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Pinjarra Environmental Improvement Plan 2014 - 2016

Contents For more information on Alcoa’s Environmental Improvement Plans, or to view a complete set of these plans please visit Alcoa’s website www.alcoa.com.au or Pinjarra Refinery’s Community Relations Officer on (08) 9531 6240.

Overview and acknowledgements

3

Overview of Alcoa of Australia’s operations

4

Air quality and noise management

6

Water management and conservation

8

Land stewardship

11

Waste management

12

Community involvement

14

Environmental regulation and management 15

2

National Pollution Inventory

16

How aluminium is made

17

From dirt to aluminium

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2014 – 2016 Environmental Improvement Plan for Pinjarra Overview and acknowledgements

In April 2006, Alcoa released its first Environmental Improvement

Alcoa is committed to the Pinjarra community and we

Plans (EIP) for each of its sites in Western Australia. EIPs are a

acknowledge that initiatives based on suggestions raised by

voluntary initiative by Alcoa and a first for industry in this state.

community help us to continually improve. Alcoa

This EIP forms part of Pinjarra Refinery’s operational plan for 2014 – 2016. It sets clear targets for improvement and identifies the actions and initiatives that will be implemented to achieve the targets. We recognise that input from stakeholders is vital which is why several stakeholders assisted in the development of this EIP including:

believes this plan will give its local communities a stronger sense of connection and ownership of its activities, which include improving environmental performance and developing more sustainable operating practices. Our special thanks are extended to everyone involved in producing this plan, particularly the Environmental Improvement Plan Advisory Group – you committed much of your personal time to assist and for that we are grateful. The consultation

• Community and neighbours.

process proved that community, government and industry can

• State government.

collaborate successfully and work towards a shared vision.

• Regulators. • Alcoa employees.

Simon Butterworth

Simon Pascoe

General Manager

Plant Manager

Western Australian Operations

Pinjarra Refinery

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Overview of Alcoa of Australia’s operations Alcoa has been sustainably mining, refining and smelting in Australia since 1963 and is active in all major aspects of the aluminium industry. The company employs more than 5200 people in its primary products business in Australia.

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Alcoa of Australia’s principal operations in Western Australia are: • Huntly Mine

• Pinjarra Refinery

• Willowdale Mine

• Wagerup Refinery

• Kwinana Refinery

• Bunbury Port

Alcoa of Australia’s principal operations in Victoria are: • Portland Aluminium Smelter • Anglesea Power Station and coal mine • Point Henry Smelter

Perth, Western Australia is home to Alcoa of Australia’s headquarters and it is where the aluminium production process starts. The Huntly and Willowdale bauxite mines in the Darling Range south of Perth supply bauxite to Alcoa’s alumina refineries at Kwinana, Pinjarra and Wagerup. These refineries extract alumina from the bauxite. The Huntly mine remains the world’s largest bauxite mine. Alcoa’s two aluminium smelters are in Victoria at Point Henry in Geelong and in Portland. Portland Aluminium is a t

Pinjarra Refinery overview Pinjarra Refinery is part of Alcoa’s three-refinery system in Western Australia. It is located 90kms south of Perth, 6kms east of the regional town of Pinjarra and 30 minutes drive from the coastal city of Mandurah. The refinery is situated in the Peel region of Western Australia, within the Shire of Murray and is a major regional employer with more than 1,000 employees. Bauxite mined from the Huntly mine supplies the refinery which officially opened in 1972.

venture between Alcoa of Australia (55 per cent), which

The refinery is one of the world’s largest with an annual alumina

manages the operations; CITIC Resources Australia Pty Ltd

production capacity of approximately 4.5 million tonnes.

(22.5 per cent); and Marubeni Aluminium Australia Pty Ltd

Combined with its co-generation partnership with Alinta, the

(22.5 per cent). Alcoa’s operations in Victoria also include a

refinery achieves reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and

coal mine and power station at Anglesea which supplies

improvements in the use of natural resources.

electricity to Point Henry Smelter. 5

Air quality management The management of air quality in and around Pinjarra Refinery receives close community and government scrutiny. In July 2008 Alcoa completed extensive investigations into its refinery emissions. Detailed studies by industry experts including the CSIRO, WA ChemCentre, HRL Technology and the University of Adelaide have improved Alcoa’s knowledge of the range and concentration of chemical compounds present. The primary air emissions from the refinery include nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), particulates in the form of alumina dust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), residue dust and trace levels of metals.

Nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulates Emissions of NOx and CO come from the use of fossil fuels such as natural gas and are released from the refinery’s powerhouse, calciners, oxalate kiln and building 30 regenerative thermal oxidiser (RTO). Emissions of particulates are released from the calciners (in the form of alumina dust) and, to a much lesser extent, the oxalate kiln.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) VOC emissions are caused by the breakdown of organic material contained in the bauxite, additives to the refining process (liquor stream) and in by-products of fuel combustion processes. During alumina refining, the organics produce a range of substances, some of which are emitted to air. The VOC emissions cause the odour associated with alumina refineries.

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Greenhouse gases Alcoa established a global goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under its direct control by 25 per cent by 2010. This goal was achieved in

Table 1: Air quality improvement objectives Dust

2003. Alcoa set a new target to reduce total carbon

Objective

Action

dioxide equivalent intensity by 20 per cent from the

Minimise risk of dust generation from Pinjarra Refinery and residue operations and aim to maintain dust level below 90µg/m3 at the Pinjarra racecourse monitor.

Actively manage dust and investigate opportunities to further improve management practices.

2005 levels in Global Primary Products (mining, refining and smelting) by 2020 with the target of 30 per cent by 2030. In 2010 a 22 per cent reduction was achieved, years ahead of schedule. Through productivity improvements and technological innovation Alcoa will continue to target a reduction in the greenhouse intensity of its operations while striving to increase production.

Investigate new technologies for WAO residue.

The main source of dust from Pinjarra Refinery emits

Install additional dust monitor to east of RSA10 area

from the Residue Storage Area (RSA). If dry residue can pick up and transport fine dust particles.

Investigate opportunities to further improve dust management at raw materials and implement where practical. In addition to current site specific weather forecasting include gust predictions.

Dust surfaces are not well managed, high wind speeds

Investigate opportunities to further improve particulate control on calciners and implement where practical.

Air quality

Dust generated from the RSA mainly consists of

Objective

Action

fine clay particles and sodium carbonate crystals.

Reduce air emissions.

Investigate options for reducing greenhouse gas emission intensity.

Sufficient concentrations of this material could be an irritant to the eyes and respiratory tract. Monitoring

Update the CCN on air emission management, trends and improvements.

and modelling data illustrate it is extremely unlikely to reach levels sufficient to affect neighbouring

Identify major sources of air emissions, investigate opportunities for reductions and prioritise according to practicality and environmental benefit.

communities in this way. Dust is also generated at the bauxite stockpiles area. This dust has not been treated with caustic and has similar properties to

Complete a field odour survey to validate current odour emission data.

background dust from the Darling Range. Alcoa has several ambient dust monitoring stations located around the refinery. Dust emissions from the refinery and residue drying areas are monitored daily. This data is used to assess the effectiveness of dust control measures and facilitate improvements in management practices where required.

Noise

Noise Objective

Action

Compliance with the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997.

Develop and implement a plan to improve noise performance. Update CCN annually on noise plan development and implementation.

The closest noise sensitive premises to the Pinjarra Refinery boundary are approximately 4km to the south and north-east of the refinery. Noise monitoring conducted at Pinjarra Refinery illustrates that the closest noise sensitive premises north and south of the refinery may experience noise levels above the regulatory levels on some occasions. Premises to the west of the refinery recorded noise data well below the regulatory levels.

