Primary Aluminum Production Research Articles

Examining the Relationship Between Primary Aluminium Production and Accident Rates

Examining the Relationship Between Primary Aluminium Production and Accident Rates

FROM ENERGY INTENSITY TO SUSTAINABILITY: AN ANALYSIS OF TRENDS IN THE ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY

The article analyses trends in the aluminium industry from the point of view of sustainable development and energy efficiency. The significant impact of industrial enterprises on the environment is discussed, particularly, the high level of greenhouse gas emissions caused by energy consumption in aluminium smelting. Possibilities of reducing the negative impact due to the use of renewable energy sources, such as hydropower, as well as the implementation of energy-efficient practices, have been identified. A taxonomic analysis was used to assess the sustainable development of aluminium enterprises due to its advantage in identifying problems and directions for production improvement. The proposed method of analysis is based on the system of factors that influence the development of the industry and correspond to the concept of sustainable development. Based on the available data of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the analysis was carried out using the following factors: economic (volume of production, energy intensity of primary aluminium smelting, total energy consumption of production, labour productivity, impact of energy intensity on emissions), environmental (emissions of greenhouse gases and energy consumption of aluminium smelting using different energy sources), social (million hours reported worked, lost time accident rate, restricted work/medical treatment accident rate). Approbation of the proposed methodology on the example of international statistical data makes it possible to determine the biggest gaps in ensuring the sustainable development of aluminium industry production, including the use of various energy sources. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that none of the factors used in monitoring the activities of aluminium producers reach the reference values. In the block of economic factors, the taxonomic indicator varies between 0.18 and 0.38 (the worst efficiency is observed in terms of total production volumes). Environmental factors have taxonomic values in the range of 0.07–0.36 (the largest reserves exist in ensuring the efficiency of energy consumption using hydropower, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the process of primary aluminium production). Among the social factors, the biggest problems are labour safety and lost working hours; as a result, the taxonomic indicator for this block is in the range of 0.04 - 0.33. The obtained results indicate the need for constant improvements in the production of aluminium, which is one of the main producers of greenhouse gases due to the high energy intensity of production. The proposed approach for conducting an analysis can be improved depending on the available statistical data and the goals of the analysis. In any case, it is valuable for obtaining information on the most critical areas in supporting the sustainable development of the industry.

Production and characterization of nano-magnetic material through different red mud reduction processes

Red mud (RM), is an industrial waste deriving from the production of primary aluminium, with about 200 Mtons generated annually. In this work, the reduction of RM for obtaining magnetic products with particular chemical-physical characteristics has been explored. RM reduction was carried out in a semi-closed reducing environment at a high processing temperature (750–1100 °C) in the presence of carbon-rich ash (CA) resulting from a commercial pyro-gasification plant and by using an H2 atmosphere. All the materials were characterized by elemental analysis, XRD diffraction technique, SEM/EDX microscopy, thermogravimetry and infrared spectroscopy. The materials obtained under the different conditions have in common the presence of small iron-magnetic domains (with different iron oxidation states), in the order of hundreds of nanometres, and by the ferro-magnetic or paramagnetic response to an external magnetic field. In particular, the material pre-treated with HCl (enriched in iron) and reduced with H2 showed very good magnetic responses, more iron in reduced oxidative states showing high ferro-magnetic responses to the external field. The synthesised materials are quite differents each others and appear to have several potential fields of application, as sorbents for specific wastewater pollutants, as materials for CO2 capture, for catalysis and (bio)sensing applications. Nevertheless, the high interconnection between the magnetic and non-magnetic phases limit the direct separation or the iron enrichment. Further efforts should be focused on the functional studies and subsequent LCA and LCC analyses.

Evaluation of fluoride emissions and pollution from an electrolytic aluminum plant located in Yunnan province

The monitoring and evaluation of fluoride pollution are essentially important to make sure that concentrations do not exceed threshold limit, especially for surrounding atmosphere and soil, which are located close to the emission source. This study aimed to describe the atmospheric HF and edaphic fluoride distribution from an electrolytic aluminum plant located in Yunnan province, on which the effects of meteorological conditions, time, and topography were explored. Meanwhile, six types of solid waste genereted from different electrolytic aluminum process nodes were characterized to analyze the fluoride content and formation characteristics. The results showed that fluoride in solid waste mainly existed in the form of Na3AlF6, AlF3, CaF2, and SiF4. Spent electrolytes, carbon residue, and workshop dust are critical contributors to fluoride emissions in the primary aluminum production process, and the fluorine content is 17.14 %, 33.30 %, and 31.34 %, respectively. Unorganized emissions from electrolytic aluminum plants and solid waste generation are the primary sources of fluoride in the environment, among which the edaphic fluoride content increases most at the sampling sites S1 and S7. In addition, the atmospheric HF concentration showed significant correlations with wind speed, varying wildly from March to September, with daily average and hourly maximum HF concentrations of 4.32 μg/m3 and 9.0 μg/m3, respectively. The results of the study are crucial for mitigating fluorine pollution in the electrolytic aluminum industry.

