Sustainable metal

“The efforts of the aluminium industry to reduce its impact on the environment and the climate will result in the increased use of aluminium in a variety of products,” says Eirik Nordheim who is resposnible for Sustainability at the European Aluminium Association.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Yes, that’s the case today and it will be even more so in the future. One example of this is the EU’s new initiative regarding sustainable production and consumption. This can also be advantageous for companies showing good results in this area, as expressed for example by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and similar rankings,” says Eirik Nordheim who is responsible for Sustainability at the European Aluminium Association.

 

“The efforts of the aluminium industry to reduce its impact on the environment and the climate will result in the increased use of aluminium in a variety of products,” says Eirik Nordheim who is resposnible for Sustainability at the European Aluminium Association.

As an aluminium producer Hydro is pursuing a robust growth strategy, the central elements of which are long-term vision, an emphasis on quality and the tackling of environmental challenges in the metal plants.
Hydro has already been making dedicated efforts for more than 20 years to reduce the company’s ecological footprint. Since 1990 Hydro’s aluminium production efficiency has increased so much that total annual CO2 emissions have been reduced by a third, from three to two million tonnes. Other environmental emissions have also been greatly reduced.

“If we are to become a long-term and sustainable company, we must also have stable operations at our metal plants. We work according to a very high Health, Environment and Safety (HSE) standard – this is the precondition for stable operations. Climate gas emissions throughout the entire value chain for metal produced by Hydro are currently 40 percent lower than the industry average. But we are not resting on our laurels. We have set ourselves ambitious, long-term targets,” emphasizes Kjell Edgar Sagen, who heads HSE at Hydro’s aluminium metal plants.

Strategic growth
“Our long-term approach also finds expression in the efforts we make to develop a robust HSE strategy. One of our long-term goals is to eliminate CF gas emissions,” says Bernt Malme of Hydro’s HSE staff. Hydro’s research centres have already developed a production technology that leads the field in terms of energy efficiency and emissions to the external environment. Even more advanced technology is being developed.

“We place great emphasis on using aluminium in products that make best use of the metal’s advantages, both for the application in question and in a life-cycle perspective. The life-cycle perspective runs right through our commitment,” says Malme.

From good to even better
”The results we have achieved so far demonstrate that we are working on a broad front,” he says and points to some examples:

 

• Hydro was one of the first companies that got to grips with the connection between the anode effect in the potroom cells and emissions of CF gases.
  
• Norwegian metal plants have invested NOK 200 million in point-feeding technology in recent years, which has helped considerably to reduce climate gas emissions.
  
• Gas has replaced oil as an energy source in the casthouses. This has reduced average CO2 emissions.
  
• Hydro’s metal plant in Sunndal utilizes process technology and emission control technology that make the plant the best in the world when it comes to fluoride emissions per tonne of aluminium produced. More than 99.5 percent of the emissions are contained.

“We are keen to boost energy efficiency in our metal plants and utilise surplus heat in the best possible way. One of these is to use heat from the electrolytic process for non-industrial purposes. In Sunndal we have set up a heat recovery unit that supplies shortdistance heat to customers outside the plant. We intend to pursue further projects of this kind in the future.”

• Used metal recycling is one of our areas of concentration. The amount of recycled metal will increase during coming years. Between 2008 and 2012 Hydro will double the volumes of aluminium scrap the company recycles.
  
• Hydroelectric power accounts for a major share of the energy supplied to Hydro’s metal plants. We have 100 years’ experience of renewable energy and are making continuous efforts to increase our hydroelectric power production.

Gas and coal solutions
“We are also involved in metal plants that use energy from gas- and coal-fired power stations. This is part of our plan to prepare for the concentration and separation of CO2 with a view to either sequestration, or utilisation of the gas locally. In recent years Hydro has also concentrated on developing solar energy as one of the energy sources of the future. Here we are involved in every link of the value chain and can also offer smart solutions to enable buildings to be self-supplied with energy to a much greater extent. We have taken positions in several carbon funds and have also been involved in the development of quota trading. We have gained valuable experience in this area.”

Emission of CO2 from electrolysis in a smelting plant

tonnes CO2e/tonnes Al