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Water management and conservation

Water use Pinjarra Refinery operates a ‘closed’ water circuit (ie no water is released into the surrounding environment from the refinery or residue area) which is supplemented for water losses. Water losses primarily occur as steam and moisture from the process, evaporation from water storage areas and residue surfaces and water bound within the residue mud and sand. Water used to supplement this loss is abstracted from licensed groundwater and surface water sources. In addition water is added to the circuit from: • Secondary treated effluent from the Water Corporation’s Pinjarra sewage treatment plant. • Water contained in the caustic soda and bauxite. • Rainfall runoff from the refinery and residue areas. The refinery’s water supply relies heavily on surface water flows. In low runoff years, extra water is drawn from the groundwater sources upon state government approval. To reduce the reliance on surface water runoff and groundwater systems, Alcoa is investigating options to use waste water from sewage treatment facilities.

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Groundwater Alcoa regularly monitors the many bores located across Pinjarra Refinery, its Residue Storage Area and the Alcoa farmlands. The bores are of varying

Table 2: Water use improvement objectives Water use

depths and allow for water quality and depth

Objective

Action

monitoring in each of the aquifers beneath the

Manage the Cattamarra Aquifer within its sustainable yield.

Update CCN on Cattamarra abstraction versus modelled predictions.

landholdings. Water monitoring results are reported annually to the state government. Pinjarra Refinery’s two-phase approach to groundwater management encomes spill prevention and remediation: • Spill prevention strategy: Pinjarra Refinery

Increase efficiency of water use at Pinjarra Refinery.

Investigate monitoring options to determine effect of Cattamarra abstraction on the South Dandalup River system. Report Alcoa’s water balance, water strategy and progress on wastewater reuse and alternative water sources to the CCN.

implements a spill prevention program targeting

Investigate aquifer recharge process.

areas with the highest potential for spills to occur.

Investigate opportunities for dust control that is not solely reliant on water at bauxite stockpiles and residue.

• Remediation strategy: Plans are developed to remediate existing contamination and engineering

Continue to improve water efficiency and implement projects where feasible.

solutions are developed to treat root causes and prevent future contamination. Use of a Geosynthetic Clay Liner in the newest residue storage area (RSA10) at Pinjarra illustrates Alcoa’s ongoing commitment to utilise modern technologies to protect natural resources.

Groundwater Objective

Action

Zero government reportable loss of containment events and minimise internal loss of containment events.

Eliminate major deficiencies in the containment system where practical.

Minimise offsite groundwater impacts.

Continue to review and implement the remediation strategy for the refinery and residue area. Update the CCN on progress of the Pinjarra Refinery Containment Improvement Plan.

Actively manage contaminated sites’ investigation and reporting requirements for Pinjarra Refinery landholdings.

Implement requirements of Contaminated Sites Act 2003 in line with DER Contaminated Sites guidelines as agreed between Alcoa and DER.

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Land stewardship area, the main area of significant vegetation

Table 3: Land stewardship improvement objectives

or habitat is located within the rail loop. The

Land stewardship

Pinjarra Refinery and its RSA are surrounded by Alcoa Farmlands. Within the refinery and residue

surrounding farmlands contain the majority of native vegetation and habitat. There are several areas of regional significance located in Alcoa’s Pinjarra landholdings including declared rare and priority flora, threatened ecological communities, conservation category wetlands and

Objective

Action

Actively manage Alcoa landholdings to enhance and conserve natural ecological attributes.

Update and implement initiatives described in the Pinjarra Refinery Land Management Plan.

heritage sites.

Continue feral animal and weed control programs. Continue Kangaroo management program.

Alcoa aims to protect the biodiversity located on

Continue enhancement and infill of existing plantings including fencing improvements.

its landholdings. Particular focus is on areas of increased significance such as the conservation

Continue enhancement of ecological links (wetlands, streams, ecological corridors).

category wetlands and priority flora and fauna.

Maintain species protection for DRF Synaphea stenoloba which is represented in several populations on Alcoa’s property.

Management of the land in and immediately surrounding the RSA is detailed in the Long Term Residue Management Strategy (LTRMS). The

Communicate land management activities to the community via the CCN.

LTRMS is updated every five years by a Stakeholder Reference Group (SRG) that includes community,

Develop and implement Dieback Management Plan.

government and Alcoa representatives. The LTRMS contains guiding principles that were developed by

Develop and implement Aboriginal Heritage Cultural Management Plan.

the SRG to provide Alcoa with guidance on how the stakeholders would like the residue to be managed.

