Reducing PFC Emissions in the Aluminum Industry

The aluminum industry has, since 1992, worked aggressively to reduce perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions from primary production processes. The two key projects that drove these reductions were the Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership (VAIP) program with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Pollution Prevention program. More recently, the industry has endeavored to expand this success internationally, through the Asia-Pacific Partnership.

Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership (VAIP)
The Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership is a ground-breaking model of public-private partnership with the EPA providing scientific and technical support to the primary aluminum industry’s efforts to reduce carbon and PFC emission and increase the efficiency of aluminum smelting, protecting the atmosphere for years to come. The program is implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding. The EPA promises to serve as a data clearinghouse for information and successful strategies, support and identify the factors causing PFC emission and recognize successful partner action. Partners promise to implement feasible and cost-effective techniques and track and share data of successes with the EPA and other partners. This voluntary cooperation represents 98% of the U.S. aluminum smelting and 18 of the 19 U.S. smelters; without harsh government regulations and with private-public cooperation.

The success of VAIP is due to technical and operational changes such as employee training, computer monitoring, and changes in alumina feeding techniques resulting in cost-effective and environmental-friendly optimization of the production process. The VAIP has improved economic and environmental efficiency and reduced PFC emission 77% in 14 years, equal to 1.5 million cars just for 2004.  The program has been so successful that as of February 2003, the Association and VAIP partners President’s Climate VISION initiative to slice carbon equivalent from anode consumption 53% by 2010 from 1990 levels.

President Bush recognized the industry in his 2002 White House Climate Change Report, and the EPA awarded the Association and participating VAIP companies the 2002 Climate Change Award.

To learn more about the Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership visit here.

Perfluorocarbon (PFC) Production
PFC production is not a principal result of efficient aluminum smelting. The production of PFCs occurs via the “anode effect” when amount of alumina in the pot falls below critical levels for the smelting reaction to occur. During the anode effect, rapid increases in voltage cause carbon from the anode to combine with fluorine from the dissociated cryolite bath producing PFC molecules. The PFC-creating anode effect occurs randomly and periodically in aluminum reduction cells but the frequent, duration, and voltage intensity depends on the cell profile and technology and operational procedures. The production of PFCs can be mediate through changes in operation protocols especially alumina feeding; a specific initiative of employee training and computer monitoring in the VAIP. Long-term, the industry hopes to develop a commercially viable inert anode that is expected in the next 10-15 years.

To learn more about the anode effect and aluminum smelting visit here.

To download a training tool developed jointly by The Aluminum Association and EPA—Preventing, Responding to, and Mitigating the Impact of Anode Effects to Reduce PFC Emissions—please right-click and "save target as" here.

International Cooperation
The International Aluminum Institute in cooperation with the Association, members, and other global aluminum groups conducts and releases an annual public survey of the aluminum industry and PFC emission in coordination to voluntarily reduce industry-wide PFC production by 50% from 2006-2020, this 14 year reduction plan builds off the 86% PFC reduction from 1990-2006.  These surveys have tracked the voluntary industry-wide 75% reduction in PFC emission since 1990 despite a 90% increase in the primary production of aluminum. Since 1990, the industry has reduced PFC emission from 96 million tonnes (carbon dioxide equivalent) to 22 million tonnes while increasing primary production from 19.5 million tonnes to 37 million tonnes. In 2009, the industry decreased PFC emission 29%; over half of its self-imposed goal in just 3 years. The IAI survey encompasses 94% of all non-China smelting facilities; for non-reporting and Chinese facilities, the PFC data is estimated using statistical accepted and data-based estimations. 

To view the 2009 survey visit here.

The Asia-Pacific Partnership is a cooperation between major regional economic powers to assist in clean development and prevent climate change. Partners in the project include the United States, China, Korea, Japan, India, Canada and Australia; APP is developed and targeted around 8 economic sectors including aluminum, one of the fastest growing economic sectors. The APP partners account for 37% of global aluminum production. APP in association with the Association, IAI, and other national associations is working to decrease the amount of PFC emitted during aluminum smelting. This work is coordinated by the Aluminum Task Force and executed via the organization’s Plan of Action.