THE ALUMINIUM STORY: THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION OF
THE INDUSTRY AND ITS PRODUCTS TO SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
Christopher M. Baylissa
a) International Aluminium Institute, New Zealand House, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TE,
United Kingdom *
The second decade of the twenty first century began with an estimated 7 billion people
on the planet and the United Nations currently expects the global population to reach
10 billion by 2100. The sustainability challenge shared by all is to provide not only
basic needs, but to meet expectations for an improving quality of life. Crucially, this
socio-economic progress must be achieved while ensuring the environment remains
ecologically and economically viable and able to meet the needs of future generations.
Introduction
As the world prepares for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
(http://www.uncsd2012.org) in Rio in 2012, it is clear that in the twenty years since the
Earth Summit, the range and depth of challenges facing the global community, with
respect to sustainable development, poverty eradication, equitable access to resources
and environmental protection have become even more pronounced. The development
of the concept of the Green Economy as a pathway towards “human well-being and
social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological
scarcities” (UNEP, 2010; 2011a; 2011b) is one which could be seen to have a potential
constraint on the long-term growth of the aluminium industry and demands for its
products, given that it promotes the decoupling of absolute resource use from economic
activity. However, a more realistic and holistic reading of the Green Economy concept
in fact opens up opportunities for significantly increased demand for aluminium
products, on a per capita as well as an absolute basis, if it can be demonstrated that such
products deliver a net reduction in environmental degradation, while improving human
wellbeing and economic potential.
*
Corresponding author Tel: +44 20 7930 0528; E-mail: [email protected]
Materials in general and aluminium in particular, have a unique role to play in the
development of Green Economies around the world, particularly in fast-growing
economies, as enablers of eco-efficient services: transporting people further and faster
with lower energy inputs; bringing power to new, growing, productive communities
with fewer energy losses; building green cities and preserving precious nutritional and
pharmaceutical resources.
The global aluminium industry recognises its responsibility to produce as efficiently
and with minimal environmental impact, but also understands that there are significant
opportunities, both economic and environmental, from the consumption, use and
recycling of intelligently-designed, aluminium-intensive and energy-efficient products.
Through its Aluminium for Future Generations (IAI, 2011a) initiative, the industry is
measuring its performance in terms of sustainable production and consumption and
setting objectives for continuous improvement and increasing markets for its products
into the future.
Decoupling Environmental Impact from Societal Progress
The concept of decoupling has been applied to the sustainability challenge by the
United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) International Resource Panel (IRP),
specifically the decoupling of resource use and environmental impacts from economic
growth (UNEP, 2011a), building on earlier work on eco-efficiency and lifecycle
resource intensity. The IRP define resource decoupling as “reducing the rate of use of
(primary) resources per unit of economic activity” (increasing resource productivity)
and impact decoupling as “increasing economic output while reducing negative
environmental impacts” (increasing eco-efficiency).
Decoupling schematic. Source: UNEP, 2011xxxx
In this regard, there is the potential for aluminium products, through their production,
use and value recovery, to reduce both resource use and environmental impact and to
increase human well-being and economic activity and thus increase the potential for
both resource and impact decoupling. In the following sections of this paper, the stages
of the aluminium lifecycle will be reviewed in the light of their potential to decouple
global resource use and environmental impact from socio-economic development.
Aluminium for Future Generations
Because of the increasing diversity of aluminium applications and the importance of its
products to modern life, global demand for the metal continues to increase and is
expected almost to double between 2010 and 2020, met by supply from both primary
and recycled sources.
120
Million tonnes Al
100
80
Required primary
Demand met from recycled
60
40
20
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Aluminium demand, 1950-2020. Source: IAI
The share of supply met from recycled sources is limited to a substantial degree by the
long lifetimes of aluminium products (a positive attribute for durable applications) and
their growing markets, meaning that most aluminium is still in use, rather than available
for recycling. Indeed, around 75% of all aluminium produced since the late 19th century
is still in productive use today (GARC, 2009). Given this constraint in supply, around
two thirds of demand will continue to be satisfied from primary sources for the
foreseeable future, up from 40 million tonnes in 2010 to over 70 million tonnes in 2020.
