Phinix project to commercialize technology to purify recycled aluminum

Phinix LLC, a St. Louis-based firm that provides product and process development, research, commercialization, marketing and manufacturing services in the metals sector, has launched a two-year, cost-shared $1.8 million project funded by the Remade Institute, Rochester, New York.

The project, "Commercial Removal of Fe and Mn from Molten Aluminum Scrap Melts,” will enhance the quality and sustainability of recycled aluminum, the firm says.

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This project builds on a 2024 Remade-funded research and development initiative and leverages patent pending technology capable of eliminating metallic impurities from aluminum melts, according to Phinix, which is led by company founder and CEO Subodh Das, Ph.D. By improving the quality of recycled aluminum, this innovation expands its potential applications and presents a viable alternative to high-cost, high-carbon-footprint, high-environmental-impact primary aluminum derived from bauxite, according to the company.

The project brings together a consortium of U.S. secondary aluminum producers, industrial and academic research institutions, industry consultants and component suppliers to drive commercialization and industry adoption.

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"We are thrilled to collaborate with both existing and new secondary aluminum producers across the U.S.,” Das says. “Our goal is to upgrade abundant, low-carbon domestic aluminum scrap—reducing reliance on costly, high-carbon imported primary aluminum while strengthening the sustainability of the aluminum supply chain."

A substantial portion of low-carbon, low-cost aluminum scrap in the U.S. is exported, downcycled into lower-value products or landfilled, the company says. This project aims to increase the use of recycled aluminum in domestic manufacturing, reducing waste and minimizing the industry's environmental footprint.

Recyclers typically manage impurities in recycled aluminum alloys by diluting scrap with purer primary aluminum metal. However, Phinix is developing and commercializing alternative methods to remove iron and manganese from molten aluminum, a technique the company has demonstrated with its research partners at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Kingston Process Metallurgy, Smelter Service Corp. and Certified Flux Solutions.

To scale up this process, Phinix LLC is partnering with these organizations as well as Audobon Metals, Real Alloys and Spectro Alloys to refine the process and demonstrate the technology at the four commercial team members’ facilities, which constitute about 50 percent of U.S. secondary aluminum production capacity, according to the Remade Institute website.

Phinix says it is committed to commercializing its technology, positioning domestic aluminum scrap as a high-value input for advanced manufacturing applications. The company is seeking additional strategic partnerships to accelerate adoption and drive a more sustainable, circular aluminum economy.