Rio Tinto invests $8.4 million to expand Aluminum recycling capacity at Laterrière Plant

Rio Tinto, the industry leader in responsible aluminium production, with operations in Canada which runs on 100% renewable hydropower, is investing US $8.4 million to expand the recycling capacity of its aluminium operations in Saguenay- Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, to offer rolled product customers in North America a new, sustainable solution combining low-carbon and recycled aluminium.

A new remelt furnace will be added at the Laterrière Plant’s casting centre to recycle aluminium cuttings from Rio Tinto’s operations and rolling mill customers in manufacturing sectors, producing rolling ingots for the automotive and packaging industries.

The new aluminium recycling system is expected to be operational by the end of 2021, with an initial production capacity of 22,000 tonnes of remelted aluminium per year.

Tolga Egrilmezer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Rio Tinto, said: “The investment continues Rio Tinto’s focus on enhancing the recycling solutions it offers to customers, supporting the transition to a circular economy. This new furnace will allow us to provide a recycling service to our customers for scrap from their manufacturing processes, helping them meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable products. This innovative step will add to our responsible production in Quebec, where we produce aluminium with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world using hydropower.”

Rio Tinto’s technical marketing experts will assist customers in selecting the right recycled content together with the optimal alloy for their specific needs.

The rolled product recycling service will complement the closed-looped solution Rio Tinto is offering to billet customers from 2021, providing high-quality alloys made of low carbon primary aluminium and recycled content.