Green hydrogen integration in aluminum recycling: Techno-economic analysis towards sustainability transition in the expanding aluminum market

The use of aluminum-based products is widespread and growing, particularly in industries such as automotive, food packaging, and construction. Obtaining aluminum is expensive and energy-intensive, making the recycling of existing products essential for economic and environmental viability. This work explores the potential of using green hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas in the smelting and refining furnaces in aluminum recycling facilities. The adoption of green hydrogen has the potential to curtail approximately 4.54 ktons/year of CO₂ emissions, rendering it a sustainable and economically advantageous solution. The work evaluates the economic viability of a case study through assessing the Net Present Value (NPV) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Furthermore, it is employed single- and multi-parameter sensitivity analyses to obtain insight on the most relevant conditions to achieve economic viability. Results demonstrate that integrating on-site green hydrogen generation yields a favorable NPV of €57,370, an IRR of 9.83%, and a 19.63-year payback period. The primary factors influencing NPV are the initial electricity consumption stack and the H₂ price.