International Aluminium Institute Research Articles

Quantifying the Carbon Footprint of the Alouette Primary Aluminum Smelter

The Alouette primary aluminum smelter is the largest in the Americas, with an annual production of ~ 630,000 t of aluminum. In this collaborative study, a detailed product carbon footprint analysis was undertaken by Rain Carbon using a large body of primary emissions data to provide a complete cradle-to-gate analysis of the smelter’s emissions. The total carbon footprint of the smelter in 2019 was 3914 kg CO2e/t of aluminum for scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and 1835 kg CO2e for scope 1 and 2 emissions. The modeling results were compared to those for global average and Canadian average smelters, using reference datasets developed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) and GaBi Professional Database. Alouette’s carbon footprint is ~ 76% lower than a world average smelter and ~ 25% lower than a Canadian average smelter. For the scope 3 emissions, the primary contributors to the lower carbon footprint are lower emissions from the alumina supply and the calcined petroleum coke supply. Today, Alouette produces among the lowest carbon aluminum in the world, and this is set to decrease further following a switch from fuel oil to natural gas in the anode baking furnaces, and a switch to LNG at the alumina supplier refinery.

Forecasting global aluminium flows to demonstrate the need for improved sorting and recycling methods.

The probable emergence of a global aluminium scrap surplus in the coming decade is one of the main incentives for the aluminium recycling industry to invest in new methods and technologies to collect, sort and recycle aluminium scrap. However, due to the considerable uncertainty in the evolution of the global scrap surplus, it is difficult for policymakers and the recycling industry to accurately estimate the economic and environmental advantages of implementing enhanced sorting and recycling methods. The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) has developed a model to track and forecast the global flows of aluminium, but this model is not extensive enough to estimate the scrap surplus evolution. Therefore, this paper introduces an alloy series resolution to the supply and demand of aluminium in the IAI's global flow model and estimates the composition of the recovered scrap flows to improve the estimate of the technical potential of secondary alloy production. The estimated scrap surplus evolution is subjected to a sensitivity analysis, considering the most critical parameters, including the speed of electrification in the automotive sector, the recovered scrap's composition and the lifetime of aluminium products. In addition, the estimated composition of the recovered aluminium scrap in the model is compared to composition measurements of alumimium scrap collected at a Belgian recycling facility as a means of validation. This study allows to estimate that the global aluminium scrap surplus will emerge soon and reach a size of 5.4 million tonnes by 2030 and 8.7 million tonnes by 2040, if currently adopted aluminium sorting and recycling methods are not improved.

Environmental problems and sustainable development of aluminium industry

The article represents an analysis of the negative effects of the aluminium industry on the components of the environment – the atmosphere, natural landscapes and soils, hydrosphere. This analysis is carried out in accordance with the stages of processing of various materials and substances used in the aluminium industry: bauxite and nepheline mining, alumina refining, production of anodes and anode paste, aluminium smelting and, finally, foundry. The authors summarize the main ways to reduce the negative impact of these processes on the environment. Particular attention is paid to the activities of the largest international organizations that create conditions and tools that meet the requirements of the concept of sustainable development in the aluminium industry: the International Aluminium Institute – IAI and the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative – ASI. The second organization develops standards and corresponding certification systems for the aluminium value chain with the aim of achieving responsible production and use of aluminium. A significant part of the article is devoted to the standards, the application of which is just beginning in Russia. At the moment, there are two ASI Standards, compliance with which implies a commitment to the concept of sustainable development: the ASI Perfomance Standard and the ASI Chain of Custody Standard. The ASI Perfomance Standard defines environmental, social and governance principles and criteria, with the aim to address sustainability issues in the aluminium value chain. The ASI Chain of Custody Standard complements the ASI Perfomance Standard. This standard sets out requirements for the creation of materials whose production is certified according to these standards.

