The Ohio State University and Audubon Metals have agreed to work together to advance technology that could increase the use of recycled aluminium alloys. Audubon Metals has plants in Kentucky and Texas and produces secondary aluminium alloys from aluminium scrap, which it then delivers to die casters in the U.S. and abroad.
Professor Alan Luo has instigated a team of researchers to develop a way to produce secondary aluminium alloys for use in structural die-casting applications. Primary aluminium, produced through mining and smelting, is currently used in structural applications in the automotive industry because secondary aluminium alloys can contain contaminants like iron that reduce their mechanical properties, the Ohio State University clarifies.
However, secondary aluminium alloys are less expensive to produce and use less energy than mined aluminium. The Ohio State technology neutralizes iron contamination, allowing the alloys to exhibit mechanical properties similar to primary alloys used in die casting.
The Professor exclaimed: “This technology that we developed will have a positive impact on the manufacturing industry and our environment, so we call it a green alloy.”
“It is exciting to see the technology we developed in the lab go to the marketplace,” Luo added.
The CEO and President of Audubon Metals, Brian Hawkes, quoted: “In partnership with Ohio State, we will create new recycled aluminium alloys for lightweight part applications while we also promote sustainability.”
“We have a lot of new opportunities to use this new die-cast equipment, and we are excited to be working with such impressive associates at Ohio State,” he declared.
The CEO of REMADE, Nabil Nasr, narrated: “This is a great accomplishment. We believe the technology that’s been developed, which is capable of reducing energy consumption by 13.1 [petajoule] per year, will accelerate the nation’s transition to a circular economy and, more specifically, will be incredibly valuable to the U.S. automotive industry as it transitions to electric vehicles over the next few years.”
The U.S. Department of Energy’s REMADE Institute funded much of the research. The Ohio State Technology Commercialization Office helps transfer innovations from researchers into the market to benefit society. This latest technological breakthrough will be vital in getting more value out of aluminium scrap conventionally sent to landfills.
Kevin Taylor, the senior associate vice president of technology commercialization at The Ohio State University, pointed out: “Ohio State’s world-class researchers are always at work solving meaningful problems that are impacting society. The Technology Commercialization Office is fortunate to collaborate with researchers like Dr Luo and companies like Audubon Metals to help these important innovations turn into products and services that positively impact the citizens of Ohio and the world.”
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