
Europe’s recycled aluminium industry is an important component of the global secondary aluminium supply chain, with Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom (UK) representing key national markets. Production across the European region stood at nearly 6 million tonnes in 2023, supported by established scrap recovery systems, industrial recycling capacity and demand for recycled metal. Russia also contributes to the regional landscape through secondary aluminium production units concentrated in several industrial centres. According to AL Circle’s analysis in its report, “ World Recycled ALuminium Market Analysis Industry Forecast ”, the four countries present different market structures, from Germany’s substantial recycling capacity and Italy’s scrap-based production to the UK’s organised...
According to SMM survey statistics, the operating rate of the secondary aluminium alloy industry in September was 35.0 per cent, up 3.1 percentage points M-o-M but down 6.7 percentage points Y-o-Y. Industry production continued its recovery trend, but the overall operating level remained below the same period last year. On the demand side, September marked the traditional peak consumption season, with downstream orders recovering from August. End-use demand from automobiles and other sectors improved marginally, but the peak season effect has yet to fully materialise. According to CAAM data, automobile production in September was 2.99 million units, up 11.4 per cent M-o-M but down 8.7 per cent Y-o-Y. NEV production was 1.814 million units, up 12.2 per cent Y-o-Y. CAAM noted that China's...
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India is one of the world’s fastest growing secondary aluminium markets. With vehicle demand growth showing great potential, recycled aluminium consumption is pegged at 8-10 per cent per year. In the recently ended Bureau of International Recycling Non-Ferrous Metals Division convention in New Delhi, the Executive Director of Century Metal Recycling, Akshay Agarwal, noted, “This growing scrap appetite will be met primarily by increased aluminium scrap imports.” Global export-import data shows India’s aluminium scrap imports have been holding at highs over the past three years. Recycled aluminium accounts for 30% of India’s total aluminium consumption which currently stands at 3.3 million tonnes per year. In 2016, around 120,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap was generated in India, with the...

ALTEK has successfully installed a large capacity salt slag recycling plant, ALUSALT, as a demonstration unit, in Northern Europe at an aluminium recycling operation, where it is currently in the final stages of commissioning and optimisation, a press release from the company has confirmed. The plant has successfully taken salt slag, removed the salt, re-crystallised the salt for re-use, and generated oxides (NMP) that can be used in various markets. The company will commercialise the new technology in 2018. Usually aluminium metal units are recovered from aluminium scrap and drosses using the rotary salt furnace (RSF) process, a process that produces salt slag as a bi-product. This is the easiest and most cost effective way to recycle scrap and aluminium dross. Typically, salt slag...

Recycling can be used as a way to tackle the environmental impact of waste, which is one of the main concerns today. The automotive industry is the biggest sources from where aluminium scrap is generated. The companies have been developing new technologies to increase the recycling rate for years. Germany, the major aluminium market in Europe, is also one of the leading aluminium scrap suppliers in the world. The country contributes 25 per cent of total aluminium consumption in Europe. Germany produces about 300,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium Following are the top five aluminium scrap suppliers in Germany. Please note the list below is dynamic and are not put in priority order. TSR Recycling GmbH & Co. KG TSR Recycling GmbH & Co. KG, based in Germany, is one of the leading scrap metal...

According to a September report, Real Industry Inc., Sherman Oaks, California made an announcement that its subsidiary Real Alloy Holding Inc. would restart its used beverage container (UBC) recycling operation at its Morgantown, Kentucky, facility, which was idled since December 2015. However, the company wants to restart operations due to increased customer demand and growth in scrap aluminium recovery. The company expects to complete the ramp-up and restart its UBC recycling operation in October 2017. It is noteworthy that as reported by USGS, total aluminum recovered from scrap in the US in July 2017 was 303,000 t, slightly more than the amount in June 2017 and July 2016, and 3% more than in July 2015. Real Alloy expects to process about 50,000 tons of secondary aluminium at the...

According to a Shanghai Metals Market report, 2018 onward, Chinese traders will lose their qualifications to purchase aluminium scrap from international market as import agents. Both the aluminium scrap recycler and the consignee must be the same as per domestic consignee certificate, and the importer and recycler must be the same in importer licenses, a new circular said. SMM observed that this may force domestic traders in the aluminium scrap market to eventually turn to matchmaking businesses. However, secondary aluminium producers having import licenses will remain largely unaffected. China is one of the top aluminium scrap importing countries in the world and a major consumer of imported Zorba. During January-August 2017, its total aluminium import increased by 15.3 per cent...

