EcoTitanium ramps up in France

A facility known as EcoTitanium in Saint-Georges-de-Mons, France, which makes alloys from titanium scrap and chips, was inaugurated with an opening ceremony in mid-September 2017.

Among the guests at the ceremony were Benjamin Griveaux, France’s secretary of state for economy and finance, and Christel Bories, chairman and CEO of the Paris-based Eramet Group.

Other entities involved in EcoTitanium include Kazakhstan-based metals firm UKTMP, French environment and energy management agency ADEME and the Crédit Agricole Centre France.The consortium describes EcoTitanium as the first plant in Europe to produce aviation-grade titanium by recycling scrap collected from the major aircraft makers and their subcontractors.

“EcoTitanium gives the aviation industry a new, ecofriendly, innovative source that is totally independent from existing American and Russian suppliers,” states a press release from EcoTitanium’s backers.

The €48 million ($ million) project, at full capacity, will produce several thousand tons of titanium alloy ingot per year for the aviation markets, according to Aubert & Duval, an Eramet Group subsidiary that developed the EcoTitanium concept.

EcoTitanium’s recycling activities will prevent the emission of 100,000 tons of CO₂ by consuming four times less energy than the conventional, ore-based production supply chain, says Auburt & Duval.

“The Eramet Group is proud to support the EcoTitanium project for the creation of a recycling stream that will provide Europe with a titanium supply source which is independent from the major global producers,” says Bories.