Date:
Monday, March 4, 2024
Time:
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location:
Hyatt Regency Orlando, Plaza Int’l IJK
Sponsored by:
TMS Light Metals Division; TMS Aluminum Committee
Organizer:
Stephan Broek, Kensington Technology Inc
Light metals programming at TMS2024 opens with a special session featuring six distinguished keynote speakers. The session will conclude with a panel discussion featuring the participating speakers. Learn about additional light metals programming and events planned at TMS2024.
Featured Speakers
Alessio Scarsella, Almatis GmbH
Presentation Title: "Decarbonization of Alumina Production"
About the Presentation
More than 120 million tonnes of alumina are produced annually, with the vast majority used for the production of aluminum and minor amounts used for the production of brick and castable based refractories. On average aluminum production has a carbon footprint of about 13–18 kg of CO2 per kg of aluminum, with the majority used for the aluminum reduction process. Long term usage of low carbon footprint energy sources such as hydroelectricity has resulted in about 25 % of world aluminum production with carbon footprints lower that 4 Kg/kg Al. The residual carbon content comes mainly from carbon anode block production and consumption as well as the conversion of bauxite to alumina. Breakthrough technologies such as inert anodes seek to mitigate the carbon footprint related to the anodes, however with no existing mature “zero carbon solution” for bauxite to alumina conversion, best operating practices and technologies still remain to be the most viable solution.
About the Presenter
Alessio Scarsella is a Graduate of the University of Adelaide and holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, PhD in Chemical Engineering, and Master of Business Administration and has been working in the mining, minerals, energy, and chemical sectors for over 20 years. Scarsella started his career in the power generation sector in Australia then progressing with Rio Tinto, Outotec, and Metso, holding several global leadership positions resulting in the establishment of several operations around the globe that have contributed significantly to the global production of aluminum. Scarsella now holds the position of chief operating officer for the world’s largest specialty alumina producer, Almatis, and oversees the global operations of eight sites worldwide.
Abdalla Alzarooni, Emirates Global Aluminium
Presentation Title: "Discussion of Low Carbon Reduction Technology within Conventional Operation"
About the Presentation
The aluminum industry must decarbonize to reach net zero by 2050 in order for aluminum to continue to achieve its potential as a key material for the development of a more sustainable society. Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has developed a roadmap to decarbonize its existing assets, which requires the development of new technological solutions. In this keynote, an insight of EGA’s roadmap and progress will be shared and discussed.
About the Presenter
Abdalla Alzarooni is Vice President Technology Development and Transfer at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA). In this role Abdalla leads a team of around 70, mainly technologists and engineers. Abdalla joined EGA in 2001 and since then has been involved in the development of all EGA’s reduction technologies and their industrial implementations both locally and internationally.
Abdalla’s main interests are applied R&D in the key areas related to aluminum smelting and alumina refining: improving energy efficiencies and productivity of smelting technologies, industry 4.0 and smart automation, bauxite residue reuse applications, and more recently decarbonization.
Abdalla holds a Bachelor’s degree from United Arab Emirates University and a Master’s degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Martin Iffert, Martin Iffert Consulting Gmbh
Presentation Title: "Aluminium Smelters as Catalysts for the Energy Transition: Empowering Renewable Energy Transport and Advancing Grid Decarbonization"
About the Presentation
For over a century, aluminum smelters have been utilized as a means to unlock hidden energy potentials by harnessing abundant resources such as hydro power, lignite, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy. Aluminum, an energy carrier, has facilitated the transportation of otherwise stranded energy to various locations. In the present era, with the pressing need to address climate change, aluminum is poised to play a pivotal role in the energy transition and the attainment of net-zero targets. Beyond its applications in numerous clean tech solutions, aluminum holds the potential to revolutionize the transport of renewable energies across continents, while flexible aluminum smelters can aid in the transformation of power grids. This talk explores the historical significance of aluminum smelters as energy enablers, highlights their renewed relevance in the context of climate change, and emphasizes the role of aluminum in facilitating the energy transition.
