ENVIRONMENT

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Initiative

“Delaquering Furnace: Environmental friendly aluminium recycling’’

“Delaquering Furnace: Environmental friendly aluminium recycling’’
SUBMITTED FROM:

HALCOR SA

HALCOR is a leading Group of companies that specializes in the production, processing and marketing of copper, copper alloys and zinc products. It has a dynamic commercial presence in the European and global markets for more than 75 years.

 

Read more: www.halcor.com

 


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Objective Action

Environmental protection is a top priority for ELVAL, that is why the Environment’s section is a part of the company’s strategy. Therefore, ELVAL monitors and improves systematically its environmental impact. Since the availability of recycled aluminium has increased in recent years due to the wider use of aluminium in conjunction with the development of recycling systems and increase in the environmental awareness of our society, ELVAL decided to increase the capacity of aluminium production derived from recycled aluminium.

The installation of a new delacquering furnace at first and of a second one afterwards was necessary to meet the following company’s goals:

  • Recycling capability of a wide range of aluminium scrap.
  • Termination of former technologies applied, namely the rotary furnaces and reverberatory furnaces with external delacquering - afterburner. This would improve the environmental performance of the plant due to use of more modern technologies of aluminium recycling compared to the above mentioned technologies.
  • Preserving natural resources.
  • Recycling aluminium with low air emissions.
  • Reducing the energy footprint of secondary aluminium production.
  • Ensure better control conditions and product quality improvement.
  • Optimizing the supply chain and reducing production time losses.
 

Target Audience

This technology ensures that aluminium is recycled in an environmentally friendly process, using less energy, limiting waste and lowering atmospheric emissions, while at the same time increasing the capacity using recycled aluminium as raw material, thereby contributes to mitigating climate change

 

Duration

The first delacquering furnace has been installed and operating in ELVAL’s production facilities since 2009, while the second one was installed in 2013.


Description

Aluminium recycling (secondary aluminium production) is an industrial activity of great importance, providing multiple environmental benefits due to the fact that production of aluminium from recycling requires about 95% less energy and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions compared to primary aluminium production. It is also important to mention that the secondary aluminium production helps in conserving natural resources, since each one ton of aluminium requires four tons of bauxite ore.

Because over 90% of recycled aluminium has some form of organic coating (varnished, lacquered, etc.), aluminium recycling may have significant environmental adverse effects, if appropriate antipollution measures are not taken.

ELVAL, aiming to continuously improve its environmental impact, has installed and operated the two delacquering furnaces which achieve significant energy saving and reduction of atmospheric emissions.

The furnace consists of a delacquering chamber, where recycled aluminium is loaded in order to remove the organic coating. The metal, free of coating, melts at the next stage. The organic compounds after being pyrolysed, are transferred in a Regenerative Thermal Oxidation (RTO) chamber (afterburner) where due to the high temperature the organic content is fully oxidized. Part of the flue gases is then taken to bag house in order to remove any remaining particulate matter. Part of the hot flue gases generated in the afterburner is recovered and directed back to the delacquering chamber continuing the process.

The delaquering and melting furnace installed at ELVAL constitutes an improved application of tried and tested technologies and is a shining example of sustainable development in industry.


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Impact on Society

This technology ensures that aluminium is recycled in an environmentally friendly process, using less energy, limiting waste and lowering atmospheric emissions, while at the same time increasing the capacity for recycled aluminium to be used as a raw material, thereby helping to combat climate change. More specifically, because of the furnace’s afterburner and filter, the waste gas that is emitted is free of hazardous organic pollutants and particles, while a 25% thermal energy saving is also achieved. At the same time, solid waste is reduced by 75%, while raw materials are reduced by 20%.



Initiative Location

ELVAL’s production facilities, Oinofyta Viotias


Working with Organization

No cooperation with other associations


Workers Participation

The Technical Services Department of the company suggested and planned this project which was approved by the Management. The employees’ participation is limited to the equipment’s operators, engineers and foremen.


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Benefits for Οrganization

The company’s benefits from the installation and operation  of  this innovative clean technology are numerous, since:            

1. Energy Savings

Reduction of natural gas consumption by approximately 20 Nm3 per ton of aluminium scrap leads to thermal energy savings of 20-25%.

2. Raw materials savings

Since metallic aluminium oxidation is reduced in the delacquering furnace, metal recovery increases by about 20%  compared to typical reverberator furnace with separate delacquering chamber (where typical oxidation is 3% of total scrap volume), thus reducing aluminium scrap consumption. The higher metal recovery is extremely important since a large quantity of aluminium scrap is consumed annually.

Moreover, besides aluminium savings, in the delacquering furnace the use of flux is not required during melting, in contrary with rotary furnaces technology, preventing the use of about 150kg of flux per ton of aluminium scrap.

3. Airborne emissions reduction

Airborne emissions reduction is achieved due to the operation of the following:

  • Delacquering chamber in conjunction with the afterburner where organic compounds are completely oxidized due to highly controlled temperature (~850°C).The afterburner flue gas, virtually free of organic compounds, is cooled in order to avoid de nuovo synthesis of harmful substances such as dioxins, and is directed to the existing dust filtration system. Hence, the organic compounds load present in flue gas is reduced by more than 90%, compared to the rotary furnace technology.
  • Rail mounted scrap charging machine, where fugitive emissions are reduced by more than 90%. For precautionary reasons, hoods are installed at the point where aluminium scrap is loaded, in order for any fugitive emissions to be directed to existing dust filtration system.
  • Regenerative burners with low nitrogen oxides emission technology, with a concentration of less than 300 mg NOx / Nm3 in the flue gas.

4. Solid waste reduction

The use of delacquering furnace ensures a solid waste volume reduction of about 150kg (75%) per ton of aluminium scrap, compared with the oldest and widespread technology of rotary furnaces. This is accomplished mainly due to non-use of fluxes that comprise a significant volume in melting residues (aluminium skimmings’) in case of rotary kiln furnace technology, as well as due to metallic aluminium oxidation reduction (that it is observed when organic compounds are burned on the surface of molten aluminium).

Besides the environmental and energy benefits, the technology ensures optimum level of safety and working environment for operators and the wider area.

Moreover, the described technology is an example of sustainable development as it combines environmental protection with economic benefits for the company and contributes combat of climate change, and the increased use of secondary raw materials such as recycled aluminium.




Connection with Global Goals



No Connection with Global Goals found





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