{ "authors": [], "basis": { "capacity": "per tonne of liquid primary aluminium (the dataset's basis); no plant size" }, "benchmarks": [ { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "expression": "(emission:CF4 + emission:C2F6) / product:aluminium", "family": "aluminium", "kpi": "al-pfc", "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')", "reference": { "basis": "unallocated", "conditions": { "region": "EU", "technology": "point feeding, anode effects < 0.1 to 0.5 per pot-day of 0.5 to 2 min" }, "id": "bref-nfm-al-modern-pfc", "note": "For modern plants with point feeding and process control. Not independent of aluminium-1, whose anode effect frequency and duration come from the same paragraph.", "range": [ 0.01, 0.1 ], "source": { "accessed": "2026-11-05", "citation": "Cusano, G., Rodrigo Gonzalo, M., Farrell, F., Remus, R., Roudier, S., Delgado Sancho, L. (2017) Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Non-Ferrous Metals Industries. JRC Science for Policy Report EUR 28648 EN, doi:10.2760/8224", "kind": "bref", "locator": "Section 4.2.3.2.3, p. 401", "url": "https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2020-01/JRC107041_NFM_bref2017.pdf" } }, "status": "unchecked", "title": "PFC (CF4 and C2F6) to air per t of primary aluminium", "unit": "kg/t", "value": null }, { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "expression": "emission:CO2 / product:aluminium", "family": "aluminium", "kpi": "al-process-co2", "problem": "1 to t/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')", "reference": { "basis": "unallocated", "conditions": { "region": "global", "technology": "prebake cells (CWPB and SWPB), Tier 1 default", "year": 2000 }, "id": "ipcc-2006-al-prebake-tier1", "note": "The source gives one default factor, 1.6 t CO2/t Al, with an uncertainty of +/- 10 %; the range is that stated uncertainty, not a margin of ours. It includes CO2 from pitch volatiles and packing coke of anode baking (Table 4.10, footnote 7).", "range": [ 1.44, 1.76 ], "source": { "accessed": "2026-11-05", "citation": "IPCC (2006) 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Vol. 3 Industrial Processes and Product Use, ch. 4 Metal Industry Emissions, prepared by the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, Eggleston, H.S. et al. (eds), IGES, Japan", "kind": "other", "locator": "Section 4.4.2.2, Table 4.10, p. 4.47", "url": "https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/pdf/3_Volume3/V3_4_Ch4_Metal_Industry.pdf" } }, "status": "unchecked", "title": "Process CO2 from anode consumption per t of primary aluminium", "unit": "t/t", "value": null }, { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "expression": "emission:SO2 / product:aluminium", "family": "aluminium", "kpi": "al-so2", "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')", "reference": { "basis": "unallocated", "conditions": { "region": "EU", "technology": "prebake", "year": 2012 }, "id": "bref-nfm-al-prebake-so2", "note": "Total of stack and roof, roof vents to the atmosphere, no wet scrubber.", "range": [ 10, 25 ], "source": { "accessed": "2026-11-05", "citation": "Cusano, G., Rodrigo Gonzalo, M., Farrell, F., Remus, R., Roudier, S., Delgado Sancho, L. (2017) Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Non-Ferrous Metals Industries. JRC Science for Policy Report EUR 28648 EN, doi:10.2760/8224", "kind": "bref", "locator": "Section 4.2.3.2.11, Table 4.13, p. 405", "url": "https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2020-01/JRC107041_NFM_bref2017.pdf" } }, "status": "unchecked", "title": "SO2 to air per t of primary aluminium (no wet scrubbing)", "unit": "kg/t", "value": null }, { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "expression": "feed:electricity / product:aluminium", "family": "aluminium", "kpi": "al-specific-electricity", "problem": "kWh/kg to kWh/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')", "reference": { "basis": "unallocated", "conditions": { "region": "US", "technology": "Hall-Heroult, state-of-the-art prebake to older Soederberg", "year": 2003 }, "id": "doe-2007-al-electrolysis", "note": "The source states total electricity use from \"less than 13\" kWh/kg for state-of-the-art plants to \"more than 20\" kWh/kg for older Soederberg plants, without generation and transmission losses; recorded at those stated bounds and converted to kWh/t.", "range": [ 13000, 20000 ], "source": { "accessed": "2026-11-05", "citation": "US Department of Energy, Industrial Technologies Program (2007) U.S. Energy Requirements for Aluminum Production: Historical Perspective, Theoretical Limits and Current Practices", "kind": "government", "locator": "Section 5.2, p. 25 (PDF p. 40)", "url": "https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/11/f4/al_theoretical.pdf" } }, "status": "unchecked", "title": "Electricity per t of primary aluminium (potline, AC)", "unit": "kWh/t", "value": null } ], "chemistry": { "inputs": [ { "chemical": "aluminium-oxide", "grade": null, "inventory_key": "feed:alumina", "note": "smelter-grade alumina; linked to alumina-1 (lca/mappings.yaml)", "role": "feedstock" }, { "chemical": "prebaked-anode", "grade": null, "inventory_key": "feed:anode", "note": "net consumption; the anode plant is not modelled", "role": "feedstock" }, { "chemical": "aluminium-fluoride", "grade": null, "inventory_key": "feed:aluminium-fluoride", "note": "bath