Phinix LLC, based in St. Louis, has launched a new $1.8 million project aimed at improving the quality and sustainability of recycled aluminum. The two-year initiative, funded by the Remade Institute, seeks to commercialize technology capable of removing metallic impurities from aluminum scrap, offering a cleaner alternative to primary aluminum production.

Innovation to Enhance Recycled Aluminum’s Quality

The project, titled Commercial Removal of Fe and Mn from Molten Aluminum Scrap Melts, focuses on eliminating iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) from molten aluminum. This technology is designed to purify recycled aluminum, expanding its potential applications and providing a more sustainable alternative to primary aluminum, which has a higher carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Phinix is working with U.S. secondary aluminum producers, research institutions, and industry partners to commercialize the technology. By improving recycled aluminum quality, the project aims to reduce reliance on high-cost, high-carbon imported primary aluminum. Additionally, it helps minimize the environmental footprint of aluminum production, contributing to a more sustainable, circular economy.

Collaboration and Industry Adoption

The project brings together a consortium of secondary aluminum producers, industrial and academic research institutions, and suppliers to drive adoption. Phinix has already demonstrated the impurity removal process with research partners at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Kingston Process Metallurgy, among others. The company is now partnering with commercial players, including Audobon Metals, Real Alloys, and Spectro Alloys, who together represent around 50% of the U.S. secondary aluminum production capacity.

Phinix’s CEO, Subodh Das, emphasized the importance of upgrading low-carbon domestic aluminum scrap, which is often downcycled, exported, or landfilled. The technology aims to increase the use of recycled aluminum in domestic manufacturing, thus reducing waste and promoting sustainability.

The company is focused on scaling up this process and is seeking additional partnerships to accelerate the technology’s adoption, strengthening the aluminum supply chain and advancing a more circular economy.