Rio Tinto: New breakthrough in carbon-free aluminum production: ELYSIS progresses towards its commercial demonstration and reaches the industrial stage

The production of carbon-free aluminum for use in the manufacture of products such as smartphones, cars and aluminum cans has reached a new milestone. ELYSIS successfully produces aluminum without direct greenhouse gas emissions at its Industrial Research and Development Center in Saguenay (QC), Canada.

Aluminum production at the ELYSIS Industrial Research and Development Center is an important step, using a complete industrial design of a size comparable to that of small electrolysis cells currently used in industry.



Commercial demonstration in 2022

The priority now is to accelerate the industrial scale-up of ELYSIS technology with a view to demonstrating even larger commercial-size vessels in 2023.

The construction of these prototype tanks, located at the end of an existing production line at the Rio Tinto aluminum plant in Alma, is in full progress. The prototype inert anode cells will operate with an electric current of 450 kA, which is equivalent to the commercial scale typical of large modern aluminum smelters. Industrial tanks are designed to be used as a replacement for existing tanks or for the construction of new tanks, and their size can be adapted as needed.

Following the current development progress, ELYSIS expects that its technology will be available for installation from 2024 and that the production of larger volumes of carbon-free aluminum will take place approximately two years later.



Strengthening the supply chain in 2023

ELYSIS begins detailed planning for the industrial scale-up of the supply chain, necessary for the future commercialization of the technology. In 2022, ELYSIS will begin the design and engineering work of an installation capable of producing the patented and revolutionary materials which are the basis of its electrolysis process with inert anodes and without carbon.

Rio Tinto and Alcoa launched the ELYSIS joint venture in 2018. The inert anode technology currently being brought to industrial scale by ELYSIS is developed from a process initially developed at the Alcoa Technical Center, outside of Pittsburgh. ELYSIS carbonless technology, which emits oxygen, also incorporates Rio Tinto’s latest innovations in the design of new generation production vessels. The combination of these two innovations has enabled ELYSIS to develop revolutionary industrial technology combining durability and performance.

The aluminum manufactured during the research and development phase of ELYSIS has already been used by Apple, a non-equity investor in the technology, ABInBev for the Michelob Ultra cans and Audi for the wheels of its eTron GT.