the organisation
Aluminium’s power is in its versatility
Mining and Refining
Primary Production
Aluminium in Consumer Products
selected links
Explore the Cycle
Our Aluminium data repository
In 2019, the primary energy consumption for global primary aluminium production, from mine to cast house, was 186 gigajoules per tonne. In contrast, the primary energy demand for recycled aluminium was 8.3 gigajoules per tonne, resulting in a significant energy saving (95.5%).
Based on Gabi-Software (version 2022.2) and IAI LCI data, primary energy consumption for global primary aluminium production, from mine to cast house, was 186 gigajoules per tonne of primary aluminium.
This number is higher than the two published numbers by European Aluminium (140 GJ/tonne for primary aluminium production in Europe, 2015) and the US Aluminum Association (136 GJ/tonne for primary aluminium production in North America, 2015) due to the higher share of coal in the energy mix globally.
There is no global estimate for energy consumption for aluminium produced from scrap. Three datasets are available: Japan (5.7 GJ/tonne, 2015), Europe (8.5 GJ/tonne, 2015 and 7.2 GJ/tonne, 2018), and North America (9.2 GJ/tonne, 2015). Japan is purely for wrought alloys and was therefore excluded from the used average.
Let’s build a future of aluminium together – a future that is zero carbon, circular, inclusive and collaborative.
Sign up for our newsletter and get updates straight to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
