Impact of functional integration and electrification on aluminium scrap in the automotive sector: A review

• Published in: Resources, conservation and recycling conservation and recycling, 2024-06, Vol.205, p.107532, Article 107532
• Main Authors: Rolseth, Anton, Carlson, Marco, Ghassemali, Ehsan, Pérez Caro, Lluís, Jarfors, Anders E.W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alloy; Alloy design; Alloy designs; Aluminium; Aluminium scraps; aluminum; automobile; automobile industry; Automotive; Automotive industry; Automotive sector; Automotives; car; carbon dioxide; carbon dioxide emission; copper; Copper alloys; electric vehicle; electricity; Electrification; environmental aspects and related phenomena; equipment design; Functional integration; Impurities; Integral equations; literature review; magnesium; Magnesium alloys; melting point; process development; Recycling; Review; Scrap; Scrap metal reprocessing; Silicon; Silicon contents; Sustainable development; Vehicle electrifications; waste; waste and waste related phenomena
• ISSN: 0921-3449; 1879-0658; 1879-0658
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107532

•Reduced Si and Cu in the Al scrap due to electrification.•Increased Mg content due to intensive lightweighting efforts.•Improved recyclability by Gigacasting.•Potential Si increase by Gigacasting.•Alloy design strategies are imperative for new recycling friendly alloys. The shift towards vehicle electrification must progress while simultaneously addressing sustainability challenges related to lightweighting, which is the intensifying need for high-quality primary aluminium, which demand cannot be met with recycled material with traditional compositional limits. To understand and predict the characteristics of future scrap mixtures, it is crucial to comprehend the evolving composition of new components and associated trends. This insight helps alloy design that accommodates higher impurities and, thus, a more thoughtful strategy for materials process development research. This review delves into the impact of electric motors, batteries, and functional integration. Notably, the analysis herein indicates a rise in magnesium (Mg) and a decrease in copper (Cu) and silicon (Si) contents in the future scrap mixtures due to more Al–Mg alloys such as those found in the 5xxx (Al–Mg) and 6xxx (Al–Mg–Si) series and an outflux of high Al–Si–Cu engine alloys. Gigacastings might counteract this trend based on their Si content and adoption and promote circularity principles by reducing alloy varieties. Reduced Si content in future scrap mixtures is also expected to boost sustainability since significant CO2 emissions from recycled alloys come from melting, controlled by the latent heat of fusion of the scrap mix.