sustainable practices and a key element of the energy transition, used in renewable energy infrastructure, power transmission lines, energy storage, and the production of electric vehicle (EV) components.
![Tackling aluminum emissions requires rapid development of decarbonization technologies.](https://www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/2024-01/AluminumDecarbWEF2024.jpeg)
![Tackling aluminum emissions requires rapid development of decarbonization technologies.](https://www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/2024-01/AluminumDecarbWEF2024.jpeg)
but Aluminum production produces approximately 3% emissions According to the International Energy Agency, it equates to direct CO2 emissions from global industry. And while emissions from aluminum production are on the decline, they need to fall even faster to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Reducing emissions from aluminum production
As with many decarbonization efforts, collaboration plays a key role in driving change.
The Mission Impossible Partnership, in collaboration with the International Aluminum Association, Aluminum decarbonization roadmap It details what the industry will look like in a zero-carbon world and what it needs to do to get there.
In addition, members of the World Economic Forum first mover alliance A global initiative that leverages corporate purchasing power to decarbonize the planet's most emitting industries, the company aims to ensure that at least 10 percent of the aluminum it uses comes from near-zero-emission processes by 2030. promised to procure it.
![Steps to decarbonize aluminum.](https://www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/2024-01/StepsDecarbAlumWEF2024.jpeg)
![Steps to decarbonize aluminum.](https://www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/2024-01/StepsDecarbAlumWEF2024.jpeg)
As collaboration and pledges accelerate the decarbonization of the industry, it also fosters innovation and the industry is poised for a number of breakthroughs that can dramatically reduce emissions.
1. Decarbonization technology for aluminum smelting
Norwegian Aluminum and renewable energy company Hydro was recently awarded an award at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates for its pioneering work on green aluminum. Unique technology has the potential to fully decarbonize aluminum smelting.
“We are changing the game for aluminum. This is an important recognition of our commitment to developing new technology that could be the biggest thing to happen in aluminum production since the invention of aluminum. ” Hall-Heroux method in 1886,” said Hilde Merete Asheim, President and CEO of Hydro, upon receiving the award at COP28.
The company is working on providing another type of technology to replace the Hall-Erow process. Hydro's HalZero technology keeps the carbon and chlorine in a closed loop, eliminating CO2 emissions and only emitting oxygen, instead of emitting CO2 during the electrolysis stage.
The current goal is to reach industrial scale production by 2030 and produce the first aluminum by 2025.
2. Purer recycled aluminum
Recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing aluminum from raw materials.and are often cheap, making them a viable means to accelerate industry decarbonization.
However, until recently, recycled aluminum often contained impurities and alloying elements that affected its quality, limiting its use in high-precision electronic components such as medical devices and EVs.
However, researchers in the United States are working on innovations such as: Removes metal impurities from recycled aluminumThis makes it more versatile and more sustainable.
Although specific details of the solution remain confidential, the solution is being created with the support of a 170-person public-private partnership funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy.
3. Replace fossil fuels with hydrogen
australian mining group Rio Tinto is working with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). Evaluate whether hydrogen can be used as an alternative to natural gas in alumina (the starting material for aluminum smelting) smelters.
„Replacing fossil fuels with clean hydrogen in the alumina refining process will reduce the energy and emissions-intensive refining stage of the (aluminum) supply chain,“ said Darren Miller, CEO of ARENA. Emissions will be reduced.“ “Exploring these new clean energy technologies and methods is an important step toward green aluminum production.”