A regionally-linked, dynamic material flow modelling tool for rolled, extruded and cast aluminium products

A global aluminium flow modelling tool, comprising nine trade linked regions, namely China, Europe, Japan, Middle East, North America, Other Asia, Other Producing Countries, South America and Rest of World, has been developed. The purpose of the Microsoft Excel-based tool is the quantification of regional stocks and flows of rolled, extruded and casting alloys across space and over time, giving the industry the ability to evaluate the potential to recycle aluminium scrap most efficiently. The International Aluminium Institute will update the tool annually and publish a visualisation of results at www.world-aluminium.org/statistics/massflow.Based on primary metal production, semi-fabricated products shipment and trade data from 1950s to 2014, the tool calculates regional domestic scrap availability and metal demand of the same alloy group and differentiates new and old scrap in each group at a given point in time. An intuitive user interface allows for changes in data inputs to generate bespoke results. To solve the mass balance difference of the ‘Mining and Refining’ and ‘Aluminium Production’ processes, which occur in the tool due to conflicting data, the software STAN was used.Modelling of year 2014 stocks and flows indicate that three-quarters of all the aluminium ever produced is still in productive use. Over 26 million tonnes of new and old scrap are supplied to cast houses world-wide annually, in the form of mixed & casting scrap (11 million tonnes), used beverage cans (3 million tonnes), other rolled scrap (6 million tonnes), extruded scrap (4 million tonnes) and other scrap (2 million tonnes).

Cradle to gate: life cycle impact of primary aluminium production

The International Aluminium Institute’s (IAI) aim was to publish life cycle inventory (LCI) data for use by life cycle assessment (LCA) practitioners through professional databases. The need to provide robust data stems from the increasing application of LCA as a tool for making material and design choices and the importance for representative, up-to-date information to underpin such studies. In addition to this, the institute aimed to evaluate the significance of potential environmental impacts, based on the LCI results, against a defined set of impact categories which can be tracked over time. Key environmental data collected as part of the IAI’s long-running industry surveys provided the foundation for the life cycle inventory. In order to evaluate the environmental impact, direct input and output data for primary aluminium production were supplemented with background data for indirect processes available in GaBi version 6 (PE International, 2013b). A cradle-to-gate model was constructed with two distinct datasets, global (GLO) and global minus China (rest of world (RoW)). A partial life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) was completed using the models, and the following six CML (2001–Nov 2010) midpoint environmental impact categories were reported: acidification potential, depletion of fossil energy resources, eutrophication potential, global warming potential, ozone depletion potential and photo-oxidant creation potential. Water scarcity footprint of primary aluminium (Buxmann et al. in this issue) was also included. The results indicated that the largest greenhouse gas contributions were attributed to the alumina refining and electrolysis unit processes in both datasets, with electricity and thermal energy, being the major contributing factors to these higher values. The energy intensive nature of primary aluminium production means energy supply can significantly influence the overall environmental impact. Electricity production was found to contribute between 25 % and 80 % to all impact category indicator results, with higher values in the global dataset, a result of the inclusion of Chinese energy data and the increased share of coal-based electricity consumption that it represents. The global aluminium industry remains dedicated to transparent reporting of its environmental impacts and ensuring that up-to-date, representative LCI data is available. Development of suitable methodologies for new indicators will be required to ensure that the industry continues to report accurately all its relevant impacts. Additionally, with the increased importance of Chinese aluminium production, inclusion of foreground data from Chinese production would further enhance the dataset from which the global impacts of aluminium production are assessed from cradle to gate.

Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Foreword.

As vice president and subsequently senior vice president, corporate and external affairs for Alcan Inc between 1994 and 2007, Mr Gagnier had responsibility for corporate communications, government relations, and environment, health, and safety for the aluminum company globally. He was instrumental in the creation and development of the International Aluminium Institute's Aluminium for Future Generations sustainability initiative that comprises voluntary, quantified EHS improvement objectives and annual, data-based measurement and reporting of the sector's performance against them.

