RONAL-Re: Because Recycled Aluminum is Just as Good

Martin Wyss, what do you mean by recycled aluminum?

MARTIN WYSS To call it recycled material, the alloy of a wheel has to contain more than 60% recycled aluminum. Of this 60%, at least 25% must be post-consumer material. In other words, aluminum from waste from households and from commercial and industrial facilities that can no longer be used for its intended purpose – scrap wheels, for example. The remaining 35% can be pre-consumer scrap, i.e. material that is generated as waste during the manufacturing process. Wheels from tests and quality inspections, for example, or dross, risers and painted chips that are prepared for reuse in an additional process step.

Patric Steeg, is recycled aluminum suitable for RONAL GROUP wheels at all?

PATRIC STEEG Absolutely! Qualitatively, recycled aluminum is just as good as primary aluminum – with the advantage of being more environmentally friendly. The best proof of this is the successful development of our CO₂-neutral R70-blue wheel, the majority of which is made from recycled aluminum. The task now is to industrialize both the process to recover the recycled alloys and the production of the wheels from the R70-blue pilot project. And that is exactly what the RONAL-Re project is all about.

How do you go about all this in the project?

MARTIN WYSS Basically, we need to clarify how and where we can procure recycled aluminum. But also how and where it is processed, what influence it has on the production processes and on the quality of the wheels, and which aluminum recipe (a mixture of post- and pre-consumer and primary aluminum) is most suitable and reduces CO₂ emissions the most. We are developing the answers in several phases along a roadmap. The goal is to gradually increase the share of recycled aluminum by 2030/31.

“Qualitatively, recycled aluminum is just as good as primary aluminum – with the advantage of being more environmentally friendly.”

Patric Steeg

RONAL-Re was launched in March 2021. What milestones were achieved in the first year?

MARTIN WYSS On the one hand, we were able to finalize the roadmap for the industrialization of end-to-end processes for the production of CO₂-reduced wheels. We have performed quality tests on wheels with varying amounts of recycled aluminum and recognized that wheels with more secondary material score just as good as wheels with standard alloy. But we have also decided on the internal and external processing of pre-consumer scrap.

What have been the challenges so far?

PATRIC STEEG Some capacity bottlenecks at the plants where we carry out material tests with recycled aluminum were challenging. Supplying customers is, of course, a priority at all times. Only when this has been ensured can we test. During the tests, the casting is carried out with the effective recipes, which is possible only when a furnace from the production is exclusively available for the tests. It can also happen that a planned test run has to be postponed. However, the biggest challenge will come when we start series production of wheels with increased recycled aluminum content. When using recycled aluminum, the order processing is considerably more complex, from procurement of the aluminum and ensuring storage through to the charging of the melt. At the same time, we need to ensure we have the required quality at all times, without incurring any additional costs.

“The goal is to gradually increase the share of recycled aluminum by 2030/31.”

Martin Wyss

RONAL-RE: THE RECYCLING PROJECT AT A GLANCE

MORE ALUMINUM DOES NOT MEAN MORE CO₂

According to forecasts, aluminum consumption in the transport sector in Europe is set to grow strongly. As early as 2050, it is expected to grow 55% over 2017 figures. Associated CO₂ emissions do not have to grow along with them. Primary aluminum, which is what RONAL GROUP wheels are made of, contributes to a large extent to a wheel's carbon footprint. If primary aluminum were replaced by domestically produced end-of-life aluminum, 46% of annual CO₂ emissions could be saved.

Patric Steeg has been working at RONAL GROUP since 2009 as Senior Key Account Manager and since 2021 he has also been a project team member of RONAL-Re.

NEW LIFE FOR OLD ALUMINUM

This is exactly where RONAL-Re comes in. To reduce CO₂ emissions in wheel production, the RONAL Aluminum Wheel Recycling project (in short: RONAL-Re) was launched in March 2021. The aim of the project is for RONAL GROUP to reduce its demand for primary aluminum in defined steps. It is replaced by aluminum at the end of its life cycle and by internal recycled material, almost 100% of which is already returned to the process.

Martin Wyss has been working at RONAL GROUP since 2003 as Group Area Head Group Tool Manufacturing. Since 2021 he has also been Project Manager of RONAL-Re.

EFFECTIVENESS IN FIGURES

Today, the substitution rate for primary aluminum – i.e. the amount of primary raw materials that is replaced by recycled materials – is around 3%. By 2025, however, this is expected to be 30% and by 2030 to account for 50%. RONAL-Re is thus laying the foundation for PLANBLUE's sustainability goal of reducing the carbon footprint of RONAL GROUP's processes and wheels by 25% by 2025 compared to 2016/17.

The following graph illustrates RONAL-Re's objectives in terms of melt composition.

WITH POST-CONSUMER MATERIAL TO MORE SUSTAINABLE WHEELS