Rio Tinto will invest $8.4mn to expand recycling capabilities at its Laterrire plant in Quebec to increase the production of rolled aluminum products at Rio Tinto Alcan.
The company will add a new remelt furnace to the casting center, which will recycle aluminum cuttings from Rio Tinto’s and its customers’ operations in the region. The new system will produce 22,000mt of secondary aluminum, which will, in turn, be used to produce rolling ingots for the automotive and packaging sector. It is expected to commence operations by the end of next year.
Rio Tinto Alcan’s Laterriere refinery already produces 235,000mt of primary aluminum and 225,000mt of sheet ingot per year. The new recycling plant will work in conjunction with the closed-loop project begun with Lafarge in this region.