Often called the miracle metal, aluminum is valued for a number of properties, including being lightweight, durable, corrosion-resistant, highly conductive, and more. These properties allow aluminum to be useful in all sorts of applications, from packaging, to vehicles, and even construction.
Earlier this year, the World Bank Group released their findings on what a low-carbon future could mean for metals and minerals. The study, entitled, The Growing Role of Minerals and Metals for a Low Carbon Future, found the potential impact on materials to be significant. Not surprisingly, aluminum was one of them. Much like copper, aluminum looks poised to be a key material in the pursuit of a low carbon future.
Aluminum’s Contribution to a Low-Carbon Economy
In their report, the World Bank Group recognizes aluminum as a critical material in the three primary technologies likely to be the foundation of a low-carbon future: wind, photovoltaics (solar), and energy storage (batteries).
Wind
Aluminum is not a primary material in the manufacture of wind turbines, but it still plays an important role, contributing the benefits it offers to many of the components that make up the various designs of wind turbines.
As with any other material, the extent to which aluminum is used in wind turbines varies across technologies, types, and even manufacturers. Aluminum is especially beneficial in offshore wind energy applications, where its light weight and corrosion resistance reduce shipping costs and provide a protective surface in a corrosion-prone environment. Additionally, aluminum can protect against lightning strikes.
Photovoltaics (Solar) Energy
Aluminum plays a greater role in the burgeoning solar energy market, where it is used as a primary material in the manufacture of solar panels and their frames.
A study conducted by the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) found aluminum to be a more economic choice for photovoltaic (PV) mounting structures in all market segments. The study also found that aluminum provided a lower total cost of ownership.
The World Bank study found that under the most aggressive climate change target (2 degree scenario, or 2DS), aluminum demand could increase over 300% in the photovoltaic industry.
Aluminum in the Transportation Industry
While aluminum is important in both wind and solar energy, and will likely see demand growth as these sectors grow, it is garnering significant attention for its role in vehicles.
Aluminum is critical to the automotive industry in two ways:
Improved Fuel Economy through Lighter Weight Vehicles
Fuel economy has become a major focus in recent years, as efforts to curb emissions continue to grow. One way car manufacturers have been able to improve fuel economy is through the use of aluminum instead of steel; aluminum has been used increasingly in various components of vehicles, in both the body and the engine. This has allowed cars to become lighter, which ultimately improves fuel economy.
In 2015, in an effort to improve fuel economy, Ford came out with the all aluminum body F-150. The full-size truck was 700 lbs lighter than its predecessor, and even offered performance benefits as a result of the aluminum replacement as well.
Many expect this trend of using aluminum over steel to only increase.
Batteries
Although aluminum is used in some lithium-ion batteries (currently the preferred battery type for electric vehicles), and is likely to see demand growth in this sector, a new battery design has been making headlines recently, and for good reason: the aluminum-ion battery.
As reported by Renewable Energy World, collaborative research from Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (TITR) and Stanford University has resulted in the development of the aluminum-ion battery design. The battery, which boasts comparable performance to other battery types improves upon other batteries in several key ways:
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- Longer life
- Reduced cost
- Faster charging time
- Improved safety
One of the primary benefits of the technology is that the abundant availability of aluminum make this battery style a low cost option. Additionally, the batteries can withstand 10,000 charge and discharge cycles without a noticeable decrease in performance – far beyond what any other batteries can claim. While it’s difficult to predict where the battery industry will land, aluminum is likely to be a part of it.
Implications of Increased Aluminum Demand
The aluminum industry is not a stand-alone industry; increases in demand for the miracle metal are likely to have an effect on other markets as well, both in primary production, and in the recycling sector.
Primary Production
While aluminum can offer many benefits that aid in the fight against climate change, the ironic downside to aluminum production is that it is highly energy intensive and often relies on energy from fossil fuels.
However, Canada has proven that this does not need to be a barrier for the industry in a time focused on the reduction of GHG emissions. Earlier this year, the Aluminum Association of Canada (AAC) released a document discussing the industry’s role in the move toward a low-carbon economy; through investments in modernization and new technologies, the nation has managed to reach a -38% in tons of CO2 equivalent, or -66% in intensity compared to 1990 levels.
Mining magnate Rio Tinto has also been hard at work to reduce aluminum’s carbon footprint, coming out with their RenewAlTM aluminum product – the first ever, certified low CO2 aluminum, boasting a carbon footprint three times lower than the industry average.
Aside from energy requirements, primary aluminum production relies on bauxite, an aluminum-bearing ore. As the primary source of aluminum, the World Bank study notes that bauxite is also likely to see a boost in demand, along with alumina, a material derived from bauxite, which is then refined into aluminum.
Recycling Aluminum
There is also potential for the aluminum recycling industry to see a boost for two reasons:
Recycling Saves Substantial Energy
According to the Aluminum Association, recycling offers greater than 95% energy savings over new aluminum production, a very attractive figure in the effort to curb emissions.
Reclaimed Aluminum is Completely Recyclable
When reclaimed, aluminum can be recycled and reused indefinitely without a loss in quality, making it an exceptionally environmentally friendly metal when combined with the energy savings recycling can offer.
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Conclusion
Through its role in wind and solar energy, and most notably, in the transportation industry, aluminum is expected to play a critical role in reaching the goals of a low-carbon economy. The expected increase in demand is also likely to see an increase in demand for aluminum’s constituents, bauxite and alumina, as well.
FEECO provides a range of process solutions and custom equipment to the bauxite, alumina, and aluminum industries, including decoating kilns and complete decoating lines for use in aluminum recycling, rotary dryers and kilns for processing bauxite and alumina, as well as a wide range of agglomeration and material handling equipment. We also offer testing services for a variety of processes in our Innovation Center.
For more information, contact us today!