Exploring the paths of energy conservation and emission reduction in aluminum industry in Henan province, China

As the world's largest producer and consumer of aluminum, China's aluminum industry is facing enormous pressure for energy conservation and emission reduction due to its traditional high energy consumption, high emissions, and high pollution. To explore the green and low-carbon development path of the aluminum industry, an integrated modelling framework was developed, including aluminum production forecasting and scrap recycling model, energy consumption-carbon emission-air pollutant emission model, and conservation supply curve method. Five different scenarios were set up to evaluate the energy saving and emission reduction potential of Henan Province from 2023 to 2050, by adopting four measures of accelerating the recycled aluminum, promoting energy efficiency technologies, expanding the scale of electrolytic cells, and increasing the share of renewable energy. The results showed that the production of alumina and primary aluminum decreased to 9.6 and 1.8 Mt respectively in 2050, while the future production of aluminum processing products and recycled aluminum showed a continuous upward trend. By 2050, production of recycled aluminum will increase to 14.0 Mt, expanding by about 5.7 times compared to 2022. The energy-saving and emission reduction potential of the integrated scenario is the most significant, with energy consumption, CO2, SO2, NOX, PM10, PM2.5 and fluoride decreased by 54.3, 73.0, 96.5, 72.7, 82.6, 82.6, and 98.9% compared to the business-as-usual scenario, respectively. The results also indicated that accelerating the recycled aluminum and optimizing energy structure are more effective for mitigation. Finally, policy suggestions for mitigating energy consumption and pollutant emissions of the aluminum industry in Henan Province were proposed. The systematic framework of this study can be widely applicable to other provinces and the whole country, which can provide some references for the aluminum industry to achieve the carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets.

Inertia of Technology Stocks: A Technology-Explicit Model for the Transition toward a Low-Carbon Global Aluminum Cycle.

Low-carbon technologies are essential for the aluminum industry to meet its climate targets despite increasing demand. However, the penetration of these technologies is often delayed due to the long lifetimes of the industrial assets currently in use. Existing models and scenarios for the aluminum sector omit this inertia and therefore potentially overestimate the realistic mitigation potential. Here, we introduce a technology-explicit dynamic material flow model for the global primary (smelters) and secondary (melting furnaces) aluminum production capacities. In business-as-usual scenarios, we project emissions from smelters and melting furnaces to rise from 710 Mt CO2-eq./a in 2020 to 920-1400 Mt CO2-eq./a in 2050. Rapid implementation of inert anodes in smelters can reduce emissions by 14% by 2050. However, a limitation of emissions compatible with a 2 °C scenario requires combined action: (1) an improvement of collection and recycling systems to absorb all the available postconsumer scrap, (2) a fast and wide deployment of low-carbon technologies, and (3) a rapid transition to low-carbon electricity sources. These measures need to be implemented even faster in scenarios with a stronger increase in aluminum demand. Lock-in effects are likely: building new capacity using conventional technologies will compromise climate mitigation efforts and would require premature retirement of industrial assets.

Investigation into the Methodology and Implementation of Life Cycle Engineering under China's Carbon Reduction Target in the Process Industry

The industrial sector is the primary source of carbon emissions in China. In pursuit of meeting its carbon reduction targets, China aims to promote resource consumption sustainability, reduce energy consumption, and achieve carbon neutrality within its processing industries. An effective strategy to promote energy savings and carbon reduction throughout the life cycle of materials is by applying life cycle engineering technology. This strategy aims to attain an optimal solution for material performance, resource consumption, and environmental impact. In this study, five types of technologies were considered: raw material replacement, process reengineering, fuel replacement, energy recycling and reutilization, and material recycling and reutilization. The meaning, methodology, and development status of life cycle engineering technology abroad and domestically are discussed in detail. A multidimensional analysis of ecological design was conducted from the perspectives of resource and energy consumption, carbon emissions, product performance, and recycling of secondary resources in a manufacturing process. This coupled with an integrated method to analyze carbon emissions in the entire life cycle of a material process industry was applied to the nonferrous industry, as an example. The results provide effective ideas and solutions for achieving low or zero carbon emission production in the Chinese industry as recycled aluminum and primary aluminum based on advanced technologies had reduced resource consumption and emissions as compared to primary aluminum production.

