Smelting

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  • Exterior of Hydro's Sunndal plant, showing aluminum billet stacked in front

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    Company Profile: The Collaborative Triangle of Aluminum Innovation

    By Rose Eaton, Light Metal Age. In a village in Norway called Sunndalsøra, nestled between a crystal blue fjord and two massive mountain ranges, lies Hydro Sunndal, the largest primary aluminum plant in Europe and one of the most modern. Overabundant water flowing down the mountains and the deep-sea fjord have provided the area with […]

  • Karmøy Technology Pilot in Norway. (Photo: Marius Motrøen, Norsk Hydro.)

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    Decarbonizing the Primary Aluminum Industry

    By Halvor Kvande, NTNU (Retired); Gudrun Saevarsdottir, Reykjavik University; and Barry Welch, Welbank Consulting.  Abstract While global average greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have changed little over the last several years, the best available data has become more reliable and has showed lower emissions. The electrolysis process has now been performed with a low emission rate […]

  • HalZero Technology

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    Hydro’s HalZero Smelting Technology Achieves a New Milestone

     Hydro is entering a new development stage for its HalZero production technology, which aims to decarbonize the aluminum smelting process. With support from the Norwegian government, the company plans to invest in a test facility for the new technology. This puts Hydro on track to deliver pilot production of zero-carbon primary aluminum by 2030. […]

  • The Las Tadeas wind farm in Spain. (Source: Capital Energy.)

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    The Shift Toward Renewable Power in Aluminum Smelting

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. Sixty-eight million tonnes of primary aluminum were produced worldwide in smelters in 2021. According to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), the aluminum sector was directly responsible for 275 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2021, a 2% increase over the previous year. If the indirect emissions from electricity are included, the […]

  • bauxite residue, also known as red mud

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    Hydro Partners with Wave to Recover Minerals from Red Mud

    Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery signed a contract with Wave Aluminium to build a plant in Brazil that will work to address the challenges of bauxite residue — also known as red mud. The new plant will process bauxite residue, aiming to recover commercially valuable materials. Bauxite residue is generated after the bauxite ore has been processed […]

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    Collaboration to Secure Responsible Aluminum to Japanese Downstream Manufacturers

    Rio Tinto, Australia, and Marubeni Corporation, Japan, are collaborating to ensure a sustainable and reliable supply of Rio Tinto’s aluminum products to Japanese downstream manufacturers. The companies have signed a first sale agreement, under which Rio Tinto will provide RenewAl™ high purity aluminum to a major Japanese motorcycle manufacturer committed to reducing carbon emissions throughout […]

  • solar panels

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    Alba to Install 6 MW of Solar Panels at Its Smelter

    Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) plans to install over 37,000 sq m of solar photovoltaic panels at its aluminum smelter in Bahrain. The renewable power will support the production of high quality primary aluminum. “Sustainability is entrenched in our Vision, Mission, and Values; this Project is fully aligned with our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ambitions […]

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    BALCO Trials the Use of Biodiesel in Its Aluminum Smelting Operations

    Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), a subsidiary of Vedanta Aluminium, successfully conducted trial runs for using biodiesel in its smelter operations in Korba, Chhattisgarh, India. This is in line with the company’s ambitious target to become net zero carbon by 2050 or sooner. Towards this end, BALCO is looking at increasing the quantum of renewables […]