Arabal 2012 highlights aluminium recycling

Environmental balance requires integration between aluminium industry and its recycling

The program of the Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL 2012), which will be held in Doha from 20th to 22nd of November 2012, will include a discussion panel on aluminium recycling, according to the​ Qatalum, the host company.

Qatalum said recycling is becoming one of the increasingly important industries in terms of global interest and size and type of investment, which targets the environment, community, and the industry itself. The evolution and diversity of industry, the rising income, and type of consumption are all important factors to be taken into consideration when developing the solid waste recycling industry, be the solid waste industrial, commercial, agricultural, or domestic, in order to maximize benefit and achieve the primary goal of saving energy, preserving natural resources, protecting the environment, reducing pollution, and increasing awareness of the green economy’s requirements.

Qatalum noted that the recycling industry maintains an intertwined relationship with the output of all types of industrial sectors and a proportional relationship in terms of the diversity of outputs, uses of industrial products and the increasing need to recycle and reuse. Aluminium is a leading industry with regard to development and diversity of products and uses. Therefore, there is an urgent need to have rapid and on-going development of methods of aluminium output recycling, that are able to cope with the general mind-set and culture of this industry, which is based on efficiency in operation, production, energy consumption, saving the environment, and optimizing the use of natural resources, as the recycling process does not affect the metal itself, therefore it is possible to have continuous recycling and use of outputs in more new products.

Aluminium recycling is connected with several sources, including the transport sector, wire manufacturing, and many more products which are made from aluminium and composed of strong and lightweight materials. The recycling process is based on reusing scrap aluminium to produce new products by smelting waste from aluminium. This process uses less energy, no more than 5% of the energy needed to manufacture new aluminium. This carries various benefits, including significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Industrial recycling has the advantage of developing small and medium enterprises which grow along with the major manufacturing industries. It is increasingly possible that a new industrial sector that features specialty, depth and deployment of sophisticated technologies will be developed. This sector is expected to improve the optimal use of raw material, achieve environmental balance, and create more jobs.

Many specific conditions must be met in countries that seek to house a recycling industry. The region’s industrial activities and focus on aluminium are moving on the right path towards developing the recycling sector and improving its outputs. This falls in line with the signs of transformation into industrial countries, based on the available industrial components and natural resources. The aluminium recycling industry must be part of the core strategic plans of the industrial sector, in general, and aluminium, in particular, due to the increasing volume of outputs that must be recycled.

The 16th Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL 2012) will be held at the Grand Hyatt Doha 20th – 22nd November 2012, under the patronage of HE Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum.

This year’s edition of the conference will address a number of important issues related to the aluminium industry, including the technology in use, environmental effects, security and safety, manufacturing industries, market factors and their effects on aluminium prices, recycling, and many more important topics that will be addressed by over 30 renowned figures from various disciplines in presence of over 500 attendees and aluminium professionals.