Europe’s aluminium scrap exports to the US have risen by 243 per cent, highlighting a growing concern over the continent’s access to strategic raw materials as it pursues recycling, decarbonisation and industrial competitiveness. Evangelos Mytilineos, Executive Chairman of METLEN, raised the issue, linking scrap outflows to the broader challenges facing European industry, energy security and strategic autonomy. Aluminium scrap outflows raise industrial concerns Mytilineos referred to the contrasting US tariff treatment of aluminium products, i.e., a 50 per cent tariff on primary aluminium, compared with zero tariff on scrap . With European aluminium scrap exports to the US increasing by 243 per cent, he questioned whether Europe could strengthen its industrial base while allowing valuable...
The US aluminium used beverage can (UBC) scrap price benchmark tracked by Argus recorded a mixed performance over the third quarter of 2026, declining in July before rising in August and September. The monthly average increased from USD 2,322.89 per tonne in July to USD 2,491.22 per tonne in August and USD 2,602.51 per tonne in September, indicating a sustained recovery in the benchmark over the three months. July: Prices decline despite a high opening The benchmark began July at USD 2,464.98 per tonne on July 1, before falling sharply to USD 2,270.76 per tonne on July 3. The price remained at that level on July 2 and July 6, the lowest recorded price for the month. It subsequently recovered gradually, reaching USD 2,319.86 per tonne on July 10 and USD 2,328.63 per tonne on July 22....
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The aluminium industry is highly energy intensive, generating almost 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, causing 2% of the global emissions affiliated with human activities. However, recycling post-consumer aluminium products can divert almost 90 million of CO2 from the atmosphere and save over 100,000 GWh of electrical energy from being exhausted in the production process. The extraction of primary aluminium from its raw bauxite form is a tiresome and time-consuming process, where one has to meticulously plan for the disposal or smart utilisation of residues. On the other side, we have aluminium scrap, which, with its inherent properties, can be recycled multiple times without losing the actual essence of the non-ferrous material. It has been calculated that almost 75% of the...
The Sunshine Coast is nearing construction of a new $40.5 million material recycling facility (MRF), which is expected to be operating by the end of the year. The MRF will be able to process 60,000 tonnes or more of aluminium cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic containers, cardboard, paper, and steel annually. This increased recycling capacity and industry-leading intelligent sorting technology will enhance recycling results, reducing waste-to-landfill and creating new circular economy possibilities in downstream markets. Environment Minister Leanne Linard viewed the new facility with member for Nicklin Rob Skelton, Mayor Mark Jamieson, and Environment & Liveability Portfolio Councillor Maria Suarez on the Sunshine Coast for a Ministerial Environmental Round Table. The MRF is South East...
Northvolt, a Swedish battery manufacturer, in partnership with EMR, a British metal recycling firm, has opened a recycling plant in Hamburg, Germany. This facility is a crucial part of Northvolt's recycling strategy, with an expected capacity of processing 10,000 tonnes of battery packs annually. The Hamburg facility, covering an area of 12,000 square metres in Halskestraße in Hamburg Billbrook, is operated and equipped by EMR, while Northvolt was responsible for planning operations and integrating specially developed battery unloading and dismantling solutions. The facility will discharge and disassemble battery packs and complex traction batteries from electric cars. EMR will extract high-grade copper and aluminium from the traction batteries, which can be reused to manufacture battery...
The U.S. government has proposed a $7 billion (for starters) investment for a much-needed advancement in clean hydrogen generation, which can be made possible with GH Power's groundbreaking technology that uses recycled aluminium and water to produce pure hydrogen. The hydrogen generated by the modular version of GH Power's 2MW reactor is pure and clean. It has zero emissions, zero carbon, and zero waste, even though it is made from just two inputs (recycled aluminium and water). GH Power, known for building and operating energy reactors that deliver green base-load power, has created a one-of-a-kind renewable energy technology that uses exothermic processes to generate three highly desired green outputs: hydrogen, green alumina (aluminium oxide) and exothermic heat, thereby slaying three...
Recycling is an integral part of a sustainable environment, and the aluminium industry is experiencing substantial development with a strong focus on sustainability, in which recycling plays an important part, making it a top priority for manufacturers and consumers. Six new recycling initiatives will receive more than $12.79 million in combined financing, diverting about 69,000 tonnes of garbage from Queensland landfills each year. The investment by the federal and state governments will improve trash recycling capacities across South East Queensland, including the Gold Coast, Logan, Toowoomba, and Brisbane, as well as Rockhampton. The Kriaris Recyclables Processing in Rockhampton will build and run an updated baler and conveyor for aluminium beverage containers, liquid paperboard, and...
