Environment friendly salt free recycling of aluminum chips via liquid state processing route for better...

Recycling aluminum is significantly much more sustainable than producing from raw materials, both in terms of environmental impact and energy uses. However, conventional recycling methods generate significant amounts of toxic gases and hazardous salt-slag wastes, posing severe environmental risks. To address these issues, a novel, salt-free, liquid-state, energy-saving, and cleaner manufacturing process was developed for the sustainable and efficient recycling of AA 5083 aluminum chips. This innovative process successfully produced recycled aluminum ingots with chemical compositions and microstructures similar to those of the original AA 5083 aluminum alloys. As compared to the conventional liquid state recycling processes, the yield recovery percentage of the present process is found to be significantly higher (more than 90 %) with negligible amount of dross formation. The scientific knowledge and governing mechanisms for recycling AA 5083 chips of various sizes and proportions have been developed through chip melting processes, investigation of physical properties, yield analysis, and microhardness mapping. The proposed manufacturing route offers substantial advantages, generating no hazardous waste as gas or slag and accomplishing better sustainability.