Coolbrook joins Australian research group to support aluminium decarbonisation

Finnish renewable heat producer Coolbrook has joined an industrial research group in Australia to support decarbonisation efforts across the country’s aluminium industry. 

As an affiliate partner of the Australian Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC), Coolbrook will look at how its electrified heating technology can be applied to next-generation alumina refineries. 

Aluminium production is typically made through smelting reduction of aluminium oxide, commonly known as alumina, which itself has to be extracted from raw bauxite – of which Australia is believed to have the largest reserves in the world. According to a paper published earlier this year, the heat-intensive alumina refining stage accounts for around 17% of the total emissions of aluminium production, generating annual emissions of around 175m tCO2e globally, with 96% of energy input used for steam production.

Coolbrook has developed an electrically-powered rotating heater that it says can reach 1,700^oC. The company is targeting the iron and steel, cement and petrochemicals sectors, and it began supplying its first commercial plant earlier this year, providing heat to an Adani Cement plant in Andhra Pradesh, India. Coolbrook’s chief commercial officer Lauri Peltola said the aluminium partnership with HILT CRC “enables us to explore new applications for the technology”.

He added: “We look forward to contributing our expertise in high-temperature electrification and supporting the development and demonstration of these solutions at an industrially relevant scale.”

The HILT CRC is a consortium of 75 industry, research and government organisations set up to help decarbonise the iron and steel, alumina and cement sectors. Major aluminium producing partners include Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Global Aluminium and Australian mining giant Rio Tinto. 

Jenny Selway, the HILT CRC’s CEO, said Coolbrook’s involvement “brings valuable capabilities in high-temperature CO2-free process heating”.

She added: “Adding new technology providers to our collaborative ecosystem strengthens the range of solutions we can assess with industry and helps ensure our research remains focused on the practical challenges manufacturers face as they transition away from fossil fuels.”