Fives is developing the first CO2 capture solutions for the aluminium industry through a consortium project with Aluminium Dunkerque, Trimet and Rio Tinto

This consortium, which brings together the world's leading expertise to implement an innovative process, aims to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in direct CO₂ emissions (excluding energy sources) from primary aluminium production by 2030.

With more than 60 years' experience in capturing and processing industrial emissions, Fives, an international leader in industrial engineering, has unique expertise to contribute to the production of greener aluminium.

Primary aluminium production accounts for 2 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, corresponding to an average of 16.1 tonnes of CO₂ emitted globally per tonne of aluminium produced (in France, the average is less than 5 t/CO₂).

A partnership-based approach, a key success factor

Fives has been committed to decarbonising industry for over twenty years.

The Fives Group has built its technological leadership in partnership with numerous industrial companies in every sector. After joining forces with the world's leading players in the hydrogen sector, the digitalisation of industrial processes and the best research centres, Fives is now extending its partnership approach to carbon capture.

"Working in partnership guarantees the development of solutions that meet the needs of the field and are tested immediately under real operating conditions. Combining the experts in each technology means that a complete, high-performance solution can be achieved quickly", Sebastien Gauguier, CEO of the Aluminium Division.

Aluminium Dunkerque and Trimet in St Jean de Maurienne will combine their expertise to help develop this technology on their respective sites.

Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest aluminium producers, has expertise in the electrolysis process.

Fives brings its technology for capturing and treating gas emissions from primary aluminium production.

From the pilot to the industrial phase

The project, part of the France 2030 plan, will shortly be submitted to the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME).

As the first step towards radical decarbonisation, the project comprises two main stages at the Trimet St Jean de Maurienne and Aluminium Dunkerque sites:

2024-2027: experimentation in test pots and prototype installation

From 2028: industrial deployment of the technology on part of the sites. The aim is to reduce emissions by 50 per cent by 2030

About the technology

This involves using carbon capture technologies to collect the carbon emitted during primary aluminium production in the pots at the source.

The project aims to help design, prototype and develop this technology for the aluminium sector. While the carbon capture process has already been tried and tested in various industrial sectors, such as petrochemicals and thermal power stations, it is still at the industrial research stage for aluminium.

Three main steps:

• Collection of CO₂-laden gases as close as possible to the emission source in the electrolysis pot. This choice optimises the concentration rate and the volume of CO₂ collected in the flue gas.
• Installation of an innovative gas treatment centre to purify these gases, which are more concentrated than usual, to make them compatible with the CO₂ capture process.
• Capture of CO₂ using an absorption process with amine solvents.

Focus: Aluminium is a strategic material for the low-carbon transition (lighter, more workable and recyclable)

Aluminium is a strategic material for the low-carbon transition. Its use contributes to the lightening of vehicles, and its share is expected to grow by 13 per cent between 2014 and 2050. Demand for aluminium in connection with electrification will also increase, as will requirements in the packaging sector, due to the elimination of single-use plastics, its lightweight and excellent recyclability. Aluminium is one of the most easily recyclable metals and fits in perfectly with developing a circular economy that consumes less energy and resources. Volumes are therefore expected to rise sharply in the coming years.