Page 30 from: Recycling International: Free Issue, 2 2023
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to add virgin metals to “sweeten” the
end-product. We see this as another
reason to dig deeper into the world’s
scrap reserves.’
Guddal stresses that letting aluminium
go to waste in landfill or storage is in
no one’s best interest. ‘Of course, the
scrap we deal with is not as clean as
the pre-consumer input but it’s still
valuable. We can unlock this value by
investing in state-of-the-art recycling
facilities, making it easier and more
efficient to process any type of alu-
minium in large volumes.’
The natural conclusion to this is, in
one word, progress. Guddal believes
it pays to take big steps rather than
being overly careful. ‘To Hydro, inno-
vation means everything. Without it,
you’re just getting by and in this sec-
tor that’s not realistic.’
She laments that the international
metals market is always one of highs
and lows. ‘One day it’s a recession,
the next a war, then it’s a health crisis
or an energy crisis. There will always
be something that keeps you back, if
you let it. We are prepared to face
volatility and know it takes a lot of
investments and determination to
push the boundaries. We can’t sit still
because things are getting harder. In
the metals industry, you have to keep
moving.’
SALVAGING ALL YOU CAN FROM END-OF-LIFE AIRCRAFT
Aluminium recyclers are found in niche segments, a leading one of which is aircraft recy-
cling. As many as 12 000 aircraft could be scrapped over the next 20 years, according to
the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association.
The majority (72%) of an aircraft’s body is made with aluminium and aluminium-lithium alloys,
followed by composites (10%), steel (9%), titanium (6%), and other materials such as plastics
and textiles (3%). Composites have been gaining market share, sometimes representing
almost half (by weight) of the latest models. Together with aluminium, they are prized for
being lightweight.
Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is running a dedicated recycling programme at more than
100 locations worldwide to recover and recycle ‘exotic materials’.
European player Tarmac Aerosave recovers up to 92% of the total weight of an aircraft and
up to 99% of engine parts. The company, with sites in France and Spain, has processed more
than 300 units since 2007. It is currently completing the scrapping of an Airbus 380, one of
the youngest aircraft to be recycled, after less than 20 years in service. This is the seventh
A380 model to be scrapped by Tarmac Aerosave.
The recycler claims no fewer than 75% of Airbus 340 wide-body models, which first took to
the skies in 1991, have been scrapped at one of its sites in France and Spain. It’s not a sur-
prise since the company is a spin-off from an R&D project Airbus was involved in called
PAMELA (Process for Advanced Management of End-of-Life Aircraft).
Its team starts with dismantling bulky items such as seats from the plane, stripping out elec-
tronics and other small parts, followed by the packaging, analysis and storage of compo-
nents, parts shipment and, finally, scrapping the aircraft frame and disposing of the engine.
Tarmac Aerosave operates a 25 000m² warehouse for component storage at the heart of
Europe. Its staff carefully and individually package each component with bubble wrap, anti-
static bubble wrap and visible identification tags. The recycler relies on a wire-saw cutting
process to avoid hot points and the mixing of materials. It uses an innovative remote weigh-
ing solution developed by CH Aero.
As well as taking care of component repair and recertification of parts, the warehouse man-
ages a detailed online inventory containing photos of each removed component, data plate
and removal tags and it is updated daily. Considering aircraft are labelled as one of the
world’s most polluting products, Tarmac Aerosave hopes its services contribute to the future
of ‘green aviation’.
The automotive industry has realised the
value of aluminium scrap.
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