• Albal Potline 6

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    Ma’aden Strengthens Its Position in Aluminum by Acquiring a Stake in Alba

    Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) signed a non-binding agreement to acquire 20.62% share in Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), which operates one of the world’s largest single-site smelters in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The purchase is in line with Ma’aden’s continued growth plans, with the aim of expanding its business ten times by 2040, with its aluminum […]

  • Elysis low carbon aluminum ingot

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    Elysis to Build Industrial-Scale Demonstration Plant in Canada

    Elysis, the technology partnership between Rio Tinto and Alcoa, plans to launch its first industrial-scale demonstration plant at the Arvida smelter complex in Québec, Canada. This investment will support the ongoing development of the breakthrough Elysis inert anode technology, which is said to eliminate all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the traditional smelting process and […]

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    Advances in Processing Alumina Refinery Bauxite Residue Waste

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. Bauxite residue is an insoluble solid waste by-product generated after the digestion of gibbsitic bauxite ore with sodium hydroxide at elevated temperature and pressure in the Bayer process for the extraction of alumina. During the digestion process, aluminum minerals react with caustic soda process liquor to form soluble sodium aluminate […]

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    Alcoa to Supply Nexans with Low-Carbon Aluminum Rod

    Alcoa formed an agreement with Nexans, a global cable producer, for the supply of primary aluminum produced using ELYSIS™ inert anode technology, which eliminates all direct greenhouse gas emissions from the traditional smelting process. “In the fight against climate change, solutions that support the world’s energy transition make a real difference,” said Vincent Dessale, chief […]

  • a car driving into the light

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    Treading Lightly with Secondary Aluminum

    By Geoff Scamans, BCAST at Brunel University London and Innoval Technology. Vehicles must become inherently more efficient and lightweight if automotive OEMs are to meet global emissions targets. The implementation of aluminum has helped move OEMs toward this goal, and as a result, there has been significant growth in aluminum intensive vehicles (AIVs) over the […]

  • 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 […]

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    Rio Tinto to Supply Responsibly Sourced Aluminum to BMW

    Under a new partnership, Rio Tinto plans to provide responsibly sourced aluminum to the BMW Group’s vehicle production plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for use in body components beginning in 2024. Low-carbon primary aluminum from Rio Tinto’s hydro-powered operations in Canada, combined with recycled content, could generate a reduction of up to 70% in CO2 […]

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    A Brief History of the Aluminum Canoe

    By Rose Eaton, Light Metal Age. The aluminum canoe has its place in the hearts of many Americans, who enjoyed childhood summers on rivers or lakes, paddles clanging against the warm metal boat, soaking up the rays of the sun. If they ever wondered why the canoes were made of aluminum, it was partially due […]

  • ALDEL potline one

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    European Aluminum Smelters Face Closures

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. The European primary aluminum industry has been deeply impacted by surging energy prices. This is due to a combination of factors, including increasing demand, skyrocketing natural gas prices, and insufficient quantities of affordable renewable (wind, solar, hydro) or nuclear energy. The invasion of Ukraine also significantly impacted supply chains, in […]