Norwegian aluminum and clean energy company Hydro, recognized worldwide for its production of recycled and low-carbon aluminum, held an event to mark the official opening of its recycling plant in Cassopolis, Michigan.
Hydro aims to produce 265 million pounds (120,000 metric tons) of aluminum ingots per year at its current location.
Cassopolis, a recycling plant located in the United States, is the third facility built by Hydro in the country. In total, the company has 11 recycling plants in the United States and one in Canada. However, what is remarkable about Cassopolis is that it has become the first place where the Hydro CIRCAL product is produced on a large scale.
Hydro CIRCAL has developed a product that uses at least 75% post-consumer aluminum scrap, which is certified by external auditors DNV GL. In addition, this product has a very low carbon footprint compared to others on the market, with only 2.3 kg CO2e per kg of aluminum or even less.
The company has implemented a new plant with the latest Hydro recycling technology and is the first in Europe to use it. This plant is responsible for giving a second life to post-consumer aluminum scrap, converting it into valuable products for various markets such as automotive, transportation, construction and durable goods.
With the start of production at Cassopolis, Hydro will be able to produce a large quantity of 2.2 million pounds of aluminum billet from recycled materials each year in the United States. The aluminum scrap recycling process consumes only 5% of the energy required to produce new aluminum, which means considerable energy savings and a reduction in polluting emissions.
The plant will start making its first deliveries to non-automotive customers. After qualification tests, the automotive industry is expected to be the main destination for the extrusion ingots produced at Cassopolis.
Over the past few months, Hydro has been supplying quantities of its Hydro CIRCAL product to customers in the United States from its factories located in Commerce, Texas and Henderson, Kentucky. This action was carried out in anticipation of the production that will take place in Cassopolis.
On the other hand, most of the major automotive suppliers in the United States are located in Michigan, accounting for about 90% of them. For a long period of time, automakers have opted for the use of aluminum to reduce the weight of their gasoline and diesel vehicles, thus achieving a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions, and improving their performance.
In addition to its vital role in construction, metal also plays a prominent role in the lightweighting process of electric and hybrid vehicles. These tend to be heavier than traditional vehicles due to the additional weight of the batteries. Because of this, Hydro has made a significant investment of approximately US$150 million in a new plant to contribute to this process.
The sum of technological talent: Hydro and PADNOS together in a joint venture that will transform waste into valuable resource
Novelis the undisputed leader: the world’s number one aluminum recycler
Hydro produces first batch of recycled aluminum with green hydrogen
Hydro moves forward with its environmental commitment: Hydro to purchase land in Spain to build an aluminum recycling plant
HYDRO COMMERCE, FIRST PLANT IN USA. TO PRODUCE HYDRO CIRCAL
HYDRO BREAKS GROUND ON STATE-OF-THE-ART RECYCLING PLANT IN MICHIGAN
HYDRO’S MILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN ITS ALUMINUM PLANT IN ARDAL
HYDRO TO SPEND 73 MILLION EUROS ON ITS SUNNDAL PLANT IN NORWAY
HYDRO TO BUILD A NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART RECYCLING PLANT IN MICHIGAN
Making a can from recycled aluminum saves more than 90% of the energy needed to make a new can.
