Constellium uses LIBS to sort mixed aluminum scrap from auto production

Paris-based aluminum product producer Constellium SE has implemented laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology to sort mixed aluminum scrap from automotive manufacturing at an industrial scale in collaboration with OSR GmbH & Co. KG, a German recycling company, and a European automotive manufacturer.

The company says the achievement marks a significant step in reducing carbon emissions in the automotive supply chain by increasing the use of recycled aluminum.

A significant challenge in automotive aluminum recycling is segregating alloy families. Traditionally, mixed 5000 and 6000 series alloys from stamping scrap are downcycled, limiting their use in high-value applications. However, Constellium says, using LIBS sorting technology has enabled the rapid and accurate sorting of aluminum scrap with more than 95 percent purity for both alloy families.

Constellium, which supplies aluminum products for 1 in 4 vehicles produced in Europe and the U.S., says it has processed significant volumes of LIBS-sorted scrap at its Neuf-Brisach plant in France, recycling it into high-quality aluminum solutions without compromising material integrity, illustrating the industrial viability of LIBS sorting and its potential to transform aluminum recycling practices globally.

“Recycling aluminum scrap with the precision and scale offered by LIBS technology is an unprecedented leap forward for the industry,” says Dieter Höll, vice president of global automotive at Constellium. “This innovative approach allows us to recover high-quality alloys from preconsumer scrap, significantly reducing our carbon footprint and supporting our customers' sustainability goals.”

Constellium will continue to work with OSR, headquartered in Aalen, Germany, to enhance the technology with the longer-term goal of extracting high-value aluminum from end-of-life vehicles, creating a circular system for automotive aluminum that aligns with the industry's shift toward a low-carbon economy.

Constellium is not the only aluminum company exploring sorting options for mixed aluminum scrap.

Atlanta-based Novelis has invested in Sortera Technologies Inc., while Norway-based Hydro has partnered with Padnos in the U.S. to form Alusort to commercialize its Hysort aluminum sorting technology. 

Sortera is a scrap metal sorting company that was spun out from the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) project in the U.S. Department of Energy, which seeks to advance high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. The company has developed and patented sorting technology that uses artificial intelligence- (AI-) based sensor sorters to upgrade shredded nonferrous scrap feedstock streams and remove unwanted contaminants.

Novelis will use Sortera's advanced sorting technologies, including data analytics and advanced sensors, to recycle and reuse more automotive postproduction and postconsumer scrap.

Hydro's HySort uses LIBS technology that was developed with Texas-based Austin AI. Through the 50/50 Alusort joint venture, Hydro and Padnos, which is headquartered in Holland, Michigan, have installed HySort technology at Padnos’ existing facility in Grandville, Michigan.