Sustainability Study of a New Solid-State Aluminum Chips Recycling Process: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach
Mohamad El Mehtedi, Pasquale Buonadonna, Mauro Carta, Rayane El Mohtadi, Alessandro Mele, Donato Morea
Abstract
Nowadays, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in all human activities has become crucial. This article presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) investigation conducted to evaluate the environmental benefits of a newly developed solid-state recycling process for aluminum chips, involving two steps: direct rolling and accumulative roll bonding. A comparison was made between this process and two current industrial methods of recycling aluminum scraps to obtain wrought products, which involve melting, casting, and subsequent rolling. The LCA analysis considered a scenario where 50% of the total electric requirement was met by photovoltaic energy. The results of the study indicate that in all examined impact categories, direct rolling has a lower environmental footprint compared to both traditional recycling and twin-roll cast technology. These results suggest that this new solid-state recycling procedure has significant potential to replace environmentally harmful melting processes.