Padnos, Hydro ramp up sorting system

An automated aluminum scrap sorting plant in Michigan known as Alusort has been started up by joint venture (JV) partners Padnos and Norsk Hydro.

According to Holland, Michigan-based metals recycling firm Padnos and Norwegian metals producer Hydro, the Alusort LLC JV “is digging deeper in the aluminum scrap pile” to supply grades of scrap that can be used by melt shops in North America.

Commercial operations of Hydro’s scrap sorting technology line have started at the sorting hub in Grandville, Michigan, operated by Padnos.

Last November, the two companies announced the creation of the 50/50 JV, located in Michigan to supply Hydro’s Cassopolis, Michigan, and Henderson, Kentucky, recycled-content aluminum production plants. Those facilities are seeking raw material for large-scale production of low-carbon Hydro Circal, which is Hydro's line of recycled aluminum with minimum 75 percent postconsumer scrap content.

The Alusort plant uses Hydro’s HySort technology, which the firm says has been pioneered in Europe and allows more mixed and challenging types of postconsumer aluminum scrap to be sorted into fractions before being returned to the recycling plants as feedstocks.

“Aluminum is infinitely recyclable, but far too much of it ends up in landfills,” says Duncan Pitchford, president of Hydro Aluminium Metals USA. “The new sorting machine allows us to dig deeper in the pile and let more aluminum get a new lease on life. Advanced recycling is good for the environment, it’s good for the climate and it’s good for business.”

According to Hydro, “The establishment of Alusort and the $4 million investment in cutting-edge sorting technology answer the call for putting valuable materials from cars, buildings, electronic equipment or other consumer goods to good use in a growing domestic market rather than sending it to landfills or exporting it overseas.”

Personnel from Padnos are responsible for running daily operations at Alusort LLC, with Hydro personnel overseeing activities and providing technical support.

With an annual sorting capacity of 20,000 metric tons of aluminum scrap per year, the HySort process “is important for the production of high-quality, recycled alloys aimed at the U.S. automotive, building and construction, and other key markets,” Hydro adds.

“We at Padnos are continually investing in new technologies that increase the accuracy and throughput of recycled materials,” says Sam Padnos, manager of nonferrous trading at the family business.

“We are thrilled to begin commercial operations of the Hysort machinery in conjunction with Hydro. The ramp-up of production will make a real difference for American manufacturing and, we hope, encourage everyone in the recycling industry to continue innovating toward a more circular, sustainable economy.”

Hydro says stepping up growth in recycling capacity is a key factor in its overall strategy toward meeting increasing demand for low-carbon, recycled products by 2030.

“With the HySort technology now in operation we have reached yet another exciting milestone in our strategy to double the production and expand the portfolio of recycled products in the U.S.,” Pitchford says. “The sorted scrap from Alusort puts us in an even better position to bring more low-carbon aluminum to the U.S. market and help some of the most demanding customers in America reach their sustainability goals."