Associations & Organisations
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ‘ CLOSED LOOP ’
NIGEL HEADFORD CAB CHIEF EXECUTIVE
We are all well aware that aluminium can be recycled many times over with very little loss , taking just 5 % of the original production energy to recycle . What is less known is that aluminium comes in many various grades of alloy that are created to offer specific characteristics for various uses in construction , automotive and aviation . Often taking new aluminium , known as ‘ prime ’ aluminium , in a single grade and mixing it with other grades of alloy when recycling reduces its value and its grade . The ‘ closed loop ’ approach seeks to keep recycling aluminium within their tightly controlled grades which increases the value of scrap material .
The CAB ’ s closed loop recycling recycles scrap within recognised aluminium grades . By using an XRF analyser ( X-ray fluorescence ) which is a powerful , nondestructive technique for measuring elemental composition from magnesium ( Mg ) to uranium ( U ), these handheld XRF analysers are portable devices that offer immediate composition of an alloy revealing its grade . Incorporating modern techniques that remove unwanted items such as screws and thermal breaks , the resultant , chipped aluminium is ready to be remelted for new product whilst maintaining its original grade .
The aim of the initiative is to encourage the recycling of aluminium alloys within the same alloy grades . For the CAB scheme , we require that extrusion grades of aluminium , namely 6000 series alloys for the architectural aluminium market , are recycled back into the same 6000 series alloys . The same can be said for sheet aluminium recycling , namely with 1000 series alloys . It is important to reiterate
76 OCTOBER 2024 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM