Ajahni Vaughan

Measures To Negative Impacts.

For the aluminum manufacturing sector to meet their goals, their focus needs to be on three

major areas.

1. The decarbonization of power generations that is using renewable energy.

2. Design energy efficiency processes that reduce carbon emissions.

3. Implementation of strict recycling and scrap usage processes.

Decarbonizing the power supply

Electricity accounts for more than 60% of the aluminum carbon emissions, to aid the reduction

of carbon emissions this industry can use these two methods to assist.

1. Transition to renewable energy- over the past twenty years the cost of renewable energy

has become more affordable and competitive. Likewise, it should be noted that in

producing aluminum hydro and geothermal are widely used as a renewable energy

source because of their ability to provide continuous power supply. In addition, there are

some growth limitations as these sources are relatively mature and dependent on

geological factors such as proximity to the source. Therefore, expanding the renewable

power mix in aluminum production will require the integration of alternative renewable

sources.

2. CCS- Carbon Capture and Storage – process of capturing the carbon dioxide produced

by power generation from fossil fuels, transporting it by ship or by pipeline to the source

of the fossil fuel and storing it deep underground in geological formations.

Decarbonizing process emissions.

The direct emissions related to the processing of aluminum are a high impact opportunity in

decarbonization. Aluminum production generates direct emissions from the electrolysis of

alumina using a carbon anode during smelting and from fuel combustion during unit processes

to produce heat and steam. The highest-impact pathways to decarbonize direct

process emissions across the aluminum sector are:

1. The development of a non-carbon anode.

2. Transitioning to technologies that can provide heat and steam without the use of fossil fuels.

Carbon anodes are a critical component of electrolytic processing, which separates pure

aluminum from alumina and generates CO 2 as a by-product of the reaction. Carbon-rich

materials are used as anodes because they are good conductors of electricity, inexpensive and

plentiful. The replacement of a carbon anode with an inert material could eliminate direct

emissions from electrolysis.

While inert anodes are the most mature avenue for decarbonization of electrolysis, additional

technologies, including carbothermic reduction or multipolar electrolytic cells, can be used to

further reduce energy demand and corresponding emissions.

Increased scrap recovery

While aluminum is a widely recovered material, capturing the remaining end-of-life scrap (5%

new and 30% old) that currently evades collection could decrease the requirement for primary

aluminum and the corresponding carbon emissions. Aluminum production from scrap requires

just 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminum. Efforts to increase scrap recovery
should focus on:

1. Advancing methods to divert aluminum from landfills.

2. Improving separation techniques to decrease the mixing of alloys.

3. Working with downstream partners for circular business models and closed-loop

recycling.

4. Supporting more complex collection and separation processes with digitization to track

scrap throughout its lifetime and direct it to the correct channel to retain its value.

5. Designing and creating products that are easily separated, collected, and recycled.