Advanced Decoating Technology in the Secondary Aluminum Industry

摘要

The secondary aluminum industry processes scrap or recycled aluminum from consumers and industrial processes. The processing consists of segregating, cleaning, melting, and alloying the scrap to specific customer specifications. The processed scrap, typically in the form of an ingot, is next sent to a die caster (where a part is made) or rolling mill (where sheet stock is made). Eventually, these parts are integrated into a final product such as an automobile or beverage can. A critical part of this processing is removing organics (such as oil, rubber, plastic, lacquer, and paint) from the scrap aluminum prior to the melting and alloying steps. Proper organics removal, referred to as decoating or delacquering, can result in substantial reductions in both energy use and emissions generation. The purpose of this project was the installation and demonstration of equipment to decoat oily scrap aluminum for the secondary and primary aluminum industry. The decoater, termed IDEX?, was installed at Roth Bros., a secondary aluminum processor in January 1997. The equipment, compared to conventional equipment, results in a 56% reduction in energy use, and reductions in emissions (particulates, NOx, volatile organic compounds (VOC), smoke, and CO). Widespread use of the IDEX? would result in an annual energy reduction of 20 trillion Btu in the US. The project also eliminates the waste oil from the scrap. Finally, the project has an impact on increasing the production at the plant. This work was funded by DOE's NICE~3 program and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.