According to the US Census Bureau data, the United States exported 30,900 tonnes of aluminium scrap to Malaysia in May 2023. Compared to 34,100 tonnes in the previous month, the US aluminium scrap exports recorded a decline of 3,200 tonnes or 9.38 per cent. The downtrend continued from the previous month when the export volume decreased by 11.43 per cent from 38,500 tonnes in March. However, on a year-on-year calculation, the United States aluminium scrap exports in May registered an increase of 12.96 per cent from 27,000 tonnes. In the first five months of 2023, the United States aluminium scrap exports to Malaysia totalled 165,000 tonnes – 87.78 per cent or 30,000 tonnes more than 135,000 tonnes during the corresponding period of the last year. Malaysia is the second-largest importer of...
Chandrayan-3’s Vikram lander, making Indians proud worldwide, has successfully dispersed the Pragyan rover on the Moon’s surface. This makes India the first country to soft-land on Moon’s South Pole, creating history. But what intrigued us the most was what followed after the landing. On August 23, as the world had its eyes fixed on this enigmatic phenomenon orchestrated by ISRO, the Vikram lander found its spot on the Moon exactly at 6.04 p.m. IST. Upon complete powering of the Vikram lander, the Pragyan rover was deployed, which required over four hours for complete rollout. The lander unit consisted of both the Pragyan rover and the Vikram lander and was transported to a 100-kilometre circular lunar orbit by the propulsion module. Following this, the propulsion and lander modules were...
A 37-year-old artist from Nigeria has figured out the most innovative way to create art with a sustainable approach toward it. Chibuike Ifedilichukwu collects and recycles aluminium cans to design bigger-than-life portraits of famous personalities to raise awareness in his nation. A photographer, curator, graphic designer, printmaker by passion, and an artist at heart, Chibuike has created over 40 upcycled artworks from waste materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. He exhibits his recycled aluminium items on domestic and international platforms, having sold some pieces at $1,000 each. The artist’s success should not be measured by the amount of money he makes but by the idea with which he appeals to the masses. Chibuike’s intense thoughtfulness for nature has led him to...
The landscape of India's imported aluminium scrap market showcased a blend of trends this week, with nuances across different regional sectors. The infusion of offers remained constrained, predominantly attributed to the roller-coaster ride in the future, a factor that played into the reduction of buying inquiries. Consequently, transactions were in a state of moderation, primarily concentrated within specific geographic pockets. The subdued demeanour of the metal futures platform cast a shadow over the enthusiasm of market participants. Nevertheless, a subtle revival in the futures arena has begun to make its presence felt in recent times, potentially casting its influence over both the ebbs and flows of trading volumes and the trajectory of price trends. The global aluminium arena...
Novelis, a leading aluminium flat-rolled products company, recently announced a significant achievement in the industry. According to the company, recycled aluminium made up an average of 61% of its total inputs in the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2023. This impressive figure is due to Novelis' recycling of over 2.3 million tons of aluminium, including 82 billion used beverage cans. This increase in recycling is attributed to Novelis' focus on innovating new circular processes and partnerships, resulting in nearly $2 billion in investments since 2011. Novelis' push toward aluminium recycling is not only good for the environment, but it also makes business sense. Recycling aluminium requires up to 95% less energy and emits 95% less carbon than producing primary aluminium. As such,...
Reducing Embodied Energy and Decreasing Emissions (Remade) Institute, located in Rochester, New York, has successfully designed a “technological innovation capable of removing metallic impurities from recycled aluminium melts, thereby improving the quality of the aluminium and allowing it to be used for more diverse applications, including electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing.” Remade has a 170-member toll on its public-private partnership institution and is partly funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The aluminium refining technology and associated R&D for the ultimate outcome was first initiated in 2020 by Remade. The CEO of St. Louis-based Phinix LLC, Subodh Das, is at the helm of this R&D project, known as “Selective Recovery of Elements from Molten Aluminum Alloys”....
