Page 12 from: November/December issue

12

Novelis aNd traFigUra set Up New
Facilities
Novelis has
broken ground
on the expan-
sion of its auto-
motive alumi-
num manufac-
turing facility in
Changzhou,
China. The US$
180 million
(EUR 157 mil-
lion) investment
will double the
facility’s production capacity of heat-treated aluminum sheet by 100
000 tonnes to better meet the growing demand for automotive alu-
minum in Asia. The facility will also be equipped with a high-speed
slitter, and a fully automated packaging line. The expansion is
expected to create approximately 160 jobs. The project is sched-
uled to be completed in 2020.
In another development, Trafigura is to establish an integrated cop-
per, zinc and lead smelting-refining complex in Saudi Arabia.
FastMarkets MB (formerly Metal Bulletin) reported that the multi-
billion-dollar project in Ras Al-Khair Mineral City, will be jointly
developed and equally owned by Trafigura and Modern Mining
Holding – an affiliate of the Riyadh-based Modern Industrial
Investment Holding Group. A binding agreement to finance and
operate the complex has been backed by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of
Energy, Industry & Mineral Resources.
On the other hand, Fastmarkets also reported that Alcoa is shutting
its aluminium smelting operations at La Coruña and Avilés in Spain.
The plants have a combined output of 180 000 tonnes per year pro-
ducing primary aluminium, billet and slabs. The company blamed
small production capacity, less efficient technology and high fixed
costs for the closure. Alcoa said it had attempted to reduce costs
and maintain jobs but the plants remained uncompetitive.

aUdi aNd Umicore aim to recover 95%
oF battery metals
Audi and Umicore have successfully completed the first phase
of their strategic research cooperation for battery recycling.
They are developing a closed loop ‘raw materials bank’ for
components of high-voltage batteries so valuable metals will
not be wasted.
Audi analysed the batteries used to power its latest vehicle, the
A3 E-tron plug-in hybrid car, and defined ways of recycling
them before launching its collaboration with Umicore this June.
The car manufacturer is determined to boost the recycling rates
for battery components such as cobalt, nickel and copper.
The outcome of this new partnership is said to be ‘very promis-
ing’. Umicore, which is based in Belgium, says laboratory tests
suggest that more than 95% of these elements can be recov-
ered and reused. Audi manufactures vehicles at 16 locations in
12 countries. Last year, the group sold 1.878 million cars.

bright FUtUre For optical sortiNg
market

The worldwide optical sort-
er market will be worth at
least US$ 3 billion (EUR 2.6
billion) by 2024, according to
Global Market Insights. ‘The
rising focus on automation to
increase the productivity will
provide an impetus to the
optical sorter market,’ ana-
lysts state in a new report.
In Europe, demand for opti-

cal sorters will grow more than 9% during by 2014, mostly
because of the rapid generation of e-waste, which constitutes
the fastest-growing waste stream on the continent.
Modern-day sorting solutions employ advanced image-process-
ing software and high-speed cameras to scan and sort materials
more quickly, Global Market Insights observes. An example
given is German firm ANDRITZ MeWa which has recently built a
dedicated e-scrap recycling plant in the UK. The state-of-the-art
site is equipped with the latest Sesotec optical sorters to pro-
cess computers, refrigerators, and many other products.

Commitment
Advanced global design, manufacturing and customer support.

metso.com/metal-recycling

Achieve Greater Efficiencies. Ask Metso.

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Uk dismaNtler to scrap
oFFshore gas platForms
Vessel and oil drilling platform dismantler Able
UK has been awarded the contract to recycle and
dispose of natural gas platforms from the Sable
Offshore Energy Project (SOEP) operated by
ExxonMobil Canada off the coast of Nova Scotia.
The project will be managed by the Able Seaton
Port facility on the River Tees in north-east England
and the first shipment of the structures is sched-
uled to arrive there in the second quarter of 2020.
‘This contract reflects our reputation and the
expertise we have built up over many years as
leaders in the rapidly developing offshore decom-
missioning sector,’ says Able UK ceo Peter
Stephenson.
The project will involve the removal of seven plat-
forms and their jackets using one of the biggest
crane vessels in the world, the Heerema Thialf, with
the components being transported to Able Seaton
Port by barge. The onshore dismantling, recycling
and disposal work is due to be completed within
ten months.

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