Sweden, the 26th largest exporter in the world, exported $135 billion worth of goods in 2016. The country’s exports of aluminium scrap have increased during the last two years. Germany and China are the top importers of aluminium scrap from Sweden. China imported 9950 tonnes of aluminium scrap during January- August. Other top importers of aluminium scrap are Norway, Denmark, Italy, Belgium and South Korea. According to the recent estimate, in 2015, Sweden exported 90091 tonnes of aluminium scraps. The total revenue from can export amounts to about US$ 121 million. The country exported an estimated 110266 tonnes of aluminium scraps globally in 2016. The total revenue from the export stood at US$ 128 million. In 2017, the aluminium scraps export by Sweden is estimated to reach 115300...

Casepak, one of the UK’s leading recycling and waste management companies, has secured a contract to process up to 64,000 tonnes per annum of dry mixed recyclables. The dry recycling stream includes paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal and aluminium cans and drinks cartons. The company will process, sort and grade the collected materials at its Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Braunstone Frith, Leicester. The recycling contract will begin on the 1 April 2018. Georgina Cullen, Casepak’s Business Development Director, said: “As a Leicester-based company we are delighted to have been awarded this substantial contract to process the county’s dry mixed recyclables. “We look forward to partnering with Leicestershire County Council over the next few years and helping to increase...

The government has plannned to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks bottles and aluminium cans in England. The report shows that the scheme would create savings for local government. Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, one of the members of the consortium, said: “There is no doubt that introducing a deposit refund system would reduce littering in this country but, until now, there has been a concern that it would have a negative impact on cash-strapped councils. According to a new report, every day 35 million plastic bottles and 20 million aluminium cans are sold across the UK. Samantha Harding, litter programme director at CPRE, said: “There are no longer any valid arguments that deposit refund systems don’t work and the environmental case is crystal...

According to aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey and Department of Interior, the U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 732 million pounds of aluminium scrap during July 2017, slightly up from the July 2016 total of 725 million. USGS estimates that recovery of aluminium and aluminium alloys totalled 303,000 tonnes in July, an increase of 1.6% YoY. Through the first seven months of 2017, preliminary data indicate that recovery of aluminium from scrap totalled an estimated 2.1 million tonnes, up 2.5% over the same period of 2016. U.S. exports of scrap, not included in the government’s consumption statistics, totalled 865000 tonnes through July, up 13.4% over 2016.

During this year's Global Sustainable Aviation Summit in Geneva on 3-4 October, participants in a panel on aircraft recycling highlighted the potential need for more decommissioning or recycling facilities to handle rising retirements of aircrafts. Tim Zemanovic, president of US recycling plant Jet Yard, forecast that 12,000 retired airliners need to be recycled over the next 20 years. "It's been averaging 400-600 aircraft a year for the last several years," he says adding that the annual value of the teardown business stands at $80 million. According to him, there is sufficient recycling capacity to cope with the growing numbers of retired aircraft. Another panellist Pierre Bonnichon, business development manager at Tarmac Aerosave however feels otherwise. "I think for storage purposes...

Aluminium recycling company Novelis recently published its 2017 sustainability report. The report showed that the company has increased use of recycled-content inputs in FY17 from 53 per cent to 55 per cent year-over-year – two years ahead of target. The company also reduced water usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Novelis president and CEO Steve Fisher said, “We see tremendous opportunity in continuing to expand the use of lightweight, infinitely recyclable aluminium to meet today’s most demanding applications while reducing energy use and preserving natural resources.” "We have made great gains in this fiscal year and are ahead of target in some areas. Additionally, we remain resolute in our commitment to leverage our technical expertise and innovative capabilities to solve challenges...

