Taxonomy, Saving Potentials and Key Performance Indicators for Energy End-Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Aluminium Industry and Aluminium Casting Foundries

Joakim Haraldsson, Simon Johnsson, Patrik Thollander and Magnus Wallén
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Joakim Haraldsson: Department of Management and Engineering, Division of Energy Systems, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Simon Johnsson: Department of Management and Engineering, Division of Energy Systems, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Patrik Thollander: Department of Management and Engineering, Division of Energy Systems, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Magnus Wallén: Department of Management and Engineering, Division of Energy Systems, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-26

Abstract: Increasing energy efficiency within the industrial sector is one of the main approaches in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The production and processing of aluminium is energy and greenhouse gas intensive. To make well-founded decisions regarding energy efficiency and greenhouse gas mitigating investments, it is necessary to have relevant key performance indicators and information about energy end-use. This paper develops a taxonomy and key performance indicators for energy end-use and greenhouse gas emissions in the aluminium industry and aluminium casting foundries. This taxonomy is applied to the Swedish aluminium industry and two foundries. Potentials for energy saving and greenhouse gas mitigation are estimated regarding static facility operation. Electrolysis in primary production is by far the largest energy using and greenhouse gas emitting process within the Swedish aluminium industry. Notably, almost half of the total greenhouse gas emissions from electrolysis comes from process-related emissions, while the other half comes from the use of electricity. In total, about 236 GWh/year (or 9.2% of the total energy use) and 5588–202,475 tonnes CO 2eq /year can be saved in the Swedish aluminium industry and two aluminium casting foundries. The most important key performance indicators identified for energy end-use and greenhouse gas emissions are MWh/tonne product and tonne CO 2 -eq/tonne product. The most beneficial option would be to allocate energy use and greenhouse gas emissions to both the process or machine level and the product level, as this would give a more detailed picture of the company’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Keywords: energy consumption; aluminium; categorisation; benchmarking; electrolysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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