Innovation will improve the quality of recycled aluminum and
allow for more diverse uses, including electric vehicle manufacturing
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 17, 2023 - The REMADE Institute, a 170-member public-private partnership established and funded in part by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), today announced a new technology license involving technology developed with REMADE support. The license involves a technological innovation capable of removing metallic impurities from recycled aluminum melts, thereby improving the quality of the aluminum and allowing it to be used for more diverse applications, including electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing.
The innovation is part of a research and development project first funded by REMADE in 2020. The R&D project, "Selective Recovery of Elements from Molten Aluminum Alloys," is still in progress and is led by Subodh Das, Ph.D., CEO of Phinix, LLC. REMADE's tech team oversees the project, ensuring it meets the Institute's and DOE's technological milestones.
"Congratulations to the entire project team, including Phinix's Dr. Das and our tech team at the Institute," said REMADE CEO Nabil Nasr. "A new technology license is a tremendous accomplishment. We believe this technology will be incredibly valuable to U.S.-based aluminum companies, including those that supply the automotive industry. Ultimately, it's yet another key technology that accelerates the U.S.'s transition to a Circular Economy and assists the nation in meeting its net zero by 2050 goal."
Details of the technological innovation are the subject of a pending patent and are, therefore, confidential. Proprietary process advantages include the removal of impurities and the increased availability and quality of recycled aluminum. These innovations allow aluminum to be used for a wider variety of manufacturing applications. The IP has been licensed by Phinix to a domestic recycled (secondary) aluminum producer.
According to the R&D project team, producing recycled aluminum costs less and saves more than 90% of the energy required to produce virgin (primary) aluminum. Aluminum is one of the world's most recycled materials, but there is room to enhance its recycling rate, cost, recyclability, and sustainability. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the U.S. consumption of aluminum in 2022 was 5.100 million metric tons (MMT). Of this, about 2.740 MMT was imported, 0.860 MMT was produced from primary ores, and the balance of 1.5 MMT was produced from scrap. (https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2023/mcs2023-aluminum.pdf)
Das, the R&D project's principal investigator, said the research project ultimately seeks to develop technologies to improve the quality and increase the usage of recycled aluminum in U.S. manufacturing.
"This technology is capable of benefiting aluminum companies significantly," he said. "It's capable of lowering their energy costs, increasing their profits, and increasing the overall value of recycled aluminum considerably."
REMADE Chief Technology Officer Magdi Azer said the tech license is another milestone for the public-private partnership, which seeks to increase the reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and recovery of four energy-intensive materials: metals, including steel and aluminum; polymers, including plastics; fibers, including papers and textiles; and electronic scrap (e-scrap), formerly referred to as e-waste.
"REMADE is selective in funding R&D projects that have the greatest potential to reduce energy consumption, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, decrease the use of raw or primary materials, and increase the use of recycled or secondary materials," Azer said. "This particular R&D project is capable of developing technology to increase the quality and usage of recycled aluminum, and as a result, increase the resiliency of the U.S. supply chain and decrease the nation's reliance on imported virgin aluminum from other countries."
For more information, contact the REMADE Institute or Phinix directly at contact@remadeinstitute.org or skdas@phinix.net, respectively.
About REMADE
Founded in 2017, REMADE is a 170-member public-private partnership established and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMTO) with an initial investment of $140 million. REMADE is the only national institute focused entirely on developing innovative technologies to accelerate the U.S.'s transition to a Circular Economy. In partnership with industry, academia, trade organizations, and national laboratories, REMADE enables early-stage applied research and development that will create jobs, dramatically reduce embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the supply and use of recycled materials. For more information about REMADE (Reducing EMbodied Energy And Decreasing Emissions), visit www.remadeinstitute.org.
For additional information contact:
Megan Connor Murphy
Director, Marketing and Communications
REMADE Institute
585-213-1036 office
585-339-8379 cell
mconnormurphy@remadeinstitute.org
SOURCE REMADE Institute
