Norsk Hydro X Rio Tinto: $45M sustainability push to advance carbon capture for aluminium smelting

The aluminium and energy business Norsk Hydro has come together with the world’s second-largest metal and mining company, Rio Tinto, intending to determine and estimate available carbon capture technologies for future implementation in the aluminium electrolysis process.

The globally recognised entities have bound themselves into a partnership agreement, proferring each other with particular information exchange, outcomes and costs covering specific research and development (R&D) activities from lab tests with external suppliers to larger, on-site pilots, with the aim of creating improved benefaction of commercially practicable carbon capture technologies from pertinent suppliers.

Hydro President and CEO Eivind Kallevik said, “Hydro is accelerating our ambitious roadmap to achieve net-zero aluminium production by 2050 or sooner, advancing solutions across every step of our value chain – from mine to metal. Carbon capture technologies are critical to decarbonising existing smelters, and our partnership with Rio Tinto will amplify efforts to develop fit-for-purpose solutions that can accelerate the aluminium industry’s transition towards net-zero production.”

The partners intend to invest close to $45 million over the next five years to back the sustainable initiative, with the project being conducted in two European facilities — Rio Tinto’s facilities in Europe and Hydro’s facilities in Norway. Apart from this particular coalition, both businesses will continue to pursue their individual decarbonisation measures independently.

Anode consumption during the electrolysis process amounts to approximately three-quarters of more or less any and every smelter’s immediate CO2 emissions. Year after year, scientists from Rio Tinto and Hydro have been exploring various carbon capture technologies as complementary solutions to help both companies achieve their climate targets. This research supports the development and scaling of carbon-free aluminium smelting technologies, such as Hydro’s HalZero technology and Rio Tinto’s involvement in the ELYSIS joint venture.

“Rio Tinto is committed to reaching net-zero emissions from our operations by 2050, and we know that achieving our climate objectives will require a portfolio of solutions. By working in partnership with Hydro to assess certain carbon capture technologies for aluminium smelters, we are finding better ways to leverage our complementary networks and R&D capabilities to address the climate change challenge,” at the same time said Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm.

Capturing carbon from the flue gas of aluminium smelters, which contains approximately 1 per cent (vol.) CO2 necessitates the adaptation of direct air capture technologies for higher concentrations or the use of point source technologies for lower concentrations. Currently, the technology readiness level for both approaches is low, and significant development efforts are required to advance them from the laboratory to the commercial scale. The collaboration between Rio Tinto and Hydro aims to accelerate this progress.