Energy Intensity, Climate Change and Coping Strategies for the Aluminum Industry

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Energy Intensity, Climate Change and Coping
Strategies for the Aluminum Industry

• Subodh K. Das
• Executive Director
• Center for Sustainable Aluminum Industry
• University of Kentucky
• Lexington KY, USA
• skdas_at_secat.net
• April 9 10, 2008
• West Virginia University
• Morgantown, West Virginia

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Introduction to Center for a Sustainable Aluminum
Industry (CSAI)

• Founded in Jan. 2005
• Funded by several sources
• Sloan Foundation Industry Centers Program
• Arco Aluminum, Aleris International, Wise Alloys,
  Nichols Aluminum, Logan Aluminum, Ormet, Hydro
  Aluminum, Century Aluminum
• The Commonwealth of Kentucky
• The University of Kentucky

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Aluminum Industry

• The world produces 35 million metric tonnes of
  primary aluminum per year
• US produces 6 million metric tonnes of primary
  aluminum and consumes a total of 12 million
  metric tonnes aluminum
• Over 120,000 employed in the US aluminum industry
• The contribution to US GDP is 40 billion a year
• Electricity constitutes 30 to 40 of aluminum
  primary production cost, electricity prices
  pegged to LME
• US remains the largest producer, importer,
  recycler and consumer of aluminum products.
• New primary aluminum constructions are outsides
  the US in China, India, Middle East

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Outline

• Aluminum Energy Bank
• High and Volatile Energy Costs
• Critical Competitiveness Issues Facing Aluminum
  Industries
• Coping Strategies
• Future Research and Development Needs
• Impact of Aluminum Industry on Greenhouse Gases

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Aluminum Energy Bank
Primary Al 45 kWh/kg
Secondary Al 2.8 kWh/kg
251 Billion kwh (857 Trillion BTU)
More than 1 of all U.S. energy use More than 3
of all U.S. manufacturing energy use
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Competitiveness Issues Facing Aluminum Industry

• The competing materials
• Steel, magnesium, and composites Automotive and
  aerospace
• PET packaging
• Vinyl building and construction
• High and volatile energy cost
• Climate change issues
• Limited RD activities for process and product
  development

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Coping Strategies

• Improve energy efficiency of current processes
• Develop innovative and new products
• Enhance aluminum recycling

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Future RD Needs - (1)Primary Production

• Modeling to improve the processing practice.
• Continue development of wetted, drained cathode
  technology.
• Develop continuous or semi-continuous sensors to
  cost-effectively measure alumina, superheat,
  temperature, and bath ratio.
• Develop alternate cell concepts (combination of
  inert anodes and wetted, drained cathodes) to
  include variable and peak energy load.

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Future RD Needs - (2)Melting, Solidification,
Fabrication

• Develop an integrated process model to improve
  energy efficiency and product quality.
• Develop low energy strip/slab casting
  technologies to improve surface quality and
  texture control.

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Future RD Needs - (3)New Product Design and
Application

• Develop advanced forming techniques to
  manufacture net shapes.
• Develop integrated numerical methods for analysis
  and robust design of products, processes, and
  materials.
• Develop recycle friendly aluminum alloys.
• Develop low-cost joining techniques for similar
  and dissimilar materials.

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Impact of Aluminum Industry on Greenhouse Gases

• Aluminum is responsible for 1 of global human
  induced greenhouse gases (Carbon Dioxide and
  Perfluoro Carbons)
• 1 kg Perfluoro Carbons (PFC) is equivalent to
  6500 kg CO2
• 32 million metric tonnes primary aluminum
  production worldwide
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
• 15.6 kg CO2 per kg of aluminum production
• Mining, refining, anode, electrolysis, and
  electric power generation
• 453.8 billion metric tonnes CO2 per year for
  worldwide production
• Perfluoro Carbons (PFC)
• 1.0 kg PFC per tonne of aluminum production
• 32 thousand metric tonnes PFC per year for
  worldwide production
• Equivalent to 208 million metric tonnes of CO2

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Process Improvements

• Production of electricity
• Use electricity from efficient coal/oil/natural
  gas power plants
• Use renewable energy sources
• Hydro (current world use 50), Geothermal, and
  Nuclear
• Enhancement of process efficiency in existing
  plants and develop new technology
• Replace rotary with fluid bed calciners
• In the last 50 years, the average amount of
  electricity needed to make a pound of aluminum
  has been reduced from 12 kilowatt hours to about
  7 kilowatt hours
• Lower smelting energy consumption
• Wettable/drained cathode
• Lower carbon consumption
• Inert anode
• Eventually develop more efficient vertical
  electrode cell
• Lower anode effect frequency (reduce PFC)
• Develop non-contact sensors

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Promote Aluminum Uses in Transportation

• Lightweighting in aircraft, rail, shipping and
  especially cars and trucks saves fuel, and
  reduces CO2 emissions
• Each pound of Al replacing iron or steel saves 20
  pounds of CO2 emissions over an average vehicle
  lifetime
• Fuel savings of 6-8 can be gained for every 10
  weight reduction of a vehicle, resulting in less
  GHG emissions
• EPA estimates 90 of automotive aluminum is
  recovered and recycled

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North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content
Changes
North American Total Aluminum Content (Pounds per
Vehicle)
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Recycling

• Promote recycling of aluminum products
• Recycling saves 95 of energy AND emissions as
  compared to primary production
• Enhance recycled aluminum melting efficiency
• Implement new recycling/sorting technologies
• Consider urban mining of Used Beverage Cans
  (UBCs)
• US recycling rate 50 (Brazil, Norway 96)
• Accumulated landfill totals 20 million tons in
  the US
• Total value of urban mine is 50 billion in the
  US
• New landfill equals 3 aluminum smelters output
  (900,000 tonnes per year in the US)
• Develop recycle-friendly aluminum alloys for
• Aerospace, Automotive, Building Construction
• Secondary benefit of lower carbon footprint from
  alloying elements

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Why Recycle Aluminum Can?
1 change in recycling rate has an economic
impact of approximately 16 million
Trashed cans contribute about 800 million to the
nations trade deficit each year
National Aluminum Beverage Can Recycling Rate
Trends.
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Carbon Trading

• Materials flow modeling indicates that by 2020,
  the Aluminum industry will have a negative carbon
  footprint
• Suggested commercial and technical actions
• Urge aluminum companies to enhance recycling rate
  in liu of constructing new aluminum smelters in
  energy and/or consumption rich countries such as
  Middle East and Iceland (energy rich) and China
  and India (consumption rich)
• Ratio of new construction to new recycling
  recovery is 120
• Promote carbon trading replacing new smelting
  construction with new recycling activities

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Aluminum Industry Flow Chart
Production
End Use
Carbon Trading
Recycling
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Thank you !
Subodh K. Das Executive Director Center for
Sustainable Aluminum Industry University of
Kentucky Lexington KY, USA skdas_at_secat.net