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...
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...
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Minimaus Crafts has developed an innovative technique for transforming end-of-life aluminium cans into collectable items. Though I am a DC fan, and it completely aches me to talk about Marvel, I could not help but notice how accurate these little pieces are. The intricate detailing on the models can make someone mistake these for factory-made items. Minimaus Crafts has created a shiny armoured Green Goblin by using recycled soda cans and other household products. Other models include Deadpool and Ironman. Recycling and reusing aluminium saves nearly 95% of energy compared to producing primary aluminium. Minimaus' Marvel characters replicate the American heroes and take care of the ecosystem, unlike the ones who usually end up destroying the vicinity. Moreover, this can be very attractive...
A temporary prohibition on returning aluminium cans and bottles for deposits may have resulted in long-term changes in Michigan citizens' recycling practices. Michigan's aluminium cans and bottle return rate, which was over 89 per cent before the pandemic, has dropped to 76 per cent lately. This is causing concern among environmentalists and businesses, especially recycling firms that depend on a stable supply of aluminium and glass. And it's reignited discussion about whether Michigan's once-vaunted bottle law should be updated. Recycling advocates believe that the main reason for Michigan's low return rate is the state's return restrictions, as the state only takes aluminium cans and plastic soda bottles for redemption. Environmental supporters of Michigan's 45-year-old bottle...
The worldwide usage of primary and recycled aluminium had increased by approximately 1.9%, reaching a net of 95.3 million tonnes in 2022. It is important to note that demand for recycled aluminium has steadily risen over the past decade. Beyond 2023, it is projected that the need for aluminium will increase by approximately 1.8%, while the demand for recycled aluminium will experience an even more significant growth of around 4.2%. ALRO, one of Europe's largest aluminium producers, has launched Eco Recycling Facility Stage II in Slatina, investing US$11 million in new technologies and treatments. Tetra Pak and Stora Enso invested €29 million in a recycling facility in Poland to recycle post-consumer beverage cartons. The facility can triple the country's recycling capability, up to 75,000...
Students and families from the Moses Lake school worked together to collect a good amount of aluminium soda can tabs to support the Ronald McDonald House. Stephanie Martin of the Moses Lake School District said that kids from all primary schools collected about 350,000 aluminium can tabs to contribute to the Ronald McDonald House in Spokane, with assistance from herself and the district's 11 librarians. The large collection of aluminium can tabs was contained in 27 5-gallon buckets. Each bucket holds 14 pounds of soda can tabs, for 378 pounds. Each pound of recyclable aluminium tabs is worth 50 cents, bringing the total value to $189. Students accumulated that many tabs during the 180-day academic year. Martin, the library secretary for the school system, says she's been collecting soda...
Poland has recently welcomed a new €29 million recycling facility aimed at post-consumer beverage cartons, which has the potential to triple the country's average recycling capacity to an impressive 75,000 tonnes. The facility in Ostrołęka was developed by Tetra Pak and Stora Enso, two renowned packaging industry leaders. It is capable of recycling all beverage cartons sold within Poland and its neighbouring countries. Stora Enso is responsible for separating the carton materials and repurposing the fibres into high-quality cardboard materials. Additionally, the facility features Plastigram Industries, which collaborates with Tetra Pak to recycle the polyAl material, a mixture of plastic (polyethene) and aluminium, into new products. This is a noble initiative to create a circular economy...
ALRO, one of Europe's largest vertically integrated aluminium producers by production capacity, has initiated the operations of Eco Recycling Facility Stage II in Slatina, comprising two double-chamber furnaces, one holding furnace, and a dedicated fume collection and treatment plant. As per the report, ALRO has infused US$11 million in these new technologies and treatments. "While the very challenging business environment forced us to adapt our development plans to maintain our position on the international market, one strategic direction remained unchanged, namely our commitment to increase efficiency and reduce overall consumption, and the investment in the Eco Recycling Facility supports these plans", said Marian Nastase, Chairman of ALRO Board of Directors. "We are determined to...
