Aluminium Dross
China’s aluminium dross generation is estimated to rise 3.3% in 2026: How technology and policy are shaping dross management
China accounted for nearly half of the world’s aluminium dross generation, underlining the scale of its primary aluminium production, secondary aluminium recycling and downstream processing industries. In 2025, the country generated approximately 2.75 million tonnes of aluminium dross, representing 47 per cent of the global total of 5.86 million tonnes Aluminium dross is an inevitable by-product of aluminium melting, smelting, alloying, casting and recycling. When molten aluminium comes into contact with atmospheric oxygen, a surface layer forms. This layer contains aluminium oxides, entrapped metallic aluminium, nitrides, carbides, chlorides, fluorides and other impurities and is commonly known as aluminium dross. The quantity and composition of dross can vary depending on the furnace...
How nearly 6Mt of aluminium dross is driving the next wave of recovery technologies and building circular value chains
Every tonne of aluminium produced creates more than just the finished metal. Across primary production and recycling, the processes generate aluminium dross-an oxide-rich material that is increasingly attracting attention across the industry. Global aluminium dross generation is projected to rise from 5.86 million tonnes in 2025 to 6.04 million tonnes in 2026, marking a 3.1 per cent increase, with volumes expected to grow by a further 13.4 per cent by 2030 and 5.7 per cent by 2032. The rise is being driven by expanding aluminium production and, increasingly, the rapid growth of secondary aluminium recycling. This growing waste stream includes white dross, mainly generated during primary aluminium production and clean metal melting, and black dross, which typically arises from secondary...
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
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