PyroGenesis signs two contracts with Aluminerie Alouette for $2.7M

MONTREAL — PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a company that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes advanced plasma processes and sustainable solutions, announces that they have signed two contracts with Aluminerie Alouette for $2.7 million. The first contract is to further advance its spent pot lining valorization technology. The second contract is geared to develop a new valorization solution for excess electrolytic bath. Both contracts address primary aluminum production process residue streams.

The project funding includes contributions from both Aluminerie Alouette and the Centre québécois de recherche et de développement de l’aluminium. The latter administers funding and programs made available by the provincial government’s Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Energy for Quebec’s aluminum industry.

“We are very proud to be partnering, once again, with Aluminerie Alouette, a company renowned for its environmentally friendly practices and which operates the largest aluminum smelter in the Americas,” said Mr. P. Peter Pascali, CEO of PyroGenesis. “PyroGenesis’ technology and engineering capabilities will help re-use residues from aluminum production, including spent pot lining and electrolytic bath, thus helping Aluminerie Alouette advance its decarbonization strategy. These are the types of projects that underscore PyroGenesis’ strategy to position its processes to enable sustainable and environmentally responsible practices within the aluminum industry,” continued Mr. Pascali.

Primary aluminum is produced today in electrolytic cells using the Hall-Héroult reduction process. The cell, commonly known as a pot, is basically a steel shell lined with insulating materials (mainly carbon) that serve as a container vessel for a solution made up of alumina (aluminum oxide) and a solvent. Aluminum is produced when a high amperage electric current is forced to pass through a pot, causing a number of chemical reactions in the electrolytic solution (the bath) which leads to the decomposition of alumina into carbon dioxide and molten aluminum. The lining of the pots, which typically has an average lifespan of 5 years, will eventually fail from continuous use, causing the pot to be put out of service. At this time (being contaminated with chemical compounds), all remaining materials are removed and replaced so the pot can return to production. This lining removed from decommissioned pots, also known as “Spent Pot Lining” or just “SPL”, is a solid residue classified as hazardous.

While dangerous, SPL contains valuable materials that, if processed correctly, could be recovered, and reused. One of the projects announced was launched with the goal of developing a new process to valorize that SPL material in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

An estimated 1.5 million tons of SPL are produced annually worldwide. If PyroGenesis’ proposed process proves successful, it could address an issue concerning the aluminum industry in Quebec and elsewhere.

PyroGenesis’ solution for SPL valorization seeks to use its plasma arc thermal treatment plant to transform the carbonaceous and refractory materials contained in SPL into synthesis gas, as well as into aluminum fluoride, a key raw material that can be re-used by Aluminerie Alouette in their production process.

The second project announced on Jun. 22 proposes a similar approach to valorize another type of residue composed of excess electrolytic bath produced in the pots during normal operation. These residues, also known in industry as “pure bath” or just “bath”, may be considered as hazardous material because of their high content in fluorine. The objective of the project is to process them in a plasma arc thermal treatment plant with the goal of producing aluminum fluoride. The latter is therefore a common element in both projects.

Both projects have a commercial end goal with a strategy to market the solutions industry-wide in conjunction with Aluminerie Alouette.