Mechanical behavior of hot extruded aluminum 6082 chip.

In a bid to address the energy-intensive nature of primary aluminum production, this study explores the solid-state recycling of aluminum alloy 6082 chips through direct hot extrusion. Compacted at room temperature, chips were extruded at temperatures (350, 425, and 500°C) and reduction ratios (6, 8.5, and 11) to optimize mechanical properties. Extensive analyses, including ANOVA and linear regressions, of strength, density, and microstructure revealed significant influences of those extrusion parameters. Optimizing these parameters within the study's aforementioned working ranges can impact the recycled material's strength; with a 36% reduction ratio increase and 20% temperature increase modestly reducing ultimate strength (2%), while a 20% temperature increase alone lowers yield strength more noticeably (9%). These findings highlight the potential for enhanced recycling and sustainable manufacturing.

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF REVOLUTIONARY INERT ANODE TECHNOLOGY

The aluminium industry currently produces significant greenhouse gas emissions and relies on energy-intensive production technology, substantially burdening the environment. The primary goal of aluminium production is to achieve expertise in carbon-free technologies and alternative energy sources. Global business companies and scientific foundations are crucial in driving progress towards sustainability objectives. Reducing the average 16 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 14,000 kWh of electricity required for every tonne of primary aluminium production presents a significant challenge. Traditional aluminium production can incur environmental costs of up to $1,000 per tonne. Addressing this issue is unfeasible without revolutionary scientific and technological innovations. The development of inert anode technology is considered one of the greatest innovations of the 21st century, potentially transforming the aluminium industry fundamentally. Due to the threat of global climate change, green strategies have become a top priority on the world’s political and economic agendas, with many areas setting net zero CO2 targets for 2050. This scientific study highlights the importance of integrating inert anode technology into the green platform of the aluminium industry as a crucial step towards achieving long-term sustainability.

Developing a Comprehensive Mathematical Model for Aluminium Production in a Soderberg Electrolyser

The technological process of aluminium electrolysis is a complex scientific and technical task. This is due to a large number of internal, external and resultant factors. The aim of this work is to analyse these factors, assess them and their influence on the technological process of electrolysis and develop a comprehensive and mathematical model of aluminium production in the Soderberg electrolyser. The work analyses the technological process of primary aluminium production on the basis of the Bayer method and then on the basis of the Hall–Eru method. The existing methods and technologies for computer modelling of the technological process are analysed. The modern methods of analysis for thermal and electromagnetic fields in electrolysers are considered. On the basis of an in-depth analysis, a number of factors influencing the process of primary aluminium production are identified. Using the methods of system analysis to analyse the identified factors, a ranked list of factors according to the degree of influence is obtained. Using the Pareto diagram, we obtain a list of factors with maximum impact. A conceptual model of the technological process is derived. Based on the obtained conceptual model, the mathematical model of the technological process is derived. The conducted research may be useful to specialists in the field of metallurgy for the analysis of the technological processes of primary aluminium production.

Bubble Behavior and Anode Effect on Different Carbon Anode Designs in Cryolite Melt Applying a See-through Furnace

Anodic CO2 gas evolution is one of the main processes in the Hall-Héroult electrolysis cell for primary aluminium production. This work is a laboratory scale study of the effect of anode geometry, anode orientation and carbon anode material on bubble behavior and bubble properties in cryolite melt. Increased knowledge of the bubble behavior is important for improved design of industrial cells, but also for laboratory‐scale experiments. The anodes studied in this work are frequently applied for investigation of reaction kinetics and mass transport, anode effect, current efficiency, anode quality properties, etc. It is therefore of interest to study the bubble dynamics of these anodes in more detail because bubble evolution is relevant for all the above-mentioned phenomena.The anode potential has been shown to be highly dependent on anode geometry and orientation. For this study four different anode designs were made: horizontal (downward-facing), inverted horizontal (upward-facing), vertical, rod (with both vertical and horizontal surface). For most of the designs, characteristics such as bubble noise, bubble size, and wetting were obtained as a function of current density or anode potential/cell voltage. The bubble noise normally went through a maximum, while the bubble size decreased in the whole current density range. The wetting contact angle showed little variation with current density. It was assumed that the current density had a stronger effect on the contact angle through its effect on the bubble size than the polarization and associated surface roughening.Also, phenomena like nucleation, growth, coalescence, bubble detachment and anode effect were studied for both graphite and industrial carbon as anode material. The nucleation was more pronounced at the industrial carbon due to more active sites confirmed by CT analysis. The coalescence process was found to be independent of current density/potential and carbon anode material and was in the range 16-24 msec. On increased currents anode effect occurred on both anodes, the current being lower for the graphite anode at onset. Video recordings and electrochemical measurements showed more abrupt initiation of the anode effect on the graphite and a strong de-wetting of the anode. With the existence of a (C – F) surface compound on the anode, as long as the anode effect gas could escape the electrode surface, the anode seems to be electrochemically active towards both CO/CO2 and PFC formation during anode effect.In addition to the bubble characteristics and phenomena described, the impact of the results for better anode design for laboratory scale studies is discussed.

Impact of rolling processes in the production of aluminum packaging assessed through LCA

PurposeThe environmental impact of aluminum cans and aluminum food packaging has been extensively studied in the last years; most of the researchers focused their attention on the whole lifecycle: from the aluminum extraction to the end-of-life management, while there are no dedicated studies devoted to the detailed analysis of the rolling phase. The aim of this paper is to present an LCA analysis focused on the fabrication of the thin plates to be used for can and tray production; the work has been carried out by studying the “Laminazione Sottile” plant with a cradle-to-gate approach, considering as functional unit thin plates of two different alloys.Materials and methodsInventory data were collected from the “Laminazione Sottile S.p.A.” plant, and off-plant emissions from external goods and fuels were accounted for based on existent LCA databases. Gabi has been used as software to model the process and calculate the impacts, while the CML method has been used. Most of the data have been directly measured in the plant during 1 year of work.Results and discussionThe results showed that the most impactful phase is the extraction of aluminum or the use of primary aluminum. Focusing the attention on the manufacturing process, the foundry is the most impacting stage, and the high energy required to melt the aluminum leads to most of the emissions. Moreover, this contribution is probably underestimated in this work because the impacts related to the manufacturing of the facilities used (furnaces and so on) are not considered. Another interesting finding is that both the supply chain and the general consumption have a non-negligible impact, highlighting the necessity to optimize these two aspects by implementing new policies for purchasing and work organization.ConclusionsThe study highlighted that the production of primary aluminum is the most impacting step, followed by the foundry and the hot rolling. Production of thin aluminum plates by rolling requires a lot of energy, so the carbon footprint of these processes is quite high. The chemicals used in the rolling steps play also a role in the general impact of the whole process. The company continuously promotes improvements of the process to reduce the footprint and puts a lot of money and effort to introduce new sensors and technologies to monitor the consumptions and improve the processes.

RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SILUMIN AK7ч

Purpose. Research and improvement of the technology of improving the quality of secondary silumins developed by Zaporizhzhya Polytechnic National University. Due to the lack of own production of primary aluminum in Ukraine, improving the mechanical and service properties of secondary aluminum alloys obtained from scrap is an urgent task.
 Research methods. The object of research was the secondary aluminum alloy AK7ч with chemical composition, %: 6.72 Si, 0.05 Cu, 0.08 Mn, 0.32 Mg, 0.02 Zn, 0.01 Ti, from 0.49 to 1 .59 Fe (5 fractions), the rest – Al. To neutralize the negative effect of iron and other impurities on the mechanical properties of the secondary alloy AK7ч, a complex technology (sorting of scrap, refining and modification of liquid metal) was used. The content of the complex modifying additive MK-1 was 0.10%; 0.12%; 0.14%; 0.16% and 0.20%, respectively, with increasing iron content. Yield strength, elongation, and hardness were determined by standard methods at room temperature. Fatigue tests were performed on a magnetostriction machine at a frequency of 18 kHz. Control of the frequency of oscillations was carried out using a frequency meter. The influence of the load frequency on the fatigue characteristics of the alloy was evaluated using the fatigue life curves with a limited endurance limit.
 Results. An increase in mechanical properties, including resistance to destruction at high load frequencies, has been achieved.
 Scientific novelty. New data were obtained on the effect of iron on the fatigue strength of aluminum alloy AK7ч.
 Practical value. The obtained results expand the possibilities of using secondary aluminum alloys. The established dependencies can be used in the optimization of the composition of secondary silumins.