Researchers from the University of Bayreuth in Germany have brainstormed a brand new method of recycling aluminium-plastic composite (APL) films, usually found in packaging solutions for potato chips worldwide. Through this newly discovered novel process, researchers are recreating energy-efficient cooling films with the used APL potato chips packets. Prof Markus Retsch from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, has been leading this revolutionising process with his team of gallant experts. The process he has developed upcycles the end-of-life APL films while lessening the amount of carbon emitted during conventional recycling processes. The APL packages can be revamped to create high-performance cooling films with a simple coating atop. The transformed modules can be crucial in...
Scientists have warned us about the harrowing effects of Global Warming and pollution for the past few decades, but until it hits us hard and we start feeling the change in temperature, we are not bothered by such consequences. After experiencing the heat waves through the hottest month in human history, July 2023, the human consciousness was finally awakened, and we witnessed a sudden rise in sustainable initiatives all over the globe. From Coldplay concerts to heavy industries, all have released individual sustainability reports citing eco-friendly drives, which have helped them save enormous carbon emissions. The world is gradually stepping toward a Net-Zero future, where there would be no need to rely on carbon for electricity. Rather people would adopt greener or renewable sources to...
India’s aluminium scrap imports from the United States have been portraying steady growth since the beginning of 2023. Of all the earlier months, May saw the highest sequential increase of 20.85 per cent to 48,100 tonnes. In April, India’s aluminium scrap imports from the US stood at 39,800 tonnes, up by 9.34 per cent from 36,400 tonnes in March. The imports in March and February saw a month-on-month rise of 17.42 per cent and 5.8 per cent, respectively, showed USGS data. From January to May 2023, India’s total aluminium scrap imports from the US accumulated at 185,000 tonnes, slightly down by 1,000 tonnes from 186,000 tonnes during the same period of the previous year. On a year-on-year basis, India’s aluminium scrap imports in May increased 25.26 per cent from 38,400 tonnes. The United...
AL Technology Co. Ltd. is a reputable company that was established in 2018 in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China. The company has a specialisation in serving the aluminium processing industry, and it benefits from Foshan's significant aluminium production hub, which provides them with access to advanced production technology and equipment. With their solid production and trade background, AL Technology Co. Ltd. can offer dependable production equipment and top-notch technical services to the processing industry worldwide. AL Technology Co. Ltd. operates a factory that produces a comprehensive range of aluminium melting casting auxiliary materials and aluminium slag processing equipment. These products include slagging agents, refining agents, granular refining agents, and aluminium...
Australian lithium and renewable energy producer Vulcan Energy (VUL) has disclosed a newly sanctioned method to create a much more sustainable loop around its lithium brine project in Germany's Upper Rhine Valley region. In a major breakthrough, the company announced using aluminium-based 'sorbent' that might eliminate the need for acid washes making the production process greener. Vulcan Energy has adopted the Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process for the extraction of lithium from feedstock. This is a well-established and widely used approach in the industry. According to Darcy Partners, a reputable advisory firm, DLE is gaining popularity in downstream lithium processing, partly due to its alignment with ESG targets and decarbonisation strategies. Vulcan Energy has opted for the...
Henkel, the world's largest manufacturer of adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings, has joined the UK Aerosol Recycling Initiative . The nationwide campaign, spearheaded by Alupro, strives to raise awareness and education to boost aerosol recycling rates. “We’re delighted to be partnering with the UK Aerosol Recycling Initiative and supporting its mission to further improve aerosol recycling rates across the UK. At Henkel, we’re committed to contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable future and fostering innovation to embrace the circular economy. Together, alongside businesses from across the aerosol value chain, we can work to make a lasting impact, promoting responsible consumption and best practice recycling,” said Claudia Berto, head of R&D operations (UK/IE) at Henkel. Henkel...
When globally, we are witnessing a downfall in terms of revenue and profits in the aluminium industry, Luxembourg-headquartered metal waste recycling house Befesa has released its financial outcomes for H1 2023, which denotes some positivity to the sector. The company achieved cumulative revenue of 615 million euros ($676.24 million). Moreover, the adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) for H1 2023 amounted to 95 million euros ($104.46 million). The company experienced an 8 per cent rise in revenue, reaching 615.5 million euros ($676.8 million) in H1 2023. This marked an improvement from the 572.5 million euros (around $629.5 million) recorded during the same period in 2022 . The noteworthy boost in revenue was primarily attributed to the...