About the Presenter
Martin Iffert is an expert in the metals and energy sector with extensive experience in the aluminum industry. He worked for TRIMET for over 25 years, holding various management positions, including CEO, from 2011 until 2018. During this time, he achieved significant milestones, such as expanding electrolysis production in Essen and taking over smelters in St-Jean-de-Maurienne and Voerde. He is also known for developing the "Virtual Battery Concept" for aluminum smelters to enable flexibility in the energy transition. Since 2019, he has started MARTIN IFFERT CONSULTING GmbH and EP ENERGY POOL GmbH, which focus on consultancy services and deploying flexibility solutions and software tools to the energy-intensive industry and utilities.
Iffert has advised leading primary and secondary aluminum producers and private equity firms in
operation and on due diligence processes. He has a strong focus on decarbonization strategies for the
metals, battery, and energy industries worldwide. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from UNSW in
Sydney, Australia; an MBA from IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland; and a Master’s in
electrical engineering from RWTH Aachen, Germany.
Donald Sadoway, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Presentation Title: "The Impact of Inert Anode Technology in Primary Aluminum Smelting"
About the Presentation
The deployment of inert anode technology in primary aluminum smelting has impact not only within the aluminum industry, but also elsewhere in the metals industry. In the quest of deep decarbonization of the production of primary metals, electrolysis will figure prominently. This sets the stage for widespread use of inert anode technologies. Aluminum serves as exemplar.
About the Presenter
Donald Sadoway is Professor Emeritus of Materials Chemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science and Ph.D. in Chemical Metallurgy are from the University of Toronto. He joined the MIT faculty in 1978. The author of over 180 scientific papers and inventor on 39 U.S. patents, his research is directed towards batteries and environmentally sound metals extraction technologies. His accomplishments include the invention of the liquid metal battery for large-scale stationary storage and the invention of molten oxide electrolysis for carbon-free steel production. He is the co-founder of six companies: Ambri, Boston Metal, Lunar Resources, Avanti Battery, Pure Lithium, and Sadoway Labs. Viewed almost 2½ million times, his TED talk is as much about inventing inventors as it is about inventing technology. In 2012, Time magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
James Yurko, Apple
Presentation Title: "Reducing the Environmental Impact of Apple Aluminum: Our Journey"
About the Presentation
All of Apple’s product lines use anodized aluminum alloys for their great combination of performance, cosmetics, and manufacturability. In 2015, Apple’s aluminum usage contributed more than 8 million metric tonnes of CO2-e, or slightly more than 20% of Apple’s Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF). Since 2015, Apple has reduced this impact through sourcing of hydroelectric primary and recycled aluminum, development of recycle-content tolerant alloys and processes, and collection of both in-process scrap as well as end of life devices to enable increased recycling. While these efforts are still ongoing as part of Apple’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, for 2022, Apple recently reported a 71% reduction in CO2-e associated with aluminum (compared to 2015), and of all Apple aluminum mobilized in 2022, 67% was from recycled sources. In this talk, some of the efforts that helped achieve the goals of reduced CO2-e with increased recycle content will be highlighted.
About the Presenter
James Yurko, leads the Apple Alloy Engineering Team, which is responsible for alloy design and engineered surface development of all Apple products. Using industry-leading materials design methodologies, the team’s contributions emphasize performance, cosmetics, and environmental impact including recycled aluminum alloy development.
Prior to joining Apple in 2015, Yurko served as Vice President of Technology at Materion and co-founded Boston Metal in 2012. His career has focused on materials design and application, as well as process development and sustainability in a number of materials systems including aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, and other alloys.
Yurko earned his B.S.E. from the University of Michigan and Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Materials Science and Engineering. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2022 and a Fellow of ASM International in 2023.
Yasemin Esmen, Fastmarkets
Presentation Title: "Low-Carbon Aluminum Pricing"
About the Presentation
Fastmarkets launched its low-carbon aluminum pricing for the United States in November 2023. This follows the successful launch of low-carbon aluminum prices in Europe in 2021 and is in reply to the growing interest in the US market. Demand from consumers in automotive, beverage, and construction is leading this interest.
About the Presenter
Yasemin Esmen is the primary aluminum reporter in the U.S. office of Fastmarkets, a global price reporting agency. She is an experienced journalist who previously covered the copper, lead, and zinc markets in the United States. After taking over the aluminum coverage at Fastmarkets, she helped launch low-carbon aluminum pricing in the country. Commodities and especially metals are her focus areas.