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I don’t know where you read that. To quote wikipedia: > Recycling scrap aluminium requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminium from the raw ore

I don’t know where you read that. To quote wikipedia: > Recycling scrap aluminium requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminium from the raw ore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_recycling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_recycling Which cites this article from The Economist: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2007/06/07/the-price-of-virtue https://www.economist.com/leaders/2007/06/07/the-price-of-vi...

ofrzeta 3y ago
Ok, one example (granted it's a bit niche): "Since the demand for recycled aluminum continues to increase, the discarded aircraft provide a large source of valuable metal. However cost-effective recycling of aircraft alloys is complex because aircraft alloys are: (a) typically relatively high in alloying elements and (b) contain very low levels of impurities to optimize toughness and other performance characteristics." https://www.totalmateria.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticle&site=ktn&NM=222 https://www.totalmateria.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticle&site=... Also "The separation of scrap into specific aluminum alloy groups can be checked by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) or color sorting, but economic and technological challenges limit the use of these processes (Capuzzi and Timelli 2018; Gaustad et al., 2012). All sorting methods offer less than 100 % efficiency. This leads to significant contamination of the aluminum, in particular with iron and copper" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344923005049 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092134492...
- riversflow 3y ago
  Fascinating, thanks. I can maybe shed some light, however I’m not 100% positive. And you very well might know all this: My read here is that “aircraft grade” alloys, probably like 2000 and 7000 series, are relatively harder to recycle. They are less used and more expensive, I cba to look up stats on raw production estimates, if they exist publicly. This is separate from recycled Aluminum being treated as a separate product(green aluminum), with effort made to bring it to parity with traditional Aluminum.[1] Again I don’t know for sure, but I suspect a lot of it comes down to Aluminum cans being the highest single use of Aluminum globally and being efficient to recycle and make with recycled aluminum. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079642522000287 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S007964252...

ofrzeta 3y ago

Ok, one example (granted it's a bit niche): "Since the demand for recycled aluminum continues to increase, the discarded aircraft provide a large source of valuable metal. However cost-effective recycling of aircraft alloys is complex because aircraft alloys are: (a) typically relatively high in alloying elements and (b) contain very low levels of impurities to optimize toughness and other performance characteristics." https://www.totalmateria.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticle&site=ktn&NM=222 https://www.totalmateria.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticle&site=... Also "The separation of scrap into specific aluminum alloy groups can be checked by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) or color sorting, but economic and technological challenges limit the use of these processes (Capuzzi and Timelli 2018; Gaustad et al., 2012). All sorting methods offer less than 100 % efficiency. This leads to significant contamination of the aluminum, in particular with iron and copper" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344923005049 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092134492...

riversflow 3y ago
Fascinating, thanks. I can maybe shed some light, however I’m not 100% positive. And you very well might know all this: My read here is that “aircraft grade” alloys, probably like 2000 and 7000 series, are relatively harder to recycle. They are less used and more expensive, I cba to look up stats on raw production estimates, if they exist publicly. This is separate from recycled Aluminum being treated as a separate product(green aluminum), with effort made to bring it to parity with traditional Aluminum.[1] Again I don’t know for sure, but I suspect a lot of it comes down to Aluminum cans being the highest single use of Aluminum globally and being efficient to recycle and make with recycled aluminum. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079642522000287 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S007964252...