The European Aluminum Association’s strategic plan for 2050 predicts that increased recycling of this material could generate around €6 billion in profit for the European economy, in addition to avoiding up to 39 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Portugal wants to have a say in this area and the president of the Portuguese Aluminum Association (APAL) estimates that this market could grow by around €200 million.
For this, he says, it is necessary to expand the scrap collection market so that the industry reaches a consumption of 50% recycled aluminum. But aluminum consumption must also grow. The problem is that when choosing building materials, aluminum is not always taken into account because it is not seen as a sustainable element. Or, if so, the recycled aluminum that exists in the market is thought to be imported. While Rui Abreu in fact guarantees, Portugal has already implemented the full cycle of 100% recycled aluminum in the country and therefore “wants the industry to be involved in deciding on the sustainability of buildings”.
A sector with 4000 employees
APAL covers 90% of the extrusion companies (producing, for example, aluminum profiles for windows or other purposes), out of a total of 53 companies, employing approximately 4000 employees. They generate an annual turnover of approximately EUR 500 million and contribute directly and indirectly 1% to the national Gross Domestic Product.
In terms of consumption, Rui Abreu reveals that the extrusion industry consumes about 90,000 tons of aluminum per year, of which about 30% is recycled aluminum. The goal is to reach 50% by 2050.
“There is no limit to recycling, aluminum can be recycled indefinitely and for the same purpose. Unlike the wood used in a window, which can be recycled at the end of its life but will not become a window again, aluminum it can be reintroduced into the manufacturing process and become a window again,” he guarantees.
Even more important are the savings on the carbon footprint. For every kilo of aluminum produced in Europe – in Iceland or Norway, using renewable energy sources – 6.7 kilos of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere, compared to the 20 kilos of emissions caused by the same production in China, which is already made with charcoal.
Significant benefits in terms of emissions
With production using recycling, says Rui Abreu, the emissions are half a kilo for every kilo of aluminum produced. A value that can be further reduced if the industry can replace the natural gas it currently uses for aluminum smelting with green hydrogen.
“The tests are already being carried out, for example in Spain, so that when it is possible to use green hydrogen industrially, we are already prepared for it and can reduce the ecological footprint of recycled aluminum to zero,” adds the person in charge .
And there is more and more aluminum in scrap for recycling, not only because the scrap trade is increasingly focused on separating metals and valuing them in a circular economy, but also because the global economy itself is increasingly using this material, and not only under construction. Electric driving helps with this development.
New applications in perspective
“Electric vehicles use significantly more aluminum than before because it is a material that makes them lighter, allowing them to travel longer distances with smaller batteries. It is an industry that will generate large amounts of aluminum for recycling,” he says.
Portugal has four aluminum extrusion foundries, three in the north and one in the Lisbon region, with an installed production capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year. 40% of what they produce is for export.
“All waste from the aluminum production process is now recycled, in addition to waste from construction and various industries. The only area left behind in Portugal is the can collection system in the food segment,” emphasizes APAL’s president.
Source: DN
