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Metals
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Sustainability Approaches in the Recycling of Light Alloys
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Sustainability Approaches in the Recycling of Light Alloys

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 8965

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mohamad El Mehtedi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Interests: sustainable recycling of chips of light alloys through friction stir extrusion (FSE) and direct hot rolling processes; plastic deformation of metals and modeling; solid-state welding processes such as FSW (friction stir welding) and ARB (accumulative roll bonding); machining processes
Dr. Mauro Carta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Interests: sustainable recycling of light alloy chips by friction stir extrusion and direct hot rolling; plastic deformation processes, friction stir processing, and accumulative roll bonding for grain refinement and solid-state welding of metallic materials; chip machining of 3D printed polymeric materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advances and approaches to sustainability in light alloy recycling. Contributors to this Special Issue are invited to submit innovative research, review articles, and case studies that highlight new methods, technologies, and strategies for recycling light alloys. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1) Advances in light alloy scrap sorting and separation technologies.
2) New melting and purification techniques to improve the quality of recycled alloys.
3) Life cycle assessment and environmental impact analysis of light alloy recycling.
4) Development of alloys designed to facilitate recycling at the end of the product life cycle.
5) Case studies on the implementation of circular economy principles in the light alloy industry.
6) New recycling processes for light alloy scrap (e.g., solid-state recycling processes).

Prof. Dr. Mohamad Mehtedi
Guest Editor

Dr. Mauro Carta
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • light alloy
  • recycling
  • melting
  • purification
  • life cycle assessment
  • solid-state recycling processes

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 2836 KiB  
Article
An Optimization Design of Energy Consumption for Aluminum Smelting Based on a Multi-Objective Artificial Vulture Algorithm
by Jiayang Dai, Hangbin Liu, Yichu Zhang, Haofan Shi and Peirun Ling
Metals 2025, 15(2), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15020105 - 22 Jan 2025
Viewed by 649
Abstract
In the process of regenerative aluminum smelting, the temperature of the furnace needs to be maintained between 700 and 850 by adjusting the setting parameters of the smelting furnace. The setting parameters are usually adjusted by manual work, and inaccuracies in manual operation [...] Read more.
In the process of regenerative aluminum smelting, the temperature of the furnace needs to be maintained between 700 and 850 by adjusting the setting parameters of the smelting furnace. The setting parameters are usually adjusted by manual work, and inaccuracies in manual operation can lead to wasted energy as well as unstable temperatures. Energy consumption and temperature stability are two conflicting objectives, which are difficult to find optimal parameters for the aluminum smelting process. In this paper, an improved multi-objective artificial vulture algorithm (IMOAVOA) is developed to solve a multi-objective problem of energy consumption and temperature deviations in the regenerative aluminum smelting process. The dynamic switching–elimination mechanism based on crowding distance is proposed to maintain the archive, which enhances the diversity of solutions by dynamically switching the operation space for deleting redundant solutions in the archive and dynamically deleting the solution with the smallest crowding distance in the operation space. The multi-directional leader selection mechanism is developed to select better leaders. To improve the convergence of the algorithm, the bounce strategy is introduced in the IMOAVOA. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by UF1-UF10, kursawe, Viennet2, Viennet3, ZDT1-ZDT6, DTLZ4, and DTLZ6 test functions with several multi-objective algorithms. The experimental results indicate that IMOAVOA outperforms the original algorithm and three other multi-objective algorithms in terms of the algorithm convergence, the Pareto front coverage, and the solution diversity. Finally, the proposed algorithm is tested in an application case of regenerative aluminum smelting process. The results show that the optimal parameters for the aluminum smelting process using the proposed algorithm can reduce the consumption while meeting the objective of furnace temperature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Approaches in the Recycling of Light Alloys)
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19 pages, 14782 KiB  
Article
Innovative Solid-State Recycling of Aluminum Alloy AA6063 Chips Through Direct Hot Rolling Process
by Mauro Carta, Noomane Ben Khalifa, Pasquale Buonadonna, Rayane El Mohtadi, Filippo Bertolino and Mohamad El Mehtedi
Metals 2024, 14(12), 1442; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14121442 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 4661
Abstract
In this paper, the feasibility of an innovative solid-state recycling process for aluminum alloy AA6063 chips through direct rolling is studied, with the aim of offering an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional recycling processes. Aluminum chips, produced by milling an AA6063 billet without [...] Read more.
In this paper, the feasibility of an innovative solid-state recycling process for aluminum alloy AA6063 chips through direct rolling is studied, with the aim of offering an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional recycling processes. Aluminum chips, produced by milling an AA6063 billet without the use of lubricants, were first compacted using a hydraulic press with a 200 kN load and subsequently heat-treated at 570 °C for 6 h. The compacted chips were directly hot-rolled through several successive passes at 490 °C. The bulk material underwent the same rolling schedule to allow comparison of the samples and assess the process, in terms of mechanical properties and microstructure. All the rolled samples were tested by tensile and microhardness tests, whereas the microstructure was observed by an optical microscope and the EBSD-SEM technique. The fracture surface of all tested samples was analyzed by SEM. Recycled samples exhibited good mechanical properties, comparable to those of the bulk material. In particular, the bulk material showed an ultimate tensile strength of 218 MPa, in contrast to 177 MPa for the recycled chips, and comparable elongation at break. This study demonstrates that direct rolling of compacted aluminum chips is both technically feasible and has environmental benefits, offering a promising approach for sustainable aluminum recycling in industrial applications within a circular economy framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Approaches in the Recycling of Light Alloys)
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Review

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26 pages, 6292 KiB  
Review
Salar de Atacama Lithium and Potassium Productive Process
by David Torres, Kevin Pérez, Felipe M. Galleguillos Madrid, Williams H. Leiva, Edelmira Gálvez, Eleazar Salinas-Rodríguez, Sandra Gallegos, Ingrid Jamett, Jonathan Castillo, Manuel Saldana and Norman Toro
Metals 2024, 14(10), 1095; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14101095 - 24 Sep 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3395
Abstract
The average lithium content in the Earth’s crust is estimated at about 0.007%. Despite this, lithium is considered abundant and widely distributed, with significant extraction from various sources. Notably, the brines in the Salar de Atacama are highlighted for their high lithium concentration [...] Read more.
The average lithium content in the Earth’s crust is estimated at about 0.007%. Despite this, lithium is considered abundant and widely distributed, with significant extraction from various sources. Notably, the brines in the Salar de Atacama are highlighted for their high lithium concentration ~1800 mg/L. Lithium is currently recovered from these brines through a solar evaporation process. The brine is transferred through a series of ponds, increasing the lithium concentration from 0.2% to 6% over 18 months, while decanting other minerals like potassium, magnesium, and boron. This method is the most efficient and cost-effective globally due to the Salar de Atacama’s high lithium concentration of approximately 1800 ppm and the region’s intense solar radiation, which facilitates evaporation at no economic cost. This manuscript describes in detail the lithium and potassium extraction processes used in the Salar de Atacama. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Approaches in the Recycling of Light Alloys)
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