Each year, Light Metal Age (LMA) enjoys looking back at the top ten most viewed news stories that we published on our website, highlighting the trends that have affected the aluminum sector over the previous year. In 2024, these top articles and news stories reveal recent trends and developments, including a focus on aluminum recycling, aluminum design, and developments in primary aluminum, magnesium, and extrusion.
Scrap Recycling & Recovery
Sustainability is at the forefront of aluminum industry discussions, so it’s no surprise that the majority of our top articles for the year are focused on recycling — including new recycling facilities and trends in secondary aluminum.
Mercedes-Benz Opens Battery Recycling Factory to Close the Loop — Mercedes-Benz opened a new battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, southern Germany — making it the first car manufacturer worldwide to close the battery recycling loop with its own in-house facility. The recycling plant enables the company to recycle valuable materials from electric vehicle batteries, including aluminum, copper, iron, and other materials.
Hydro Celebrates the Opening of Its New Recycling Plant in Cassopolis by Kevin Widlic, Contributing Editor — Hydro celebrated the official opening of its new US$150 million recycling plant in Cassopolis, MI. The recycling plant will supply low-carbon aluminum billet to a number of markets, while also supporting automotive innovation in Michigan and throughout the U.S. This article provides an overview of the plant, it’s production of low-carbon aluminum, and its training program.
Rio Tinto Expands Its Sustainability Strategy with New Recycling Capabilities — Rio Tinto is a global, vertically integrated aluminum manufacturer. Sustainability is a key aspect of the company’s strategy, and the company has expanded its sustainability strategy with the introduction of recycled aluminum products alongside the company’s low-carbon primary aluminum production. This includes new partnerships and investments to set up closed-loop recycling systems, as well as the installation of in-house post-consumer scrap recycling capacity.
Trends in Secondary Aluminum Casthouses by Alicia Hartlieb and Martin Hartlieb, Viami International Inc., and Julio Quintero, Conticast Hormesa LLC. — Secondary casthouses no longer solely produce higher impurity secondary alloys, but also high-quality ingot, billet, and slab with the highest possible recycled content. This article provides an overview of secondary aluminum trends, which are changing the way the aluminum industry recycles, the way it sorts and treats scrap, and the way modern secondary casthouses need to be designed with energy efficiency, optimum recovery, and metal quality at the focus.
Diverting Aluminum Scrap Away from Recycling Disrupts Circularity: An Environmental Travesty with No Business Case by Melissa Zirps, Magrathea — The author presents a thinkpiece on the value of post-consumer scrap to the aluminum industry. In her commentary, she posits that using scrap a raw material in other industries, such as the production of hydrogen, lithium, or magnesium, is a disruption to the circularity of aluminum. Instead, she recommends that these industries should look to alternative methods of production, which would enable aluminum scrap to remain within the aluminum recycling industry.
Primary Aluminum
Although there is a shift toward recycling, primary aluminum is still required to meet the needs of market demand throughout the worldwide industry. The primary aluminum industry is working to shift its business model to ensure it’s ongoing success while improving the sustainability of its operations.
Vedanta Aluminium Poised for Growth as It Transforms into a Standalone Operation: Interview with John Slaven, Vedanta Aluminium — Vedanta Aluminium is a major player in the aluminum industry and the largest aluminum company in India, operating two aluminum smelters, including its plant in Jharsuguda, Odisha, and its subsidiary unit Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) located in Korba, Chhattisgarh. Light Metal Age spoke with John Slaven, who was named CEO of Vedanta Aluminium in October 2023 and will be leaving this role on October 31, 2024, about the demerger and the company’s sustainability, research, and growth goals.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the lightest structural metal and has great potential value for a multitude of industries, but its growth faces challenges, and there is continued interest in optimizing its production to support the automotive and other industries.
How Thixomolding is Redefining Electric Vehicle Production by Melissa Zirps, Magrathea — Magnesium thixomolding is a semi-solid forming process (meaning the metal is only partially melted into a globular, flowable slurry) for magnesium alloy parts. This article looks at Idra’s development of a new thixomolding technology called thixotropic piston injection (TPI), which provides an innovative method of lightweighting for the automotive industry.
Expanded Extrusion Production
The aluminum extrusion industry is going strong, seeing continued investments in expanding production capacity to meet increasing demand from industries looking for sustainable materials, including building and construction, automotive, transportation, and other sectors.
Ireland’s Extrusion Powerhouse Upgrades with New Press and Surface Treatment Capabilities by Rose Eaton, Associate Publisher — Architectural & Metal Systems (AMS) based in Little Island, Cork, Ireland, is the country’s sole producer of aluminum façade systems and bespoke extrusions for a variety of end users. Earlier this year, the company installed a new extrusion press and is currently in the process of installing a new horizontal powder coating line to expand their finishing capabilities. This article provides an overview of the company and its capabilities.
Superior Extrusion Secures Its Future with New Expansion — Superior Extrusion recently completed the installation of a new aluminum extrusion press and new pack and ship areas at its location in Gwinn, MI. The expansion includes the construction of a new 138,000 sq ft building to house the 9 inch, 3,000 ton press. This article provides an overview of the project, which increases the company’s capacity and capabilities, as well as securing its future for decades to come.
Aluminum Design
It’s always fascinating to see aluminum take it’s place in various applications and designs, highlighting the capabilities of this fantastic metal — especially, if the design can also honor local culture and showcase the history of aluminum.
Giant Aluminum Sculpture Honors Musical Legacy of Muscle Shoals — In August in Muscle Shoals, AL, a stunning 18 ft high aluminum sculpture was revealed, celebrating the vibrant musical heritage of the region — particularly the trumpet player William Christopher (W.C.) Handy, who the sculpture resembles. This article looks at the cultural and aluminum industrial history of the region, as well as at how the sculpture was designed, manufactured, and hand welded by artist Eric Nubbe.