However, concurrent increases in the resources required to produce the metal and in the
environmental impacts of the industry’s processes are not a necessary outcome of this
growth.
The International Aluminium Institute’s Aluminium for Future Generations (AFFG)
initiative comprises a number of 2020 objectives for eco-efficiency in the industry.
Annual reporting against these objectives shows considerable improvement in both
resource use and environmental impact, in relative terms but also, for some indicators,
absolute levels.
Coverage
Reduction
Target
Baseline
Year
Target
Year
2010
Performance
Alumina refining
Global
10%
2006
2020
9%
energy intensity
Smelter electrical (AC)
Global
10%
1990
2010
10%
energy intensity
Electrolytic process
electrical (DC) energy Global
5%
2006
2020
4%
intensity
Fluoride emissions
33%
1990
2010
50%
Global
intensity
35%
2006
2020
13%
Perfluorocarbon
80%
1990
2010
85%
Global
emissions intensity
50%
2006
2020
26%
Alumina refining
Global
10%
2006
2020
9%
energy intensity
Table 1 : AFFG Objectives & Global Industry 2010Performance
350
Million tonnes CO2e
300
250
Primary Aluminium Production
Mining Direct Emissions
Casting Direct Emissions
Anode Production Direct Emissions
Alumina Refining Direct Emissions
Anode Consumption Direct Emissions
PFCs
48
42
36
30
200
24
150
18
100
12
50
6
0
0
Million tonnes Al
400
Direct GHG emissions from primary aluminium production, 1990-2010. Source: IAI
As can be seen from Table 1, the objectives are intensity based and so could be seen to
improve relative resource use (in the case of the energy objectives) and environmental
impact (in the case of all objectives), but the reduction in PFC emissions is such that
absolute environmental impact has been reduced over the period 1990 to 2010,
decoupling greenhouse gas emissions from the growth in the industry.
The Aluminium for Future Generations programme is not limited to energy efficiency
and emissions reduction, but also covers other key environmental impacts at local and
regional level, including land use.
Recent surveys of bauxite mines indicate that the area disturbed annually for the
extraction of bauxite is very low compared to other commodities – less than fifty square
kilometres. Even including the non-mined areas employed for haul roads, buildings,
support services and accommodation, the land used per tonne of aluminium production
is only between 1 and 2 square metres. However, metrics of total land use are only a
broad indicator of environmental (and social) impact of mining. The performance of
the bauxite mining industry in meeting the expectations of local communities and in
protecting and in some cases enhancing the natural capital of sensitive ecosystems,
through biodiversity programmes, foregoing certain areas, utilising local knowledge for
rehabilitation, etc are outlined in the Fourth Sustainable Bauxite Mining Report (IAI,
2008). The report includes data on mine rehabilitation, that shows that the same land
area is rehabilitated by the industry as is mined annually, indicating that there is no net
increase in land opened up for bauxite extraction globally year on year.
Achievement of the 2020 Aluminium for Future Generations objectives will continue to
drive the relative bifurcation of environmental impact from industry growth, although it
is unlikely to achieve absolute impact decoupling without technological step changes.
Recycling & Value Recovery
Aluminium recycling benefits present and future generations by conserving energy and
other natural resources (http://recycling.world-aluminium.org/). It requires up to 95%
less energy to recycle aluminium than to produce primary metal and thereby avoids
corresponding emissions, including greenhouse gases (GARC, 2009).
Today, recycling of post-consumer aluminium products saves over 90 million tonnes of
CO2 and over 100,000 GWh of electrical energy, equivalent to the annual power
consumption of the Netherlands.
