REWAS 2022: Coupling Metallurgy and Sustainability: An EPD Symposium in Honor of Diran Apelian: LIVESTREAMED SESSION: Sustainability Opportunities in Aluminum
Sponsored by: TMS Extraction and Processing Division, TMS: Recycling and Environmental Technologies Committee, TMS: Aluminum Committee
Program Organizers: Elsa Olivetti, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Brajendra Mishra, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Bart Blanpain, Ku Leuven; Adam Powell, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Mertol Gokelma, Izmir Institute of Technology; Camille Fleuriault, Eramet Norway
Monday 4:15 PM
February 28, 2022
Room: 204B
Location: Anaheim Convention Center
4:15 PM Introductory Comments
4:20 PM Invited
Aluminum Roadmap to a Sustainable Future: John Weritz1; 1The Aluminum Association
For over a century, aluminum has played a major role in providing light weight solutions to all forms of transportation. As responsible stewardship of the earth’s resources becomes ever more important, the aluminum industry has come together to define the research and development goals that must be achieved over the coming decade to ensure a sustainable future. Achieving these goals will enable manufacturers to not only optimize the applications in future vehicles, but also maximize the value of the aluminum content in those vehicles as they are removed from service. This roadmap recognizes the changing landscape of the transportation industry dynamics as aluminum content continues increasing its share of automobile mass, and consumer demand and government regulations direct automobile producers away from conventional internal combustion engines to increasingly electrified fleets.
4:45 PM Invited
Increasing Secondary Alloy Usage in Aluminum Die Casting Industry: Alan Luo1; 1Ohio State University
Recycling aluminum uses only about 5% of the energy needed for primary aluminum production. Current aluminum die castings for structural applications in the automotive and aerospace industries are made of primary alloys with strict control on impurity elements such as iron and zinc. Increasing the use of aluminum scrap in die casting applications (structural and non-structural) will lead to significant savings of energy and reduction of CO2 emissions. This talk reviews the role of iron content in die cast alloys based on thermodynamic modeling and microstructure modification. Our research found that proper microalloying can neutralize the detrimental effect of Fe-containing intermetallic phases in structural die alloys. Our die cast experiments show that Al-Si-Mg-Mn structural alloys containing about 0.5% Fe have similar mechanical properties to those of primary alloy with less than 0.2% Fe. This research provide scientific foundation for increasing secondary alloy usage in aluminum die casting industry.
5:10 PM Invited
The Future of the Aluminum Industry. It's Closer Than You Think: Robert De Saro1; Sean Kelly2; Joe Craparo1; Emily Molstad2; 1Energy Research Company; 2Solvus Global
The aluminum industry is going through remarkable change as demand surges for light weighting and vehicle electrification. However, this raises concerns since there is a need to acquire high value wrought alloys and reduce greenhouse gases. Two categories of emerging technologies that can address these concerns and greatly improve aluminum producers' economics are discussed. The first category is those that can optimally process scrap in real-time based on alloy specification, quality, demand, and value. An example is Solvus Global's process optimization software VALIS. The second are technologies that facilitate in-line alloying so furnace operations can be made truly continuous. Examples are ERCo's OnSpecTM to measure molten metal chemistry in real-time and their Aluminum Integrated Minimill. All complex endeavors are achieved successfully through cooperation and strategic partnerships. Therefore, in honor of Professor Apelian, it is fitting to discuss the major influence he had on developing these technologies in collaboration with the authors.