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USA - 2005
Dross Processing System Provides Safety, Cost, Environmental Benefits
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An onsite hot dross processing system at Alcoa’s Tennessee Operations (USA) has achieved significant safety, cost, and environmental benefits due to lower energy requirements, elimination of transporting the product to and from a secondary processor, and changes in melting furnace skimming practices.
Dross consists of impurities and entrapped aluminum that rise to the surface when used aluminum is melted for recycling. At the Tennessee Operations’ Can Reclamation area, this dross was historically skimmed from the surface, cooled, and shipped to a secondary aluminum processor. The processor reheated the material to recover and return the entrapped aluminum.
To eliminate the inefficiencies in the process—reheating the dross and transporting it—Tennessee Operations designed and built an onsite dross processing facility in 2002. The facility receives and processes dross while the material is still hot, eliminating the need for reheating. In addition, the change to more frequent skimming of the dross has resulted in a reduction of dross generated and an increase in the amount of aluminum recovered.
Key 2004 achievements with the onsite facility compared to 2001 include:
- 2% to 3% increase in aluminum recovered.
- 25% reduction in natural gas usage due to the elimination of the reheating step and reduced amount of dross to process.
- Approximately 12,900 gallons of fuel saved due to eliminating transportation.
- Improved employee health and safety due to less material handling, reduced noise volumes, and reduced dust.
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