ELYSIS SeC wrote a new page for the history books when it successfully started a first commercial-size aluminium cell using its inert anode technology. If, like me, you don't speak engineer, let me break it down for you. When aluminium is produced, a carbon anode is used in the smelting process. This carbon anode dissolves itself, emitting large amounts of CO2. That's how it's been done for over 100 years. With its new technology, ELYSIS uses a different type of anode that emits oxygen instead of CO2. That's right, OXYGEN! Until recently, they were only able to produce aluminium on a relatively small scale in an R&D facility in Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The next challenge was to scale up the equipment to match the size of the aluminium pots used in modern smelters. And they made it work! ELYSIS, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Alcoa, with support from the governments of Canada and Québec, was created in 2018 for this purpose. However, scientists in Canada, France and the U.S. have been developing different elements of the technology for decades. This breakthrough is their success. It is the result of their perseverence and their ingenuity. Yet, it's not the end of the road. There is still a lot of work to do to build the supply chain, refine the technology, and commercialize it. I'm fortunate enough to know a few of the people working on this project, and trust me, they will find a way to get it done. #aluminium #Canada #Quebec #technology
Our ELYSIS LP joint venture has successfully started the first industrial scale 450kA ELYSISTM cell at our Alma smelter in Quebec. With this milestone, we're one step closer to producing aluminium without direct carbon emissions from the smelting process. #FindingBetterWays
Thank you for this plain-language explanation! Congrats to the RTA Saguenay team 👏