Energy Consumption in Indian Non-Ferrous Industries: Need for Bench Marking of Data

Being an energy-intensive industry, the energy usage pattern in the non-ferrous metal industry merits close observation with the intention to bring down specific energy consumption for all metals. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has taken up extensive programmes for international benchmarking, based on data available from individual industries of various countries. Major producers of non-ferrous metals across the globe have initiated measures to reduce energy consumption per unit weight of product at important production steps and have gained substantial benefits. Adoption of superior technology has been shown to also mitigate emission of toxic gases. Extensive Reports and Reviews, particularly from the European Union countries and organizations such as International Aluminium Institute, have made available extensive verifiable data on the energy usage by the member countries. However, although the non-ferrous metal sector in India has been on expansion mode, the industry in general is reluctant to publish data on energy usage in various plants and measures to mitigate emissions. The actions of concerned government agencies in this direction are neither transparent nor available in public domain. Extensive and verifiable data for each step of production can identify Best Practice Technology (BPT) as a first step, based on which subsequently benchmarking standards for energy consumption can be arrived at.

Aluminum—meeting the challenges of climate change

The aluminum industry, through the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), has developed a number of objectives for improvement in the environmental performance of its production facilities. The IAI measures performance against these objectives on an annual basis. The latest data indicates that the industry, while doubling production since 1990, has reduced its emissions of perfluorocarbon greenhouse gases by almost 80% over the same period. However, the largest potential for emission reduction is through the use of aluminum products in energy-saving applications, such as lightweight vehicles, green buildings, and packaging that protects food and medicines, as well as through the recycling of these products at the end of their useful life.

Metals recycling maps and allocation procedures in life cycle assessment

Goal, scope, and background The aim of this work is to present guidance on the application of ISO 14044 to allocation procedures for metal recycling. As such, graphical patterns of metal recycling and generic “rules” for metal recycling maps are presented. The results are intended to be useful in assessing and validating the suitability of allocation procedures for metal recycling in the context of life cycle assessment (LCA) and assist in the understanding of metals flow patterns in product systems. LCA uses a product-focus; therefore, the perspective here is on recycling metals in post-consumer products. The discussions, analysis, and illustrations in this paper emphasize old (post-consumer) scrap and do not detail flows of new (post-manufacturing, pre-consumer) or prompt (internal) scrap. The work included participation and review from International Council on Mining and Metals, the Nickel Institute, the International Copper Association, the International Zinc Association, worldsteel (formerly International Iron and Steel Institute), and the International Aluminium Institute.

Modelling More Sustainable Aluminium (4 pp)

This case study describes the development and utilization of a global, quantitative model of current and projected aluminium and life cycle inventory mass flows. The model and key results were developed to be shared with global aluminium industry technical experts, executives, and external stakeholders to better understand potential paths to more global sustainable aluminium. The model is based on annual statistical data since 1950 provided by government agencies and regional aluminum associations and on the most recent life cycle inventory intensity data (year 2002) complied for the global industry by the International Aluminium Institute. Modeling of future aluminium and resource flows are based on literature and industry expert projections of future product shipment demand. The availability of recycle flows to meet these market demands are based on projected utilization, yield, and melt loss recovery rates, post-consumer recycling rates, and anticipated future product lifetimes. The model was developed with quantitative 'what-if' capability to determine the positive impact of enhanced recycling, lower resource intense production, and product usage scenarios. The model provides the first quantitative assessment of annual global aluminium and life cycle inventory flows. Results include a quantitative estimate by major market of global aluminium product inventory, system losses, recycle rates, and selected resource requirements and air emissions implications. Recommendation and Perspective. Model results and scenarios have been reviewed and shared with global aluminium technical leaders, executives and key external stakeholders in support of the International Aluminum Institute's new voluntary global objective to better monitor and enhance aluminium recycling and sustainable development initiative.

New developments in international and US programs for PFC reductions in aluminium

The worldwide aluminium industry has made good progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the last decade and is now working towards global emission reduction goals to lower perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions intensity by 80% and smelting energy usage by 10% by 2010 from 1990 levels. The industry is working cooperatively with governments through domestic voluntary programs and globally through voluntary programs organized by the International Aluminium Institute. Depending on the technology type, a further lowering of emissions is both technically and economically feasible for many plants around the world, including regions of rapid expansion such as China and Russia. This paper reviews recent trends in PFC emissions from the global aluminium industry and presents an update of the technical options and costs of reducing PFC greenhouse gas emissions from aluminium production. It also summarizes recent industry efforts to standardize measurement methods, consolidate global data and improve the verification of emissions and emissions inventories.