Wieland North America, the North American division of Germany-based Wieland Group, has announced that it will open a new copper alloy recycling and refining facility in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The company is investing $100 million in the new site, which will serve as a hub for closed-loop recycling and as a refining center of third-party scrap, Wieland says. Earlier this year, Wieland North America announced plans that it would establish its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, investing $8.8 million and creating 75 full-time jobs.

Wieland says it expects operations in Shelbyville to begin in late 2022.

The company says the site, which will employ approximately 75 people, will use the latest and most efficient technology to recycle a broad range of metals and alloys.

“Many thanks to the state of Kentucky and Shelby County for their tremendous display of support,” Matt Bedingfield, president of recycling at Wieland North America and senior vice president of global metal procurement, says. “The given incentives solidified our decision to proceed with this foundational investment, which will pave the way for further growth in recycling here. We look forward to working alongside our current and future suppliers to find new ways to create value together.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says, “Wieland’s rapidly expanding presence in Kentucky exemplifies the type of economic growth and quality job creation we’re working every day to attract for our residents. Team Kentucky is building a better future for everyone in our state, and companies like Wieland will be a vital part of that effort.”

According to a news release from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Wieland plans to build its new operation on 79 acres off Isaac Shelby Drive in Shelby County. The plant will melt copper and copper-alloy scrap to manufacture semifinished copper and copper-alloy products for customers throughout North America. Work on the project is expected to begin in October. The new facility also will position Wieland for future investment and job creation at the site.

In a May post to its website, the board chairman of Ulm, Germany-based Wieland Group says its plans involve “minimizing the need for virgin metals [and to] continuously invest in recycling technology.” The company owns several metals production sites in the United States, including those of the former Olin Brass, Chase Brass and A.J. Oster.

Aluminum rolling and recycling company Novelis, headquartered in Atlanta, says it will supply Nissan aluminum body sheet for the all-new Qashqai SUV and create a closed-loop recycling system in Europe.

The Nissan Qashqai will incorporate Novelis aluminum in the hood and doors to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency. By using aluminum, the Qashqai has achieved 21 kilograms (46 pounds) of the total 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of body-in-white weight savings compared with the previous model.

"We are delighted to provide Nissan with sustainable aluminum body sheet solutions as they continue to design lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles with reduced life-cycle emissions," says Michael Hahne, vice president of automotive, Novelis Europe, which is based in Zurich. "Novelis is uniquely positioned to meet the increasing demand for automotive aluminum given its unmatched global footprint and ability to develop innovative, sustainable solutions. We look forward to working with Nissan as they continue to adopt more aluminum and increase their recycling capabilities."

Novelis and Nissan also have established a closed-loop recycling system. Novelis will deliver aluminum from its plant in Nachterstedt, Germany, to Nissan's car plant in Sunderland U.K., where it will then collect the manufacturing scrap and return it to Novelis recycling centers in Europe to be cast and rolled again for production by Nissan. This process creates a circular supply chain that helps both companies achieve their sustainability goals, Novelis says. 

Nissan says 52-million-pound ($73.6 million) investment in aluminum production at Nissan’s Sunderland plant includes a second extra-large press line that was launched last year and a cyclone, a recycling facility that blasts scrap metal out at 150 kilometers an hour (93 miles per hour) and can handle more than 7 tons of metal an hour.

As the hoods and doors are stamped into shape, scrap material is shredded and extracted, Nissan says, keeping aluminum grades separate, which ensures that Nissan can return high-quality scrap for recycling.

Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Ltd., an industry leader in aluminum and copper and the metals flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai.

The Rochester, New York-based Remade Institute says a critical first deadline in its fifth Request for Proposals process hits the Thursday after Memorial Day. Letters of intent to apply for a portion of the more than $50 million available is June 3, while final proposals are due on July 15.

The institute says the funds are being made available to promote investments in the “research, development and demonstration of technologies to sustain the nation’s manufacturing sector and accelerate the U.S.’s transition to a circular economy.”

“Remade is looking to fund a wide variety of research projects that increase the reuse, remanufacturing, recovery and recycling of metals, polymers/plastics, fibers and electronic [scrap],” says Remade CEO Nabil Nasr. “Industry-led transformational RD&D projects are especially encouraged.”

The Institute says proposed projects “must address the recovery and recycling of plastics, metals, fibers and e-waste; or address the recovery and remanufacturing of durable goods and components from key manufacturing sectors, including aerospace, heavy-duty off-road equipment, motor vehicle equipment, medical equipment and consumer products.”

Proposals also can focus on creating logistics models to improve materials recovery and recycling, increasing the circularity of metal alloys, identifying novel automation solutions to improve recycling economics, creating design tools that enable greater remanufacturing and recovery, utilizing recycled and cross-industry materials in manufacturing, introducing condition assessment and process technologies in remanufacturing, as well as projects that target materials with low recycling rates, such as Nos. 3-7 plastics.

“The Institute has a particular interest in R&D projects that analyze small material recovery facilities (MRFs) and recycling volumes nationwide,” adds the Remade Institute, adding it also is “open to proposals that explore circularity for metalware and plastics used in health care settings [and ] projects that focus on battery remanufacturing would also be acceptable.”

In addition, as part of this RFP, Remadehas allocated $1 million for education and workforce development. These projects must develop short courses to educate, train and develop incumbent workers in reuse, remanufacturing, recovery and recycling.

The Remade Institute describes itself as a public-private partnership established by the United States Department of Energy. It issued its latest RFP in April, initially representing $45 million in available funding, which has now been increased to more than $50 million. Companies, universities and organizations that have research or workforce development projects that might align with Remade’s RFP can read the details on this web page.

New York-based HS Manufacturing Group (HSMG) has introduced a paper cup barrier material called Protēan CupKOTE, which it calls biodegradable and “and easily pre/post-consumer recyclable.”

The Protēan CupKOTE barrier system can replace the plastic-majority linings used in paper cups with and is now available for licensing to manufacturers, converters and brand owners outside of the U.S., says HSMG.

“The solution includes a topcoat and a base coat that are novel blends of plant-derived additives and selected latex,” states the company. “Each coating is applied by rod, blade or other coater at the cupstock manufacturer and/or cup converter.”

“We are pleased to announce that our CupKOTE barriers will be launched by major brands in the U.S. this year, and we are now ready to identify partners for other markets,” says Lucy Lee, CEO of HSMG.  “We invite manufacturers and brand owners to contact us to be considered for licensing, and also invite anyone with interest in this industry to provide feedback about the product.”

The HSMG product joins at least two other paper cup barriers being marketed as either paper mill- or recycling-friendly, including one made by Miami-based J&J Green Paper and another being offered by California-based Smart Planet.