make-up", "role": "feedstock" }, { "chemical": "air", "grade": null, "note": "free; its O2 that burns the anode carbon beyond the electrolysis is feed:O2", "role": "feedstock" } ], "outputs": [ { "chemical": "aluminium", "grade": null, "inventory_key": "product:aluminium", "note": "liquid metal tapped from the pots, before casting", "role": "main-product" }, { "chemical": "carbon-dioxide", "grade": null, "inventory_key": "emission:CO2", "note": "process CO2 from the anode carbon", "role": "emission" }, { "chemical": "sulfur-dioxide", "grade": null, "inventory_key": "emission:SO2", "note": "from the anode sulfur, no wet scrubber", "role": "emission" }, { "chemical": "wastewater", "grade": null, "inventory_key": "output:wastewater", "role": "waste" } ], "utilities": [ { "chemical": "electricity", "grade": null, "inventory_key": "feed:electricity", "note": "potline total AC, rectifier losses and auxiliaries included", "role": "utility" } ] }, "description": "", "design_basis": null, "engineering": null, "facets": { "feedstock_basis": [ "mineral", "fossil", "electricity" ], "product_classes": [ "materials" ], "region": "EU", "unit_operations": [ "electrolysis" ] }, "families": [ "aluminium" ], "gap_count": 5, "gates": null, "id": "aluminium-1", "issues": { "closed_count": 0, "list_url": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22process%3Aaluminium-1%22", "new": { "action": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=1-action-item.yml&labels=process%3Aaluminium-1&process=aluminium-1", "change": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=4-design-change.yml&labels=process%3Aaluminium-1&process=aluminium-1", "hold": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=2-engineering-hold.yml&labels=process%3Aaluminium-1&process=aluminium-1", "process": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=6-process-development.yml&labels=process%3Aaluminium-1&process=aluminium-1", "tq": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=3-technical-query.yml&labels=process%3Aaluminium-1&process=aluminium-1", "tracker": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=7-process-tracker.yml&labels=process%3Aaluminium-1&process=aluminium-1" }, "open": [], "open_by_gate": {}, "open_count": 0, "private": false, "repository": "ChemE-as-Code/process-library" }, "keywords": [ "aluminium", "aluminum", "primary aluminium", "Hall-Heroult", "electrolysis", "smelter", "prebake", "PFPB", "alumina", "carbon anode", "PFC", "CF4", "C2F6", "anode effect" ], "lca": null, "lci_gaps": [ { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "key": "feed:anode", "link": "technosphere", "type": "input" }, { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "key": "feed:aluminium-fluoride", "link": "technosphere", "type": "input" }, { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "key": "emission:dust", "link": "biosphere", "type": "emission" }, { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "key": "output:alumina-residual", "link": "technosphere", "type": "output" }, { "dataset": "aluminium-prebake-electrolysis", "key": "output:spent-pot-lining", "link": "technosphere", "type": "output" } ], "maintainers": [], "maturity": "concept", "preliminary": true, "provenance": { "library_commit": "a3c52e472f42fbc8cdacfeacf5ef28703c004174", "previews": null, "previews_stale": false, "source_commit": "a3c52e472f42fbc8cdacfeacf5ef28703c004174" }, "publication": { "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "status": "public" }, "references": [ { "doi": "10.2760/8224", "title": "Cusano, G. et al. (2017) Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Non-Ferrous Metals Industries. JRC Science for Policy Report EUR 28648 EN, sections 4.1.3 and 4.2.3" }, { "title": "IPCC (2006) 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Vol. 3 Industrial Processes and Product Use, ch. 4 Metal Industry Emissions, section 4.4 Primary aluminium production", "url": "https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/pdf/3_Volume3/V3_4_Ch4_Metal_Industry.pdf" }, { "title": "International Aluminium Institute (2022) Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Data and Environmental Metrics for the Primary Aluminium Industry, 2019 data: Technology Coverage (prebake share; route choice only, no value used)", "url": "https://international-aluminium.org/resource/2019-life-cycle-inventory-lci-data-and-environmental-metrics/" }, { "title": "US DOE Industrial Technologies Program (2007) U.S. Energy Requirements for Aluminum Production: Historical Perspective, Theoretical Limits and Current Practices, section 5.2 (benchmark only)", "url": "https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/11/f4/al_theoretical.pdf" } ], "repository": { "access": "public", "path": "processes/aluminium-1", "url": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library" }, "representations": [], "summary": "Sourced conceptual inventory per tonne of liquid primary aluminium: alumina, net anode, aluminium fluoride and electricity as midpoints of EU NFM BREF ranges; anode CO2 and SO2 by mass balance, CF4 and C2F6 by the IPCC 2006 Tier 2 slope method. Anodes bought in, no casthouse. No flowsheet; not reviewed.", "title": "Primary aluminium by Hall-Heroult electrolysis with point-feed prebaked anodes", "validation": { "status": "unreviewed" }, "viewer": null }