Fortress Recycling and Resource Management on the Heathcote Industrial Estate, which recycles aluminium cans paper, cardboard and glass, has obtained a £100,000 grant in order to minimize carbon emissions. The company received investment from the Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme after the introductions by the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP Growth Hub. David Pass stated, "This plant is now one of the most advanced material recovery centres in the UK. We recycle non-hazardous business waste and recycle paper, cardboard, glass, aluminium cans, plastic bottles and milk bottles and the new machine will also improve our productivity levels. Fortress Recycling and Resource Management is run by brothers David, Robert and Andrew Pass. "The carbon savings we are making is fantastic...

Triandria Lodge is continuing the tradition of recycling aluminium cans at the Morgan Township garage. Triandria is currently looking for public donations toward the purchase of a generator and to maintain its aging facility which would require an estimated expense of $10,500. The Ashtabula County Solid Waste Management District and Representative John Patterson have contributed but the lodge is still lagging behind. Proceeds from the crushed cans are used for educational scholarships Triandria Lodge distributes every year. The objective is to increase the amount of the scholarship from the current $500 to $1,000 for each school. Currently they crush the cans manually and acquiring a generator would allow more can intake and thereby add more towards the scholarship funds. The late Harvey...

Hurricane Irma which has left behind heaps of twisted metal and busted appliances has indirectly caused an increase in aluminium scrap intake in the scrap yards in Lee County. Mountains of metal debris are pouring in every day in the local scrap yards. All Scrap Recycling is one of the few scrap yards in Lee County that's seen a quick growth in aluminium scrap sales after the storm tore down metal structures, roofs and fences in the area. The company offers a cut of their profit to the amateur scrap suppliers. "You're looking at a three-to-four story tall pile of literally just carport and sheet aluminum." said All Scrap Manager, Trevor Mackellar One of the customers said that most of the aluminium scraps are from trailers and stuff that were dismantled by the hurricane. "Aluminum pool...

The Philippines is the 39th largest export economy in the world. The country exported US$56.3 billion worth of goods in 2016. The top export destination of the Philippines is China. The Philippines exported 12,907 tonnes of aluminium scrap in August and 47,786 tonnes during the first eight months of 2017. The other top importers include Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and many more. The country’s exports of aluminium scrap decreased during the last two years and are expected to drop further this year. According to the recent estimates, in the year 2015, the Philippines imported 53522 tonnes of aluminium scrap. The value of import was USD 66.5 million for the same amount. In the year 2016, the amount stood at 32796 tonnes and the value of import stood at USD 39.7 million. In the year 2017,...

On the occasion of its annual aluminium packaging seminar held this year in Rotterdam (the Netherlands), European Aluminium calls for realistic but ambitious aluminium packaging recycling targets. Following the largely positive outcome of the vote of the European Parliament earlier this year and the start of the so called trialogue discussions with the Council of Ministers on the EU Circular Economy package, European Aluminium calls upon the EU Member States to endorse the recycling targets originally tabled by the European Commission. This means that most countries have to meet a separate aluminium packaging recycling target of 75% by the year 2025. Mr Andy Doran, Chair of European Aluminium’s Packaging Group is confident that industry can meet this target, providing that “Member States...

Scientists have designed an ultra-light form of aluminium that floats on water, paving the way for novel uses of the material in future spacecraft and automobiles. In its conventional form, aluminium is denser than water. Aluminium spoons will a sink to the bottom if thrown in water. Researchers from the Utah State University (USU) in the US restructured the common household metal at the molecular level using computational modelling to design an ultra-light crystalline form of aluminium that's lighter than water. The team's calculations confirmed such a structure is a new, metastable, lightweight form of crystal aluminium. The material has a density of only 0.61 gramme per cubic centimetre, in contrast to convention aluminium's density of 2.7 grammes per cubic centimetre. "That means the...

Aluminium scrap plays a very significant role in North America’s export. Total exports by the U.S. and Canada including scrap, which accounted for roughly 53.9 % of reported aluminium exports in July, stood at 523 million pounds; up 6.7 % YoY. Excluding scrap, total exports stood at 241 million pounds; up 2.8 % YoY. Scrap export increased 10.3 % YoY. New can stock (class) scrap receipts stood at 60.3 million pounds during August 2017, off 2.8 % from the August 2016 total of 62.1 million pounds. Compared to the previous month, receipts rose 6.9 % over the July 2017 total of 56.4 million pounds. YTD receipts through August 2017 stood at 447.3 million pounds, down 4.6 % from the 2016 YTD total of 468.9 million pounds.