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Aluminium companies compete to sell low-carbon products
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LONDON (Reuters) -Aluminium companies have launched a raft of aluminium products with lower carbon emissions, largely by either using hydro power or recycled material. Primary aluminium emits on average 16.6 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of metal, according to the International Aluminium Institute, based ...
LONDON (Reuters) -Aluminium companies have launched a raft of aluminium products with lower carbon emissions, largely by either using hydro power or recycled material. Primary aluminium emits on average 16.6 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of metal, according to the International Aluminium Institute, based on 2021 data, making it one of the most carbon-intensive segments of the metals industry. Below are low-carbon aluminium brands by the major producers. * ALCOA ECOLUM – Primary aluminium with a total carbon footprint of under 4 tonnes of CO2, including bauxite mining and refining. ECODURA – Aluminium billet made with minimum of 50% recycled content.
* NORSK HYDRO REDUXA – Two products of primary aluminium, one with carbon content below 4 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of metal and the second below 3 tonnes. This includes emissions from bauxite mining and making products such as alloyed metal. CIRCAL – Two products of recycled metal, one with a minimum of 75% used aluminium and a footprint of less than 2.3 tonnes of CO2, and the other from 100% recycled metal with less than 0.5 tonnes of CO2. * RIO TINTO RENEWAL – Primary metal with CO2 emissions of 4 tonnes or less of CO2 per tonne of metal. * RUSAL ALLOW – Primary metal with a footprint of less than 4 tonnes of CO2, based on direct and indirect smelter emissions only, by using hydropower in Siberia.
* EMIRATES GLOBAL ALUMINIUM (EGA)
CELESTIAL – EGA markets a brand of primary metal produced with solar power. It produced 39,000 tonnes of solar-powered metal last year, making up 1.5% of total output.
* CENTURY ALUMINUM
NATUR-AL – Century markets a low-carbon product with less than 4 tonnes of CO2 made at its plant in Iceland.
* CHINA HONGQIAO GROUP
The Chinese producer has introduced two low-carbon products, HQALoop and HQALight, one made with recycled aluminium and the other from low-carbon aluminium produced in Yunnan using hydro electricity and other renewables.
* ALCOA/RIO TINTO JOINT VENTURE ELYSIS – Joint venture between the two groups to commercialise a new technology by 2024 to produce carbon-free aluminium, using a ceramic anode and emitting only oxygen.
(Reporting by Eric OnstadEditing by Helen Popper)
Low-carbon aluminium refers to aluminium products that are produced with reduced carbon emissions, often through the use of renewable energy sources or recycled materials, significantly lowering their environmental impact.
Recycled aluminium is aluminium that has been recovered from used products and reprocessed to create new aluminium products, reducing the need for virgin materials and minimizing energy consumption.
Hydro power is a renewable energy source that generates electricity by using the flow of water, typically from rivers or dams, to turn turbines and produce energy with minimal carbon emissions.
The carbon footprint is a measure of the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by an individual, organization, event, or product, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Primary aluminium is aluminium that is produced from bauxite ore through the Bayer process and electrolysis, resulting in a high carbon footprint due to the energy-intensive production methods.
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