Aluminium Recycling turning into a need of the hour to protect environment & economy

In today's socio-economic environment, when the globe is abuzz with challenges such as a growing global population, rising carbon emissions, rising energy costs, and a scarcity of feedstock, recycling is proving to be a need rather than a source of concern. Fortunately, aluminium is one of the few metals that is 100 per cent recyclable and does not lose its original quality throughout the recycling process. Aluminium recycling promotes the twin ideals of sustainability and stewardship, which encourage responsible and conscientious resource usage and require producers to be accountable for a product's environmental, health, and safety implications.

Recycling aluminium into its primary form requires only 5 per cent of the energy required to produce the metal from bauxite ore. For recovery, scrap aluminium undergoes a few sequential processes like collecting, sorting, shredding, cleaning, melting, and removal of by-products. The procedure is substantially less expensive. Although secondary aluminium is referred to as such, it has the same physical characteristics as primary aluminium. Aluminium can be recycled infinitely without distorting the metal's original properties, which can then further be used for the production of any downstream goods that utilize primary aluminium.

Secondary aluminium is manufactured in a variety of forms and is widely used in alloy injection and extrusion.

Growing environmental and economic concerns, as well as increased social responsibility, have boosted recycling. In 2021, the global usage of recycled aluminium by the end-use sector was around 26 million tonnes, which is likely to augment at a 4.5% CAGR per annum to 32.47 million tonnes by 2026. The aluminium economy is a circular economy in which the metal is only 'used' and never 'consumed' over its lifespan, and it can be recycled. Aluminium recycling contributes just 5% of the total greenhouse gas emissions produced throughout the aluminium manufacturing process. While lowering carbon emissions is designed to protect the environment, carbon management is also beneficial to businesses. By improving process efficiency, cutting energy consumption, and minimizing the consumption of limited raw materials, emission reduction can help decrease costs.

Efficient recycling may have a significant positive impact on the environment and the economy, and manufacturers should encourage recycling aggressively. Recycling aluminium items at the end of their useful lives increases their worth and provide them with a new lease on life that is equal to the original in every way.