For most aluminium products, the metal is not actually consumed during the product's
lifetime, but simply used, with the potential to be recycled without any loss of its
inherent properties. Therefore, the life cycle of an aluminium product is not the
traditional "cradle-to-grave" sequence, but rather a renewable "cradle-to-cradle".
DRAFT 2010 Aluminium mass flow. Source: IAI
This property of infinite recyclability has led to a situation where today around 75% of
the one billion tonnes of aluminium ever produced is still in productive use, some
having been through countless loops of its lifecycle.
Through the use of only 5% of the original energy input, this metal can be made
available not just once but repeatedly from these material resources for future
generations. The growing global markets for aluminium products are supplied by both
primary (around 65%) and recycled (around 35%) metal sources. The increasing
demand for aluminium and the long lifetime of many products, limiting their
availability for short term recovery but maximising their in-use benefits, mean that the
overall mass of primary metal consumed will continue to be around double that of
recycled metal, for the foreseeable future.
However, improving the overall collection rates of used products is an essential element
in the pursuit of sustainable development. Industry continues to recycle, without
subsidy, all the aluminium collected from end-of-life products as well as from
fabrication and manufacturing process scrap. With a growing number of industry
initiatives and the help of appropriate authorities, local communities and society as a
whole, the amount of aluminium collected could be increased further.
The recycling performance of the aluminium industry can be described by different
indicators, namely the overall and the end-of-life recycling efficiency rate. The latter is
split into the end-of-life collection rate and the processing rate. The collection of
aluminium scrap from products at the end of their useful life is driven by market
mechanisms and the relatively high value of the scrap relative to collection costs, which
explains the high rates of aluminium from building products or overhead cables.
However, we are living in a world of "dematerialisation" and multi-material solutions,
where functions can be fulfilled with less and less material: cans get lighter, aluminium
foil as a barrier material in packaging gets thinner and thinner, aluminium parts in
vehicles, windows, machines, electrical and electronic equipment get smaller and/or
more complex. From a sustainability standpoint this is a positive development of doing
more with less, but requires additional efforts by communities, governments and
industry for the collection and separation of aluminium from end-of-life products. Once
collected, a 2005 study by Delft University of Technology study has shown, the metal
losses from recycling processes are usually less than 2%, i.e. the net metal yield is
above 98% (Boin & Bertram, 2005), .
End-of-life recycling performance and recycled metal content are often misunderstood.
There are no quality differences between a product entirely made of primary metal and
a product made of recycled metal. However, recycled aluminium is used where it is
deemed most efficient in economic and ecological terms. Due to the overall limited
availability of aluminium scrap, any attempt to increase the recycled content in one
particular product would just result in decreasing the recycling content in another. It
would also certainly result in inefficiency in the global scrap market, as well as wasting
transportation energy. The high market value of aluminium (a function of its products’
value to society, which is in itself a function of its properties, realised through the initial
high value energy input in primary production) means that, if scrap is available, it will
be recycled.
Benefits of Aluminium in Use
We have seen how recent years have seen improvements in the efficiency and
environmental performance of the aluminium industry’s production processes and the
benefits, in terms of impact mitigation and value/energy/material recovery, of recycling
of aluminium products. However, it has also been shown that the very nature of the
aluminium production process means that achievement of decoupling within the
production and end of life processes alone is not possible. The fact that it does take a
lot of energy to break the aluminium oxygen bonds of alumina (the same physical fact
that gives aluminium its unique qualities of durability, conductivity, strength and light
weight); that the growing markets for aluminium products, along with their long and
useful lifetimes mean that for the foreseeable future a large proportion of demand will
need to be met through supply of primary metal and thus land will be required for
mining; these facts mean that absolute decoupling of industrial (and economic) growth
from environmental impact and resource use is not possible solely by processual
efficiency.
