Development of advanced circulation technology for aluminum materials

In recent years, a shift to a "Circular Economy (CE)" has been called for in various economic activities. Aluminum is one of the materials for which the improvement of resource recycling is expected, as its demand is expected to grow significantly for the purpose of reducing CO₂ emissions by reducing the weight of transportation equipment. On the other hand, the large CO₂ emission intensity during the production of new ingots has become an issue, and recycled ingot production technology, which requires less energy consumption, is expected to be established and utilized as an aluminum material with low environmental impact.
In this project, NEDO will develop high-performance recycled expanded products from aluminum scrap by combining (1) technology to reduce impurity elements through advanced melting processes and (2) technology to render trace impurities harmless through advanced casting, processing, and forming technologies. NEDO will develop technologies to aim at improving the environmental performance of products, overcoming resource constraints, and resolving GHG reduction issues in domestic companies.

R&D Item (1) Development of technology to reduce impurity elements

NEDO will develop technology to reduce impurity elements by utilizing the phenomenon that pure solids appear first when molten aluminum solidifies. By utilizing non-contact agitation technology using electromagnetic agitation and mechanical vibration, NEDO will improve the recovery efficiency of high-purity aluminum.

R&D Item (2) Development of advanced processing technology to render trace impurities harmless.

To improve material properties (high ductility, high strength) in the presence of trace impurities, NEDO will develop casting and rolling technologies as well as processing and heat treatment technologies that enable the detoxification of trace impurities.