DOORS , WINDOWS & FITTINGS
Low-carbon aluminium at Aluprof ’ s Kety extrusion facility
COMMITMENT TO MEETING LOW-CARBON ALUMINIUM DEMANDS
By Wojciech Brożyna - MD Aluprof UK
What exactly is ‘ Sustainability ’? Possibly the most quoted explanation comes from the United Nations ‘ Brundtland Report ’ produced in 1987 which states that the definition of sustainability is “ meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ”. To better understand how we can bring about sustainability , a popular view of sustainable development can be referred to as the ‘ Three Pillars of Sustainability ’. Here , Sustainability rests on the three pillars of , Environmental , Social and Economic development , that all work together to achieve the sustainability goal . Whilst this view of sustainability is a global one , one that countries are encouraged to follow and develop for the future of our planet , how are we translating sustainability into construction today and in particular aluminium facades ?
Aluminium , since its commercial debut in the 1880s , has shaped our world in so many ways , in fact , if the metal did not exist , much of what we take for granted today , would never have been made possible . Aluminium is the third most abundant element in the Earth ’ s crust , making up 8 % of the total , with the majority of this ore , bauxite , which lies very close to the surface . Once dubbed ‘ the wonder metal ’ for its light weight and high strength , its discovery continues to push the boundaries of innovation today .
Aluminium has always been viewed in simple terms as ‘ sustainable ’ as it is infinitely recyclable with no loss of characteristics . Using just 5 % of the original energy to produce aluminium , recycling is well established , so much so , 75 % off all aluminium ever produced is still in active use today . With ‘ clean ’ scrap value almost that of new prime aluminium , the industry cannot get hold of enough scrap aluminium to meet the current demand for recycled content . With an estimated total discovered and undiscovered bauxite resources across the globe to be in the region of 55 billion to 75 billion tonnes we will not run out of new , prime aluminium anytime soon .
So where is the downside ? Like all metals , aluminium carries high embodied energy , described today as embodied carbon . This has been historically quoted as high as 20 tonnes of carbon for every tonne of aluminium produced when energy from fossil fuels is used to produce new prime aluminium from bauxite . So aluminium smelters have traditionally been located next to renewable energy resources , such as hydro power
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