In fact given that the concept of Green Economy is one that encompasses the whole
economy and is cross-sectoral in nature, the true measure of the aluminium industry and
its products to the improvement of human well being, economic growth and the
reduction in environmental impacts and resource use, should necessarily be seen in the
light of its role as an enabler of such improvement. Thus the full lifecycle of aluminium
products, including the benefits they bring during their use, whether over long time
periods as building applications or relatively short lifetimes as packaging solutions,
should be the focus of any analysis of their contribution to a Green Economy.
Forestry
17%
Waste
3%
Industry
20%
...of which Al
production
<1%
Agriculture
13%
Energy Supply
26%
Buildings
8%
Transport
13%
...of which Al
production
<1%
Anthropogenic GHG emissions by sector (2004). Source IPCC, 2007; IAI, 2009b
It is worth noting too that the potential for such benefits can be far greater than the
potential for improvement in process efficiencies during production and at end of life,
as the pie chart below shows. The potential for reduction of anthropogenic greenhouse
gas emissions through the use of aluminium intensive efficient machinery in industry;
efficient cabling, turbines, solar panels, consumer durables and intelligent control
systems in energy supply networks; lightweight vehicles; green buildings and protective
aluminium packaging that preserves agricultural outputs is far greater than
improvements in energy efficiency within aluminium industry processes.
Thus, through the input of given “activation energies” in the production of aluminium,
which require a certain increase in resource use and have a given environmental impact,
substantial savings (in resource use, energy consumption, land use, emissions, etc) are
realised through the use of energy saving, protective, lightweight aluminium products:
Human
Wellbeing
Economic
Growth
Resource Use
Environmental
Impact
“Activation Energies” – aluminium as an enabler of environmental savings with growth
The next section outlines some of the major applications of aluminium products today
and attempts to illuminate and to some extend quantify the benefits associated with their
use and potential for contributing to the Green Economy into the future.
Transport
With a significant and growing proportion of greenhouse gas emissions generated by
the transportation sector, the reduction of the weight of transportation vehicles is an
important method of improving fuel efficiency, reducing energy consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions. Other measures include improved engines, lower air friction
and better lubricants as well as improved transport systems – roads, urban design, etc.
Transport related greenhouse gas emissions amount to over 8 billion tonnes CO2e
annually. A study by Helms and Lambrecht (IFEU, 2003; 2004) concluded that about
660 million tonnes of greenhouse gas could be saved at that time during the use phase if
all transport units (including road vehicles, trains and aircraft) were replaced by
lightweight vehicles of current design with the same functional properties.
Approximately 870 million tonnes were possible with advance designs. Today, these
figures are closer to 800 and 1,000 million tonnes CO2.
A vehicle’s life cycle covers three discrete parts: production, use, and end-of-life. With
the ability of aluminium to be recycled, this process is better described as “cradle to
cradle” rather than “cradle to grave”. The use stage dominates energy consumption and
correspondingly carbon dioxide emissions, while production and end-of-life stage
represent less than 20% of the greenhouse gas burden. The focus of measures to reduce
energy consumption during the life cycle of a vehicle should therefore concentrate on
the use stage.
Since its introduction to transport, aluminium has made an impressive contribution to
the light-weighting of land and marine vehicles and will continue to do so. The demand
for aluminium in transportation has been increasing year by year. In 2010, about 25%
of aluminium used globally was used in transportation. In 2000 each automotive
vehicle contained between 100 and 120 kg of aluminium and in 2009 between 110 and
150 kg (Ducker, 2008). A more recent survey of automakers (Ducker, 2011) indicates
that since lighter vehicles get better fuel economy with fewer emissions, aluminium is
already the leading material in the engine and wheel markets and is fast-gaining market
share in hoods, trunks and doors. The survey estimates automakers will increase their
use of aluminium in North America from 148 kg in 2009 to 250 pounds in 2025.
In 2010, over 65 million passenger cars and light trucks were produced globally. The
achieved weight savings due to aluminium will lead to potential global greenhouse gas
savings of over 300 million tonnes of CO2e over the life of those vehicles. The total
primary energy saved due to the application of aluminium during the life cycle of
passenger cars and light trucks produced in 2010 is equivalent to about 100 billion litres
of crude oil.
The aluminium industry has consistently sought to develop and optimise components
for the transportation sector in terms of weight savings through the replacement of
heavier materials -saving fuel and reducing greenhouse gases. Substitutions by
aluminium are made component by component in different vehicle series. Each
component is subjected to individual life cycle analysis providing a detailed profile of
the energy and greenhouse gas savings. A life cycle model developed by the aluminium
industry can be used for these component specific calculations for all modes of
transport, including automotive, trucks, trains and ships and is available from
http://transport.world-aluminium.org/, along with case studies of different transport
modes. All of the model results have been generated utilizing public available
information on aluminium production, usage and recycling and observing the principles
of life cycle assessment per ISO standard 14044 with regards to energy and greenhouse
gas emissions.
As well as direct weight reduction by material substitution, there are additional
possibilities for component light-weighting.
Aluminium-specific fabrication
techniques, such as complex, multi-hollow extrusions or thin-walled, high-strength,
vacuum die castings, enable new design solutions. Furthermore, the reduction of total
vehicle weight also offers the potential for indirect weight savings. When Audi
designed the model of the A8 in 1994, it had to choose between a steel body-in-white
with a mass of 441 kg and an aluminium alternative of 247 kg. Once Audi decided in
favour of the aluminium alternative, they could also realise additional weight-saving
measures, e. g. a smaller engine or a smaller fuel tank in order to fulfil the given
requirements for the car (acceleration, mileage per tank filling). Audi reported such
“indirect” weight savings as 45 kg which is 23 % of the direct weight savings of 194 kg.
This means that the 247 kg aluminium body-in-white effectively reduces the car weight
by 239 kg. Other vehicle studies suggest a secondary weight saving range of 50 -100%.
While efficiency is important, safety is the critical factor in the design and customer
choice of a vehicle. The vehicle must protect the driver and passengers in case of an
accident, but in addition, it must minimize the consequences of the impact on the crash
partner, be it another vehicle, a stationary object or a pedestrian. In the development of
the car body structure, it is most important to find a suitable compromise between
stiffness, crash performance and further body requirements (e.g. styling, package
restrictions, etc.). Aluminium is well suited to reach these goals with maximum
performance and the lowest possible mass. The specific characteristics of aluminium
alloys offer the possibility to design cost-effective, lightweight structures with high
stiffness and excellent crash energy absorption potential. For optimum protection of the
occupants in an accident, vehicles are designed with a stiff and stable passenger cell and
surrounding deformation zones where the crash energy can be absorbed. The massspecific energy absorption capacity of aluminium is twice that of mild steel and
compares favourably to the newly developed high strength steel grades. The high
rigidity of an aluminium structure compared to a steel design is the result of the higher
material thickness (aluminium components are generally about 50% thicker than steel
components fulfilling the same function) and in particular the possibility to use closed
multi-hole extrusions and high quality die castings of sophisticated design (which
allows the elimination of joints). Depending on the available package space, it is
therefore possible to improve the rigidity of the entire structure while still maintaining a
weight reduction of up to 40 – 50 %. The same principles also apply to pedestrian
protection where properly designed aluminium front end structures and hoods help to
prevent injuries and reduce the fatality risk. Thus car safety is not only a question of the
construction material, but, crucially the applied design and assembly concept. As a
consequence, aluminium is the preferred material to ensure the safety of the vehicle and
its occupants, fulfilling related requirements such as crash compatibility, pedestrian
protection, low repair costs, etc.
