STAS to commercialize Rio Tinto aluminium filtration technology

STAS and Rio Tinto publicised on 13^th February’20 an agreement for commercially viable of an advanced compact filtration technology (ACF) for aluminium cast houses. The ACF technology built by Rio Tinto and it will be now manufactured and sold under license by equipment manufacturer STAS worldwide.

This innovative filtration technology was developed in the early 2000s at Rio Tinto’s Arvida Research and Development Centre (ARDC), located in Quebec, Canada. ACF technology is an optimal filtration solution that can eliminate more than 90% of inclusions in liquid aluminium. It is used to manufacture products intended for critical applications, such as high value-added aluminium sheets and plates used to produce cans.

Rio Tinto ventured with STAS to design and manufacture the prototypes of the ACF technology for its Grande-Baie and Laterrière smelters, where it has been used successfully for more than a decade. Commercializing the technology will now maximize the value gained from it, and support its ongoing development and evolution.

Louis Bouchard, Executive President of STAS, said: “We believe the ACF technology has enormous commercial potential for the global aluminium industry and we are convinced that this partnership will maximize the value it can deliver.”

Claude Dupuis, Casting Technology Director at ARDC added: “Thanks to the unique expertise of our researchers, the Arvida Research and Development Centre have a strong track record of creating innovative technologies that have been widely adopted and become industry standards. We look forward to continuing our long-term collaboration with STAS and other equipment manufacturers in the region.”