Rectify the name of aluminum

In the statement of "guidance on strengthening the Prevention and Control of the Ecological Environment Source of the" two High "Construction projects" issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environmental Protection a few days ago, the aluminum processing industry no longer belongs to the "two high" category, but electrolytic aluminum is still on the list. Aluminum has two labels: one is "green aluminum" and the other is "two high and one capital". The definition of aluminum in these two labels is exactly the opposite. So, which one is the correct interpretation of aluminum?

"two high and one capital" means high energy consumption, high pollution and resources. The term, which began in 2005, was originally intended to control the export of products from related industries and promote the upgrading of domestic industries. Since then, electrolytic aluminum and other industries have been classified as "two high and one capital" industries in the policy documents issued by the relevant departments. Later, this term has evolved into the definition of raw materials industry, including the aluminum industry.

As far as the concept of "one capital" is concerned, it is well known that aluminum is the metal with the largest reserves in the earth's crust. Although the reserves of bauxite resources in China are relatively scarce, in the era of global economic integration, resources are no longer the main bottleneck restricting the development of China's aluminum industry. According to incomplete statistics, China has about 10 billion tons of bauxite resources abroad, and the production capacity of rights and interests mines has reached 90 million tons per year. 50% of the bauxite imported every year comes from the rights and interests mines owned by Chinese enterprises overseas, and the ability to guarantee resources has been greatly improved.

Not only that, but more importantly, the rapid development of China's aluminum industry not only does not pose a threat to domestic bauxite resources, but also reserves resources for the development of China's recycled aluminum industry. In recent years, tens of millions of tons of primary aluminum in China are processed into a variety of aluminum products, except for a small number of exports, most of which are domestic consumption. After 20-30 years of use, these aluminum products basically reach the recovery period, which can ensure the production of the existing and future recycled aluminum industry. Without the development of the domestic primary aluminum industry and the development of the aluminum application market, the recycled aluminum industry will also make bricks without rice, or it may still need to import "foreign garbage" and be controlled by others.

It can be seen that it still needs a global perspective to measure the development of China's aluminum industry from the perspective of resources. at present, the saying of "one capital" is really contrary to the current situation of the development of aluminum industry, which is open to question.

With regard to the theory of "two highs", the aluminum industry in the field of heavy industry can not be completely denied, especially as the electrolytic aluminum in the energy-carrying industry, it can be said that there is no aluminum without electricity. However, electrolytic aluminum is only a link in the aluminum industry chain, and at the application end, aluminum material has become the preferred energy-saving material in various fields because of its high quality characteristics such as light weight, corrosion resistance and easy recycling.

In recent years, with the innovation and upgrading of electrolytic aluminum technology and process in our country, the energy saving and emission reduction index of primary aluminum production can no longer be compared with that of more than ten years ago. In 2020, the power consumption of electrolytic aluminum per ton in China was as low as 13543 kilowatt-hours, a decrease of about 8 per cent compared with 2005. The energy consumption index has been the best in the world for many years. In terms of greenhouse emissions, in 2019, the greenhouse gas unit emissions of electricity consumption in China's aluminum electrolysis process decreased by 24% compared with 2006, leading the world in the reduction.

At the same time, the recycling rate of aluminum materials can reach more than 95%, and can be recycled countless times, while the energy consumption and greenhouse gases of recycled aluminum are only about 5% of that of primary aluminum. Therefore, it is also known as "energy storage products" and "energy bank".

What is even more puzzling is that the greenhouse gases in the aluminum industry are mainly caused by thermal power, which is the main mode of power generation in China, accounting for more than 70% of the country's total power generation. This is obviously a problem of industrial upgrading and structural adjustment in the power industry. Why let the aluminum industry carry it?

Fortunately, with the progress of energy storage technology, renewable energy such as hydrogen energy, solar energy, wind energy and hydropower energy will be widely used in industrial production. At present, nuclear power in China is also suspended for ten years and restarted again, and more low-carbon energy will be available in the future.

Although the energy consumption index of electrolytic aluminum in the upper reaches of the aluminum industry can not be ignored, what is more important is that in the follow-up application and processing of aluminum products, it embodies more industrial characteristics of high-tech and fine processing, which not only has the irreplaceable role of other materials, but also shows its remarkable green energy-saving effect in many fields.

Since 2012, led by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, the initiative campaign of "strengthening the promotion of green aluminum to promote aluminum consumption" has been officially launched to issue a declaration of "green aluminum" to the whole society. After 9 years of development, "green aluminum" is favored by consumers. Aluminum materials have become the new momentum and main force of energy saving, emission reduction, transformation and upgrading, and low-carbon development in transportation, construction and other fields.

According to relevant statistics, in terms of automobile lightweight, aluminum alloy can use more than 500kg in a vehicle, which can reduce the vehicle weight by 40%, while every 10% reduction in vehicle weight can save fuel by about 3.5% to 6%, and each liter of fuel consumption can be reduced by 2.33 kg of carbon dioxide emissions. It can be seen that aluminum alloy has obvious advantages in optimizing low-carbon emissions in the field of automobile transportation. In the field of construction, the stock of aluminum formwork in China has reached 80 million square meters, and its market share in super high-rise and high-rise housing has reached 30%. The rapid growth of aluminum formwork meets the needs of green environmental protection in the construction industry and saves a lot of wood. In the household field, green aluminum furniture is highly respected by the market. In the field of aerospace, whether it is a large domestic aircraft, or the current construction and operation of China's space station, which can not be separated from the contribution of aluminum materials. Aluminum alloy materials also play an important role in promoting the rapid development of high-speed rail transportation in China. In electric power, urban construction and other more and more application fields, there has also been an upsurge of material replacement of aluminum instead of copper, aluminum steel and aluminum wood.

Fact speak louder than words. Driven by the rapid growth of the demand market, China's aluminum output has increased from 7.81 million tons in 2005 to 37.08 million tons in 2020, and this rapid growth has been achieved under the condition of national macro-control and restraining growth. Without the hard support of demand, it is impossible to run out of such an acceleration. Without the stable development of electrolytic aluminum industry, it would be difficult for other application fields to have such a low-cost, high-energy-saving material guarantee.

At present, the saying of "two high and one capital" has seriously affected the reputation of the aluminum industry. It is expected that the whole society should be based on the consideration of the whole industry chain and the whole life cycle of aluminum, correct the one-sided understanding of the aluminum industry, and recognize the excellent characteristics of "green aluminum". To promote the development of China's aluminum industry to high quality.