Hydro’s investment of NOK150 million at Henderson factory to further boost recycled aluminium production

Hydro's recent investment of NOK 150 million ($15 million) into its Henderson factory in Kentucky highlights the urge of the automobile industry to shift towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly environment. This investment will strengthen Hydro's position as North America's top producer of low carbon and recycled aluminium while lowering the production's environmental effect.

It will also enable the plant to produce industry-leading advanced alloys for automotive applications, including the advanced proprietary material, Hydro CIRCAL, providing a chance to supply Hydro's most forward-thinking, sustainability-focused clients with this cutting-edge product as the automotive industry in Kentucky grows.

“At Hydro we want to accelerate the green transformation of the aluminium and automotive industries by increasing our use of post-consumer scrap to pull more used material into the value chain and promote a circular economy, while also delivering our automotive customers advanced, high strength alloys,” said Trond Gjellesvik, President of Hydro Aluminum Metals in the U.S. 

With this investment, Hydro will upgrade the plant's recycling capacities by installing a new homogenization furnace to fulfil the demands of the expanding U.S. automobile industry. The Henderson factory will be able to make more complex alloys utilizing recycled metals with a less carbon footprint.

“As carmakers continue to make metal substitution decisions, particularly for electric vehicles, our investments allow us to support our forward-leaning customers in reaching their climate ambitions,” added Trond Gjellesvik.

Hydro will also put a brand-new baghouse and cutting-edge dust and gas collector to lower air pollutants. As a result, the factory will be able to employ more post-consumer waste and experiment with new, more challenging forms of debris, such as material that needs sophisticated machinery to recycle because it contains paint or other contaminants. The new baghouse will lessen operations' overall environmental impact while enhancing the plant's indoor air quality.

“The first Hydro aluminium recycling plant built in the United States is here in Henderson, where we are pleased to have provided good career opportunities while supporting aluminium recycling throughout the Midwest now for nearly 25 years. With these new investments, we look forward to doing so for the next 25 years and being a growing part of the expanding Kentucky automotive industry” said Seth Augustine, Plant Manager at Henderson.  

The Henderson facility received its accreditation for producing Hydro CIRCAL on July 1. This comes after Hydro's facility in Commerce, Texas, was just certified earlier this year. About 4000 tonnes will be the initial output from Hydro's Commerce and Henderson plants. The first industrial-scale manufacturing of Hydro CIRCAL will occur at Hydro's brand-new, state-of-the-art recycling plant built in Cassopolis, Michigan. With a total capacity of 130,000 tonnes of extrusion billet, of which 40,000 tonnes will be Hydro CIRCAL, the factory may begin operations in 2023.

source https://www.alcircle.com/news/hydros-investment-of-nok150-million-at-henderson-factory-to-further-boost-recycled-aluminium-production-82119