Constellium to lead new R&D initiative

Paris-based metals producer Constellium SE is leading a new research and development initiative, called “Close the Loop,” in partnership with a number of French recycling companies including automotive recycler Indra, metal recycler Galloo and metal shredding and sorting company MTB Recycling.

Constellium, which also has a U.S. corporate office in Baltimore, is a full-service supplier of rolled and extruded aluminum solutions for the global automotive market.

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The initiative is funded in part by the French Environmental Agency (ADEME) under the France 2030 program, and Constellium says it is aimed at developing technologies to dismantle, sort and remelt wrought aluminum from end-of-life vehicles to be used in future vehicles. The company says recycling aluminum requires only 5 percent of the energy used to produce primary metal and emits 95 percent fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Constellium says that as the amount of aluminum on end-of-life vehicles continually increases thanks to automakers’ growing use of lightweight aluminum over the past 20 years, it is essential to efficiently recycle the metal and repurpose it for new vehicles, preserving its value and contributing to a circular economy. The company adds that several options, including full-vehicle shredding and dismantling aluminum-rich components, will be assessed both technically and economically.

New aluminum auto body sheet alloys with increased tolerance to impurities will be prototyped at the company's C-TEC research and development center, located in Voreppe, France. The facility also is investigating new technologies to decarbonize melting operations.

“We are proud to lead the Close the Loop project and look forward to further demonstrating Constellium’s commitment to providing low carbon footprint aluminum, as well as the benefits and feasibility of circularity, to our automotive customers,” says Ludovic Piquier, Constellium’s senior vice president of manufacturing excellence and chief technical officer. “We believe this project will further strengthen aluminum’s position in the automotive market as manufacturers and consumers demand more sustainable mobility solutions.”