As part of the UK government's £55m Industrial Fuel Switching Competition, the larger regional HyNet initiative, and the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), Novelis has been granted £4.6 million to carry out hydrogen burning experiments. The trial run will be conducted at Novelis' Latchford facility, which will explore the use of hydrogen on one of its recycling furnaces in a demonstration phase in 2024. The £4.6 million funding was given by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. "We are proud to be one of the pioneers using hydrogen within the aluminium industry and that these trials at Latchford will additionally advance research on the viability of integrating hydrogen power in our recycling operations around the world," Allan Sweeney, Plant Manager, Novelis Latchford....
The importance of scrap maybe not be relevant in our daily life, but in the aluminium industry, it is one of the most essential aspects of achieving a sustainable and carbon-free environment. Due to its economic benefits, recycling scrap aluminium is an integral part of the aluminium industry. Recycling aluminium serves current and future generations by preserving energy and other natural resources. It uses up to 95% less energy than primary metal production, minimising equivalent emissions such as greenhouse gases. As per AL Circle's Sustainability report, recycling post-consumer aluminium goods saves more than 90 million tonnes of CO2 and more than 100,000 GWh of electrical energy, similar to the Netherlands' annual power usage. To throw more light on the importance of aluminium scrap...
Brompton has pledged to limit the carbon footprint of their folding bikes by examining the potential of low-carbon and post-consumer recycled aluminium from Hydro. Norwegian aluminium giant Hydro is renowned for delivering top-quality aluminium with a minimal CO2 footprint, reducing emissions along the entire production value chain. The Executive Vice President of Hydro Aluminium Metal, Eivind Kallevik, stated: “We are proud to partner with innovative customers such as Brompton Bicycles on the road to zero. Our customers across industries are setting ambitious decarbonisation targets and are queuing up to use recycled, post-consumer aluminium scrap from Europe in their products. We are excited to partner with forward-leaning customers such as Brompton.” In addition, both entities are...
The National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh's apex authority for tax administration, has reportedly exempted the 7.5 per cent value-added tax (VAT) on local aluminium scraps and wastes procured by utensil-manufacturing companies. The news came after NBR issued a public notice informing the VAT exemption effective from Monday, June 26. Officials said 7.5 per cent VAT on local wastes and scraps was imposed in 2012 as per the VAT and Supplementary Duty (SD) Act. But it has always been challenging to collect the tax as such products are collected with no official information. This is one of the reasons why NBR has waived the tax. The other reason is to free aluminium utensils manufacturers from paying higher costs for raw materials, enabling them to sell the end products at affordable...
The Environment Agency (EA) recently published research data on the remarkable increase in aluminium packaging recycling volume compared to the 2022 projections. The information was published by EA on the National Packaging Waste Database (NPWD), which showed that in the first quarter alone, 40,478 tonnes of aluminium packaging were collected for recycling, a 14 per cent increase over the previous year (35,382). Of this amount, 28,850 tonnes were recycled actively by consumers through kerbside, bring, and on-the-go methods (+14 per cent YOY). In comparison, 11,323 tonnes were recovered from incinerator bottom ash (IBA), with tonnages increasing +20 per cent YOY. So far this year, 60,621 tonnes have been caught in the United Kingdom, a 13 per cent increase over the same time last year...
A shop located in the beautiful town of Torpoint, known as Forever Blooms Metal Petals, has taken inspiration from the surrounding beaches to create stunning floral arrangements utilising end-of-life aluminium beverage cans. The founder, Chris Beardsmore, was struck with an epiphany while walking his dog on one of the beaches where the amount of litter disheartened him. He yearned to make a difference, and that led him to start the business, which has now become his full-time job. Chris said: “It all started because we were walking on the beach one day and the amount of waste that had been washed up was just atrocious, absolutely shameful. “It just struck me as being such a shame, and I was determined to make something good out of the mess - so that it didn’t need to be picked up and was...
