The ‘real neat trick’ that could make aluminium dust valuable
Aluminium is one of the most easily recycled materials. In fact, one estimate suggests that 75% of all the aluminium ever produced is still in use. Even so, huge quantities go to waste. Mostly, it’s the stuff that ends up on the factory floor: can trimmings, grinder dust, turnings and chopped wire. And often, a large factory will produce tons of it every day. “It’s the final waste. It’s like a dust. And it does contain some aluminium but it’s no longer valuable to recycle,” said Khalid Bahsoon, an independent recycling and waste management consultant.
‘Silver science’ turns aluminium scrap into clean energy source in farm-shed reactor
A group of retired engineers have set themselves the task of building an environmentally friendly hydrogen reactor, a mini-plant that can circumvent conventional shortcomings in hydrogen production while producing aluminium oxide and heat as valuable by-products. E&T has been to see the DIY project, which might have the potential to upset the global aluminium recycling market.
Aluminum: Material-Specific Data
EPA measures the generation, recycling, composting, combustion with energy recovery and landfilling of aluminum materials. This is a picture of many aluminum cans, all of which are flattened. EPA used Aluminum Association industry statistics to estimate aluminum packaging generation. In 2018, aluminum generation was 1.3 percent of total MSW generation at 3.9 million tons. This included 1.9 million tons of aluminum containers and packaging, as well as two million tons found in durable and nondurable goods.
EU hydrogen strategy
The EU strategy on hydrogen was adopted in 2020 and put forward a vision for the creation of a European hydrogen ecosystem from research and innovation to scale up production and infrastructure to an international dimension. Hydrogen is also an important part of the EU strategy for energy system integration. The strategy explored how producing and using renewable hydrogen can help decarbonise the EU economy in a cost-effective way, in line with the European Green Deal, and contribute to the post-COVID-19 economic recovery. It listed 20 action points that were implemented by the first quarter of 2022.