Atlanta-based aluminum producer Novelis Inc. has announced plans to invest approximately $130 million to upgrade its operations in Oswego, New York. The company cites “growing customer demand for sustainable, aluminum flat rolled products” as a reason for the investment.

“This investment further strengthens the plant’s position for additional recycled aluminum inputs and increased recycled content across its product lines in the future,” states Novelis. The company says the project allows it to increase hot mill capacity by 124,000 metric tons at the plant, which serves the beverage can, automotive and specialty products markets.

Part of the investment also will go into “enhancing finishing capabilities for automotive sheet,” says Novelis. The company says construction on the project will begin in the spring of 2022 with work expected to be completed in 2024. 

The project includes upgrades to the plant’s hot reversing mill motors and drive train and hot finishing mill coolant systems and changes to its batch annealing capabilities. The project also will enhance energy efficiency at the plant, says Novelis.

“By investing in modern, energy-efficient upgrades in Oswego, we aim to sustain and grow important partnerships with our valued customers,” says Tom Boney, president of Novelis North America. “These upgrades also strengthen Novelis’ ability to thrive in Oswego as a great place to work and a partner to the community.”

Previous spending at the plant has included a 2015 expansion of the recycling center, which processes roughly 12,500 tons of automotive aluminum scrap per month. Using recycled aluminum requires significantly less energy and water and avoids 95 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary aluminum production, says Novelis.

Spain-based FCC Medio Ambiente has worked with Germany-based Stadler to complete the renovation of its CITR (Centro Integral de Tratamiento) material recovery facility (MRF) and waste treatment plant in El Campello, Spain. FCC Medio Ambiente chose Stadler for the renovation “based on the long-standing relationship between the two companies,” states Stadler.

FCC Medio Ambiente, part of the FCC Group, has been managing the plant since April 2009. Stadler calls CITR “a large facility that manages extreme variations in waste input.” It serves 52 municipalities in the region.

“The size of the facility, the short time in which to complete the works, and the added complexity of having to carry out the refurbishment while the plant was in operation, were factors that drove our decision to choose Stadler,” says Javier Cerezo, technical manager of FCC Medio Ambiente.

Policarpo Caballero, Stadler project manager, says, “It has been a challenge for several reasons: the project was implemented in five different phases, and we have had to adjust to the existing infrastructure. In a new project, it is easier to fit everything in because you start from scratch. In this case, precision has been critical in installing our equipment without damaging the existing machines.”

Cerezo says, “The waste treatment sector in Spain has been in constant evolution for many years now, and it will continue to do so in order to address the challenge of the European objectives. With new technologies such as Stadler’s it is possible to extract more materials, with better quality, from the processed waste, as well as producing compost or alternative fuels.”

Over the course of three months, Stadler says it replaced technology that had become obsolete with “the latest generation equipment and leading brands in the waste treatment sector.”

The CITR has been refurbished to achieve “greater recovery of materials, the treatment of organic waste from separate collection and a more careful management of odor emissions. In addition, a facility such as the CITR has a key role to play in the circular economy,” says Cerezo.

The five phases of the project consisted of the installation of the new equipment in five areas of the facility: compost, refining, biomethanization, municipal solid waste (MSW) and selective organic collection. Stadler supplied and installed two trommels for screening closed bags and bottles of different from bulky waste after passing through a shredder.

The integration of a solid recovered fuel (SRF) production line for cement is another element of the refurbished plant. Says Cerezo, “This line incorporates, among other processes, a low-temperature drying stage to guarantee the required humidity. The plant has been fitted with the equipment needed to produce SRF practically to demand, as it is able to control parameters such as composition, granulometry and moisture content.”

“In short, the aim was to recycle more and better, reducing the environmental impact,” says Ana López of FCC Servicios Ciudadanos. “It was an automated plant with optical separators, but with old models that did not work properly. The plant’s technology had become obsolete and had reached the end of its useful life. New equipment with the latest technology was needed to achieve the desired byproduct treatment and recovery objectives.”

“Everything went very well, the work was completed on time, all thanks to our excellent fitters and good coordination with FCC Medio Ambiente,” Caballero says.

Cerezo adds, “The teams from both companies have been able to coordinate perfectly and adapt to the changes.” Of Stadler, he says, “Its experience in the design of waste treatment lines has been of enormous help in modernizing the CITR. I recommend Stadler for its seriousness, professionalism, the quality of its equipment and of the machinery installed, among other reasons. Without a doubt, Stadler has proven to be a reliable supplier of waste treatment plants.”

Norfolk, Virginia-based MassRoots Inc. has made a filing to change its name to Greenwave Technology Solutions. Inc. The company operates several small-to-medium-sized scrap facilities in Virginia and North Carolina under the Empire Services name. Greenwave’s CEO says it plans to expand Empire Services’ presence in the metals recycling sector.

In a letter issued via the Business Wire public relations service, Greenwave CEO and Chair Danny Meeks writes that “Greenwave expects to rapidly expand its footprint of locations and increase its metal recycling volume, which we believe will result in significant revenue growth.”

Noting that a recent acquisition in Virginia Beach, Virginia, marks its 11th metal recycling facility, Meeks adds, “Since the closing of the Empire merger two weeks ago, we’ve had discussions with owners of scrap yards both in our immediate region and along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Many recognize the industry is ripe for a roll-up as it would likely result in a significant margin expansion while we enter into a commodities super cycle, according to Goldman Sachs.”

He continues, “We believe it is only a matter of time before there’s a roll-up of independent, profitable metal recycling facilities, and as a public company with 31,000 shareholders, Greenwave is in a position to move quickly and aggressively.”

Empire Services is in what Meeks calls “the final stages” of preparing a formal application for a listing on the NASDAQ or NYSE stock exchanges. The company’s shares currently have over-the-counter “pink sheet” status. Writes Meeks, “We believe a listing on a national exchange would result in a significant increase in visibility, liquidity, and institutional interest for our stock.”

The CEO points to wider industry conditions for his belief that “now is the optimal time for a roll-up of metal recycling facilities.” Meeks adds, “Demand for prime metallic scrap is expected to increase by approximately 41 percent from current levels to 29.6 million gross tons by fiscal year 2025. At the same time, the supply of prime steel scrap has been shrinking consistently for more than 50 years, according to a Steel Research Associates LLC scrap model. Greenwave’s management believes that this supply/demand imbalance will continue to cause rising prices for scrap metal for at least the next five to seven years.”

The company’s press release states the legal name of the company will continue to be MassRoots Inc. until the name change process has been completed; but, for marketing and branding purposes, the company has begun referring to itself as Greenwave.

The Brussels-based European Suppliers of Waste-to-Energy Technology (ESWET) organization is hosting an online event Monday, October 25, to discuss the role of waste-to-energy (WTE) technology in the future of handling difficult to recycle materials.

ESWET says the “Waste-to-Energy: The Beauty or the Beast?” program will bring together both “supporters and opponents of the technology at the same table.”

Topics discussed by panelists will include: what will European waste management look like in the next 30 years?; can we avoid the generation of non-recyclable waste?; can WTE become carbon neutral thanks to the integration of carbon capture and storage (CCS)?.

ESWET says panelists include “experts from the waste management industry, consultancies and the NGOs most active on the topic.” The session takes place from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central European Time (8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States).

Organizations and companies represented by speakers and panelists include ESWET itself; the Brussels-based European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD); the Oslo-based Bellona Europa foundation; and Brussels-based NGO Zero Waste Europe.

More information on the event, including how to register at no charge, can be found on this web page.