Metallco AS, a Norwegian company, dominates the non-ferrous metal and steel scrap recycling market. They collect and sort all types of scrap metal to produce new aluminium at their in-house smelting plant. They've installed the latest key technologies in metal sorting, including two Steinert EddyC eddy current separators and several X-ray sorting systems to aid in this process. Additionally, they're implementing a Steinert LSS®| LIBS sorting system to separate aluminium by alloy type. Metallco's CEO, Laurie Feinberg, and Øyvind Frebrich, CEO of the sorting plant, are confident that Steinert sorting technology helps them overcome the challenges posed by the international business of recycling metals. In the journey to find expert technology partners, Feinberg evaluated various solutions...
Lizhong Alloy Group's subsidiary, Lizhong Alloy Technology Co., recently hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at Lu'an Economic and Technological Development Zone in Anhui, the landlocked province in the east of China. This event marked the initiation of their ambitious project to invest in and construct an advanced, high-performance aluminium alloy new material facility, which is anticipated to yield an impressive output of 120,000 tonnes. Founded in 1984, Lizhong Alloy Group is the core business segment of Lizhong Group. It is an enterprise group specializing in the research, development and manufacturing of cast aluminium alloys and wrought aluminium alloys. Lizhong Alloy Group is the leading global manufacturer of recycled aluminium alloy, lightweight auto components and new materials The...
According to a report on June 22, Hydro is again increasing the offered price for Alumetal share sale subscribers to PLN 82.00 per share, valid through the last date of subscription submission on June 30, 2023. All Alumetal shareholders who subscribe to the share sales tender in the current offer will be eligible for the higher price. Even the shareholders who subscribed prior to the latest price hike can claim PLN 82.00 per share, except 32.7 per cent of the shares owned by IPO30 UNIPESSOAL LDA will be acquired by Hydro at PLN 78.69 per share. As per the latest report, Hydro has already received more than 80 per cent of Alumetal shares subscriptions. So, once the submission date is over, Hydro is expected to have a sufficient majority to make strategic decisions about Alumetal, including...
PyroGenesis Canada Inc. has recently publicised its latest contracts with Aluminerie Alouette worth $2.7 million. These contracts aim to further advance PyroGenesis' spent pot lining valorisation technology and develop a new valorisation solution for excess electrolytic baths. The contracts are expected to address primary aluminium production process residue streams. The project funding will be contributed by both Aluminerie Alouette and the Centre québécois de recherche et de développement de l’aluminium (“CQRDA”) and will be administered by the provincial government’s Ministry of the Economy, Innovation, and Energy for Quebec’s aluminum industry. We can anticipate that these efforts will pave the way for a more sustainable and efficient aluminium production process in the future. The...
A newly launched recycling campaign by the Leeds City Council titled 'Foil in Love' encouraged homeowners to recycle their clean aluminium packaging , which includes everything from wrapping foil and trays to aerosols, aluminium beverage cans, and empty food tins. Around 14,000 people in Roundhay and Moortown were inspired to participate in the campaign. Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council's executive member for Climate, Energy, Environment and Green Space, stated, "We're always looking for ways to encourage our residents to recycle as much of their used packaging as possible. The good news is that more than 128 tonnes of aluminium was recycled across Leeds and the surrounding areas in 2022. However, analysis shows that Leeds residents also placed 1,292 tonnes in general waste...
Aluminium scrap prices imported into India remained volatile for another week, with specific grades increasing by up to $60/tonne compared to the previous week. In contrast, other grades declined by up to $30/tonne. Due to the divergent opinions among traders, the market displayed mixed emotions. Western suppliers were hesitant to make discounts, and purchasers modestly altered their bids in line with metal futures. Many buyers booked material to meet immediate needs despite fluctuating market dynamics. According to reliable sources, suppliers had to remain cautious due to the significant difference between bids and offers of $60-80/tonne. Several transactions were completed, according to market sources. However, volumes declined due to continued volatility in futures and contract...
