Apple a key player in the advancement of breakthrough carbon-free aluminum smelting process
This new aluminum smelting process produces zero greenhouse gases.
This block of aluminum was produced using the new carbon-free process. (Image source: Apple)
Alcoa and Rio Tinto today announced a breakthrough process of making aluminum that produces zero greenhouses gases.
Traditionally, aluminum smelters would use carbon as an anode to extract aluminum from alumina. However, this revolutionary process uses an undisclosed advanced conductive material. So instead of carbon dioxide, oxygen is produced as a byproduct.
This process was first developed by Alcoa, the world's sixth largest producer of aluminum.
It soon came to the attention of Apple engineers Brian Lynch, Jim Yurko, and Katie Sassaman, who were looking for a better and cleaner way of producing aluminum. After all, aluminum is used in just about every Apple product.
Realizing the potential of this process, Apple business development brought in Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest metals and mining corporation. Rio Tinto, with its experience in smelting materials and in sales and commercialization, would be able to help Alcoa optimize and scale up their new smelting process.
Together, Alcoa and Rio Tinto will form Elysis, a joint venture company that will specialize in developing this new process. Apple will provide technical support. Elysis will be headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Alcoa, Rio Tinto, the governments of Canada and Quebec, as well as Apple, will jointly invest a total of CAD$188 million.
The MacBook Pro has a unibody aluminum chassis.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said:
Apple is committed to advancing technologies that are good for the planet and help protect it for generations to come. We are proud to be part of this ambitious new project, and look forward to one day being able to use aluminum produced without direct greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing of our products.
In recent times, Apple has been noted for its environmental consciousness. Just recently, the Apple unveiled a new disassembly robot that dismantles iPhones for recycling.
And just last month, they announced that they are 100% powered by clean energy.
And if you go back to last year, the company promised that future products would be made from 100% recycled materials and that they would produce zero waste.
All very bold claims but it would seem that they are on the right track.
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