Greenhouse gas emissions and future development trends of primary aluminum in China

Primary aluminum is widely used because of its excellent performance, and world primary aluminum production has increased 2.73 times in the past 20 years, with China increasing up to 13.9 times. China's primary aluminum industry (CPAI) is a high greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting industry and is facing a grim situation to reduce emissions. Therefore, quantifying the GHG emissions of CPAI and exploring future development trends are beneficial to the sustainable development of CPAI. In this study, the emission factor method was used to calculate the GHG emissions of CPAI from 2000 to 2020. The result shows that GHG emissions increased dramatically from 65.85 Mt CO2-eq in 2000 to 460.32 Mt CO2-eq in 2020, a seven-fold increase. GHG emissions from aluminum smelting were 363.62 Mt CO2-eq in 2020, which was the largest sub-process of emissions in CPAI, with a high share of 79%. Electricity emissions were the largest source of GHG emissions, accounting for more than 60%, with a maximum of 70.5%. The intrinsic drivers of GHG emissions were explored by the Log-Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method, and the results showed that primary aluminum production was the largest driver of GHG emissions promotion, while energy intensity was the most important driver of GHG emissions suppression in the last decade. In this study, a modified “S" shaped mathematical model was used to predict the primary aluminum production, which laid the foundation for the subsequent analysis of emission reduction potential. On this basis, five types of scenarios were set based on the results of the driving force analysis. Finally, based on the results of our analysis, we propose strategies for low-carbon development in the primary aluminum industry, including the use of clean energy, and the development of new low-carbon technologies.

Life cycle assessment of aluminum-silicon alloy production from secondary aluminum in China

As the world's largest aluminum producer and consumer, less than 25% of China's aluminum production was obtained through the secondary aluminum production, which had far less energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than primary aluminum production. It was as an effective pathway for China's aluminum industry to achieve its carbon neutrality goals by using the recycled aluminum. Therefore, this study adopted the method of life cycle assessment (LCA) to investigate the environmental impact of aluminum-silicon alloy production from recycled aluminum, based on the actual production data of the typical secondary aluminum enterprise in China. The production of 1t aluminum-silicon alloy from secondary aluminum was chosen as the functional unit for this study, which addressed the environmental aspects and potential environmental impacts throughout the systemic processes contained in the production of aluminum-silicon alloy. The LCA results showed that the remelting stage generated the highest environmental load, especially in terms of freshwater ecotoxicity and marine ecotoxicity, with normalized characters of 96.23 and 64.36 respectively. Silicon metal and natural gas were identified through sensitivity analysis as key substances for reducing the environmental burden. Then, the potential pathways to reduce the environmental burden were also discussed, such as selecting different processes for producing silicon metal and optimizing the process parameters of the remelting stage. Meanwhile, the analysis of GHG emissions showed that the carbon footprints can be significantly decreased by transferring the energy structure and deploying technologies of carbon capture, utilization and storage.

The Influence of Fe Content on Corrosion Resistance of secondary AlSi7Mg0.3 Cast Alloy with Increased Fe-content

Production of primary aluminium is energetically enormously expensive. The use of secondary (recycled) aluminium, has therefore a high potential to save money and energy while reducing the negative environmental impact of aluminium production. Although the properties of secondary aluminium alloys are generally comparable to those of primary aluminium alloys, the increased Fe content can lead to a significant reduction in the corrosion resistance of these alloys. Secondary (recycled) AlSi7Mg0.3 cast alloy with different iron contents (0.123, 0.454, 0.679 and 1.209 wt. %) in the as-cast and after heat treatment (T6) condition was investigated. The quantitative analysis was focused on the evaluation of the Fe-phases, especially the needle-like Al5FeSi phase. The corrosion resistance was measured by a rapid corrosion test (AUDI test). The corrosion damage of the surface was observed macroscopically. The results show that Fe content higher than 0.454 % has no significant effect on the amount and size of needle-like phases of Al5FeSi. The corrosion resistance is mainly influenced by the size and length of the Al5FeSi phases. Increased Fe content decreases the corrosion resistance of AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy and accelerates the initiation of corrosion.

