Big energy saving for aluminium smelters
Aluminium dross is a blend of aluminium and non-metallic compounds, a waste product of the aluminium melting process. The aluminium metal itself is usually purified from dross using high concentrations of salts, but this approach is environmentally unfriendly and not particularly efficient. The EU-funded 'Development of new technology for aluminium dross complete recovery' (ALUCYC) project was established to address this. It has led to the development of a prototype furnace that can efficiently recover aluminium from dross. Researchers first modelled both the electrical and chemical processes required for aluminium recovery. Based on this information, they designed mechanical, hardware and software system requirements for the furnace. Next, they started building those hardware and software components. The project has now completed the ALUCYC prototype device and validated its performance at a number of aluminium smelting sites. Overall, the prototype could process 300 kilotonnes of aluminium dross per year, resulting in electricity savings of nearly 5 terawatt-hours, equivalent to a 3 gigawatt generator. If it is made widely available, the ALUCYC device will save large amounts of carbon dioxide entering the environment and increase the sustainability of aluminium production.