The benefits of lightweight car body design with aluminium are demonstrated in a 2004
study carried out by Dynamic Research, Inc. for the Aluminum Association (USA),
where the crash worthiness and crash compatibility of a typical SUV with other vehicles
was examined by numerical simulation. In a first step, the weight of the SUV was
reduced by 20%, but the size of the reference vehicle was maintained. In a second step,
the size of the SUV was slightly increased, keeping the weight of the reference vehicle.
500 virtual collisions of the SUV were simulated with various crash situations (single
vehicle crashes, including rollovers and collisions with fixed objects, such as poles and
two vehicle crashes). A combination of passenger car and SUV as well as SUV and
SUV crashes was used. When the vehicle was light-weighted, but size remained the
same, the injury rate was reduced by 15 %. It is important to note that the additional
design changes that could be pursued by automakers to mediate impact were not taken
into account, nor was the nature of the other cars on the road. When the weight of the
vehicle remained the same, but the size was increased, the result is an even higher
reduction in injury rate of 26%. Most important is that in two vehicle crashes, the
drivers of both vehicles see an improvement in safety.
The use of lightweight aluminium in transport applications, be they private vehicles or
mass transport, for the safe and swift transport of people, goods or services, can be seen
to have both a positive impact on wellbeing and economic growth and a mitigating
impact on vehicle energy use and emissions. Intelligent design of vehicles and transport
systems using novel technologies such as electric motors or integrated urban transit
systems hold even greater potential for aluminium use into the future and therefore
potential for further energy, emissions and resource savings.
Architecture
Buildings account for up to 40% global energy consumption and thus improving the
overall systemic efficiency of buildings and their contents, while maintaining their
value as living and working spaces, is a key aspect of sustainability. Given the ongoing
growth in urban populations globally, the potential for emerging economies to design
and realise “green cities” from the bottom up is a positive opportunity for decoupling
human wellbeing from environmental impact.
The most energy efficient buildings start with aluminium – 25% of global aluminium
demand is from the construction sector. Aluminium components and designs optimize
natural lighting and shade, enhance energy management and support designs that make
the most of the physical environment. Being durable and corrosion resistant, aluminium
components in buildings contribute to reduced maintenance over time, while the metal’s
unmatched recyclability gives architects a key sustainability design tool. Aluminium’s
high strength-to-weight ratio makes it possible to design light structures with
exceptional stability allowing for narrow window and curtain wall frames, maximising
solar gains for given outer dimensions. Aluminium’s light weight also makes it cheaper
and easier to transport and handle safely on site. In Europe, around 95% of
architectural aluminium is collected and recycled (EAA, 2004). Globally, buildings
contain over 200 million tonnes of aluminium, which will be available for recycling by
future generations time after time - an energy bank for future generations. A case study
from China on the realisation of aluminium’s potential as a material for green
architecture is presented below. Further case studies and information on residential,
commercial and infrastructural green architecture from around the globe can be found at
http://greenbuilding.world-aluminium.org.
Case Study - Sino-Italian Ecological & Energy Efficient Building (SIEEB)
“Aluminium supports for SIEEB’s photovoltaic panels ensure that it is provided with
green energy and solar protection all year round.” Mario Cucinella Architects
The SIEEB faculty building, designed by the architect Mario Cucinella, houses an
education, training and research centre for environmental protection and energy
conservation, offices and a 200 seat auditorium.
This project is the result of an integrated design process with collaboration between
architects, consultants and researchers, a key issue in the design of green buildings. The
underlying philosophy combines sustainable design principles and state of the art
technologies to create a building that responds to its climatic and architectural context.
The design uses both active and passive strategies, through the building’s shape and
architecture of its envelope, to control the external environment in order to optimize the
comfort and conditions of its internal environment. The building design has been
assessed through a series of computer simulations of its performance in relation to its
possible shape, orientation, envelope and technological systems to find a balance
between energy efficiency targets, minimal CO2 emissions, a functional layout and the
image of a contemporary building.