An Energy Saving Option for Production of pure α – Alumina for Industrial Applications Using Waste Aluminium Dross

Globally, over four million tonnes of aluminium dross are reportedly produced throughout the world each year, in which about 95% of this material is land-filled. This material represents a major waste from primary and secondary aluminium production that contain about 15 to 70% recoverable metallic aluminium that can be extracted and later used for industrial and engineering purposes.In this study, the production of alumina from aluminium dross via leaching-cum-precipitation route for other industrial purposes was examined. Arrangement of elements, compounds present within the aluminium dross particle size -150 + 70 μm was initially determined by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to give basis for explaining the dissolution process of aluminium the intermediate material for alumina production. The results obtained showed that 99% of aluminium was leached out using -150+78 mesh ore particle size at a reaction temperature of 60°C for 60 min reaction time with 1.5 M hydrochloric acid. The morphology analysis of the produced alumina at optimal leaching by XRD showed that it contains α-alumina (α-Al2O3) and hydrated hydroxyl molecule (OH) as the major compound.

Environmental-Techno-Economic analysis of decarbonization strategies for the Indian aluminum industry

The growing demand for aluminum in India faces the challenge of decreasing CO2 emissions in order to be in line with the sustainable development targets. India’s aluminum production uses captive power to provide electricity; captive power is one of the major hotspots in decarbonization. An innovative analysis that combines the aluminum production pathways with carbon capture and storage at both the system level and the country level is conducted. A levelized cost of aluminum (LCOAl) is evaluated from the system level. Results show that LCOAl from primary aluminum ranges from 1682 to 2842 $/tonne depending on different captive power, while the recycling aluminum ranges from 1232 to 1250 $/tonne. Sensitivity analyses show that, affected by the material and utility prices, the LCOAl of primary and recycling aluminum is in the range of 1682–3149 $/tonne, and 460–3112 $/tonne, respectively. Electricity price, scrap price, and recycled ingot price are the most sensitive factors for primary, recycling, and remelt aluminum, respectively. From the environmental perspective on the system level, the primary aluminum pathway is 9 to 32 times more carbon-intensive than the recycling aluminum pathway. At the country level, both primary and secondary aluminum production are considered. An optimized combination of aluminum production pathways and decarbonization strategies are provided with the objective to minimize the total cost. The results show that the CO2 emission with electricity provided from wind- and solar-based captive powers are able to satisfy the beyond 2 °C scenario (B2DS), while natural gas-, diesel-, and coal-based captive powers and electricity from the grid need to remove 2 to 201 million tonnes of CO2 to satisfy the B2DS.

Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis of Primary and Recycled Aluminum in China

Aluminum production is a major energy consumer and important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. Estimation of the energy consumption and GHG emissions caused by aluminum production in China has attracted widespread attention because China produces more than half of the global aluminum. This paper conducted life cycle (LC) energy consumption and GHG emissions analysis of primary and recycled aluminum in China for the year 2020, considering the provincial differences on both the scale of self-generated electricity consumed in primary aluminum production and the generation source of grid electricity. Potentials for energy saving and GHG emissions reductions were also investigated. The results indicate that there are 157,207 MJ of primary fossil energy (PE) consumption and 15,947 kg CO2-eq of GHG emissions per ton of primary aluminum ingot production in China, with the LC GHG emissions as high as 1.5–3.5 times that of developed economies. The LC PE consumption and GHG emissions of recycled aluminum are very low, only 7.5% and 5.3% that of primary aluminum, respectively. Provincial-level results indicate that the LC PE and GHG emissions intensities of primary aluminum in the main production areas are generally higher while those of recycled aluminum are lower in the main production areas. LC PE consumption and GHG emissions can be significantly reduced by decreasing electricity consumption, self-generated electricity management, low-carbon grid electricity development, and industrial relocation. Based on this study, policy suggestions for China’s aluminum industry are proposed. Recycled aluminum industry development, restriction of self-generated electricity, low-carbon electricity utilization, and industrial relocation should be promoted as they are highly helpful for reducing the LC PE consumption and GHG emissions of the aluminum industry. In addition, it is recommended that the central government considers the differences among provinces when designing and implementing policies.

Assessment of Mechanical and Optical Properties of Al 6060 Alloy Particles by Removal of Contaminants

The use of aluminum as a light‐weight construction material in automotive engineering has increased steadily in recent years among other sectors. However, the production of primary aluminum requires significantly more energy than the production of steel, which motivates the recycling of existing aluminum components. Based on the results of past investigations, this interdisciplinary study expands the potential applications of a friction‐induced solid‐state recycling process to reduce the amount of energy, which is needed in the aluminum production and thus also to reduce the CO2 footprint of the industrial sector. To increase the processability of different conditions of the aluminum chips, a chemical pretreatment was performed to remove an applied cooling lubricant. This study shows that under the use of the chemical cleaning method presented here, it is possible to improve the mechanical properties significantly.