PanelCycle has been working alongside Weston Aluminium to recycle the aluminium separate from combustible ACP  Cladding.

Weston Aluminium is located in the Hunter Valley in NSW and is 100% Australia owned and has been in business for over 20 years.

They are the largest aluminium recycler in Australia and process aluminium scrap to produce an aluminium de-oxidant product that is used in steel making. There biggest customers for this product is Bluescope Steel in Port Kembla NSW and Liberty GFG located in Whyalla SA. Once the aluminium has been separated from the ACP, PanelCycle transports this to Weston Aluminum’s facility in Kurri Kurri.

Here, the aluminium is loaded into Weston Aluminium’s 40Mt reverb furnace and melted down.

After checking molten metal is in specification, metal is cast into de-oxidant pucks. At least 90% of the aluminium goes into these de-oxidant pucks which are used in steel making. Aluminium is a critical alloy for steel mills and they can not process steel without it. Bluescope insists that the de-oxidant pucks are Australian made.

The other 10% of the aluminium combines with the oxygen and floats to the top of the melt as slag.

The slag is tipped off and is then used in the manufacture of cement. Weston Aluminium also have mature markets for recycling this slag including briquetting the material and using it for slag conditioning in the steel making process. Weston Aluminium’s process is 100% closed loop, and nothing goes to landfill from their operation.