The aluminium curtain walling system is a vital component in delivering this holistic
architecture. The building is closed and well insulated on the northern side that faces
the cold winter winds and is more transparent and open towards the south. On the east
and west sides, light and direct sun are controlled by a double skin facade that filters
solar gain and optimizes the penetration of daylight into the office spaces. Attractive
green spaces, gardens and terraces are distinctive elements of the project. Cantilevered
structural elements extend to the south, giving shade to the terraces. The building
optimizes the production of solar energy in winter and solar protection in summer. The
envelope components made of extruded aluminium, as well as the control systems and
the other technologies are the expression of the most up-to-date Italian production,
within the framework of a design philosophy in which proven components are
integrated into innovative systems to minimise environmental impact and resource use
in both the construction and in-use stages.
Packaging
According to the World Health Organisation, 30% of the food in developing countries
perishes due to the lack of packaging. Packaging saves ten times more waste than it
creates; if, due to being badly packed, the contents are spoiled, ten times more waste
occurs than that generated by the production of appropriate packaging.
Various Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) (http://packaging.world-aluminium.org/) show
that aluminium foil packaging and household foil contribute less than 10% of the
environmental impact in a product‘s lifecycle – production, preparation and
consumption.
A study of the coffee supply chain (EAFA, 2008) has shown that only 10% of the total
energy consumed between the production and use of the coffee is attributable to
packaging compared with 50% for the production of the coffee, 35% for its preparation
and handling and 5% for the other parts of the chain. Incineration or recycling of the
used packaging improves this ratio further.
Thus, adequate protection of the food saves more resources than those needed for the
production of the protective packaging (EAFA, 2010). This is not only true of energy
resources – land used for agriculture and the delivery of foodstuffs is saved through the
employment of aluminium packaging to reduce wastage; thus there is a net land use
benefit that sees the agricultural land saving more than offsetting the land used for
mining, which is then ultimately rehabilitated – perhaps even for agricultural use.
Aluminium packaging is the “insurance” to protect the energy invested in producing,
growing and processing food. It also ensures the additional energy used to get that food
to us – in transport, retailing, shopping, storing & cooking – is not wasted.
Lighter packaging means less fuel consumption, reduced emissions from transport and
easier handling at the retail level. A good example is the stand-up foil drink pack.
Using aluminium foil based pouches rather than standard 20cl returnable glass bottles
means nearly twice as much product per truck load. The weight of packaging materials
is a mere 6% of the total weight of the load. Clearly, a far more efficient and
environmentally friendly way to transport such products – not forgetting the advantages
of shelf impact and product protection.
The hygienic and protective properties of aluminium used in pharmaceutical blisters
packs or tubes provide a barrier against external factors such as heat, moisture, bacteria
and odours, thus having a further positive impact on human wellbeing and economic
productivity.
Aluminium foil is by far the lightest ‘complete barrier’ material in a packaging
composite. Because it is very malleable it can be easily deformed without losing its
barrier integrity, making it an ideal material for use in combination with other flexible
substrates to create very thin laminates for a variety of markets, saving resources.
In North America and in Europe, a beverage can is produced, filled, distributed,
consumed, collected and recycled back into a can within 60 days. T he aluminium
industry has a long tradition of collecting and recycling used aluminium products and
the high economic value of used aluminium packaging is an incentive for continuous
improvement in recycling.
The aluminium drinks can is the most recycled beverage container in the world and
most aluminium foil applications are fully recyclable as well. Modern separation
techniques allow aluminium foil in household waste to be extracted and recycled at a
fraction of its original energy cost. If aluminium foil is not collected for recycling but
processed in incinerators, the thin, laminated foil material is oxidised and releases
energy, which can be recovered. What’s more, the remaining non-oxidised aluminium
can be extracted from the bottom as of the incinerator and subsequently recycled.
Energy Generation & Distribution
The delivery of clean, affordable and accessible energy to a growing global population
is a challenge shared by all. While the aluminium industry itself is a significant
consumer of power, its products for the energy generation and supply sectors have the
potential to avoid transmission losses through efficient cabling and intelligent networks
as well as to enable the development of new and renewable generation technologies.
The significant role of aluminium in infrastructure development in fast developing
economies is testament to this fact – one third of aluminium consumed in India is in the
form of cabling; bringing safe and affordable power to more of its population than ever
before, through reliable and efficient networks that harness the unique conductive,
lightweight, durable and strong properties of aluminium.
A recent IFEU report (IFEU, 2010) identifies the expected use of aluminium for
different types of renewable energy equipment (i.e. solar panels, wind-mills,
photovoltaic systems and solar parks, for the next 40 years, taking into account different
growth scenarios of such equipment and different perspectives of expected use of
aluminium in such equipment.
At present metals and glass are the main materials employed in such applications, but
with annual global investment volume for such equipment expected to rise from € 100
billion in 2010 to € 300 billion in 2030, and with significant potential for use phase
emission reduction benefits from aluminium in renewable energy generation
technologies, it is pertinent to carry out such a study.
The results of the study performed by IFEU are encouraging. However, much depends
on the introduction of aluminium as the material of choice for critical components (solar
panel absorbers, wind-mill nacelles, frames of photoelectric panels and solar reflector
panels), both on the political and the technical level. As an example, the IFEU study
tells us that after 2030, under the most realistic assumptions, about 3 million tonnes of
aluminium will be used annually for such renewable energy equipment. However, with
a pessimistic approach on aluminium use for such equipment, less than one million
tonne will be used annually; with an optimistic approach it could be about 9 Mio
tonnes; each tonne bringing improving the wellbeing and economic potential of the
energy consumer, with increased efficiency, reduced losses and lower emissions.
Conclusion
The second decade of the twenty first century began with an estimated 7 billion people
on the planet and the United Nations currently expects the global population to reach 10
billion by 2100. The sustainability challenge shared by all is to provide not only basic
needs, but to meet expectations for an improving quality of life. Crucially, this socioeconomic progress must be achieved while ensuring the environment remains
ecologically and economically viable and able to meet the needs of future generations.
The products of human ingenuity, including the versatile metal aluminium in its many
applications, have a vital role to play in successfully addressing this sustainability
challenge. By working continuously to minimize its environmental impacts and
maximize the benefits that its products offer to the world, the aluminium industry is
committed to ensuring that aluminium is part of the solution for a sustainable future.
Online Resources:
Transport:
http://aluminumintransportation.org
http://transport.world-aluminium.org
Architecture: http://greenbuilding.world-aluminium.org
Recycling:
http://recycling.world-aluminium.org
http://packaging.world-aluminium.org
Packaging:
http://global-alufoil.org/
Bauxite Mining (forthcoming):
http://bauxite.world-aluminium.org
REFERENCES
Boin, U. M. J. & Bertram, M. (2005), Melting Standardized Aluminum Scrap: A Mass
Balance Model for Europe. In Journal of the Minerals, Metals & Materials
Society
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57,
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http://recycling.worldaluminium.org/uploads/media/aluminium_scrap_recy_1192024928.pdf
Ducker Worldwide (2008), 2009 Update on North American Light Vehicle Aluminum
Content Compared to the Other Countries & Regions of the World, Phase II.
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Ducker Worldwide (2011), Aluminum in 2012 North American Light Vehicles,
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http://www.eaa.net/en/applications/building/
EAFA (2008), LCA of Packed Food Products.
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http://packaging.world-aluminium.org/uploads/media/ESU-Coffee_2008_Exec_Sum.pdf
EAFA (2010), More is Less, Better Protection Saves Resources.
http://www.alufoil.org/front_content.php?idcat=207
GARC (2009), Global Aluminium Recycling: A Cornerstone of Sustainable
Development. http://world-aluminium.org/cache/fl0000181.pdf
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IFEU
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IPCC (2007), Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007 (AR4).
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