Assist Perth Zoo with termite harvesting for the Numbat breeding program. Develop and implement Cockatoo monitoring program.

Visual amenity Objective

Action

Improve visual amenity of Pinjarra Refinery and its residue operations.

Residue rehabilitation to be self sustaining and focused on visual amenity. Progress development of a long term visual amenity plan taking into life of mine footprint, refinery expansion and future surrounding land uses. In the short term, visual amenity will focus on the South Western Highway and PinjarraWilliams Road.

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Waste management An important focus area for Pinjarra Refinery is minimising

paper towel; it includes ‘anything that lived’. The worm farm

the amount of ‘landfill’ waste generated by its operations.

has been in operation since 1995 and each year processes

The refinery produces both process and non-process waste.

approximately 100 tonnes of waste from Alcoa’s Western

Process waste is produced directly from the Bayer process

Australian operations.

(primarily waste alumina, hydrate, sand, mud and scale). Non-process waste is generated by activities associated with Pinjarra Refinery’s operation and domestic waste.

Residue For approximately 30 years Alcoa has been investigating

Pinjarra Refinery has a number of recycling initiatives to enable

opportunities to produce economically viable products from

progress toward minimising generation of ‘landfill’ waste:

bauxite residues. By identifying and demonstrating a range of

• A three-bin system for recyclable, landfill and worm food

alternative uses, bauxite residue may become a resource rather

(organic) waste. • Individual recycling systems for specific wastes such as batteries and printer cartridges. Worm food waste is sent to the worm farm where it is used for composting and landscaping at the refinery. Worm food consists of organic material such as food wastes, shredded paper and

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than a waste in the future. Three of these potential products are residue sand, red lime and Alkaloam. Initial testing indicates that residue sand could be used as a general fill material, a construction backfill or as a material suitable for road base construction. Approximately 2000 cubic metres of residue sand was used in the construction of Greenlands Road, south of

Pinjarra. The Main Roads Department considers residue

Alcoa and the Department of Agriculture have investigated the possible

sand to be an excellent alternative to normal sand.

use of Alkaloam as a soil amendment in the Peel-Harvey Catchment to

Red lime is alkaline and therefore has great potential as an acid neutraliser. Red lime could be more effective than most pH control products

reduce the impact of nutrient runoff to the Peel-Harvey Estuary. Results demonstrate phosphorous losses can be reduced by as much as 90 per cent with pasture productivity increasing by about 25 per cent.

because of the fine particle size and the sodium

The Department of Agriculture is continuing to monitor sites under

carbonate that remains with the product.

Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) guidelines within the Peel Harvey

Alkaloam is the fine-grained residue often referred to as ‘red mud’. A great deal of work has been done to show the benefits of adding this material to sandy soils, which are common in coastal regions of WA. Alkaloam has properties that can raise acidic soil pH levels while retaining

Catchment which have been amended with Alkaloam. The results from these trials continue to show improved pasture productivity and reduced nutrient runoff. Alcoa and the Department of Agriculture believe Alkaloam has the potential to provide significant environmental benefit by reducing nutrient loss in agricultural regions.

phosphorous and reducing overall fertiliser use.

Oxalate

The environmental outcome is the protection of

Oxalate is a waste stream of the Bayer process that builds up in the caustic

sensitive waterways from nutrient loading.

stream. Pinjarra Refinery recycles caustic through the process and as the oxalate content increases, the process becomes less efficient. To maintain efficiency the oxalate must be removed. The waste oxalate is normally destroyed by the oxalate kiln, however when the kiln is offline or if too much oxalate is produced, the waste oxalate must be stored in ponds at residue. Alcoa has developed a new process for destroying oxalate called the oxalate bioremoval process which uses naturally occurring bacteria to break down the oxalate. The bioremoval process consumes significantly less energy to operate than the oxalate kiln and produces bicarbonate and carbonate which is reintroduced into the caustic stream. The Pinjarra oxalate bioremoval facility was completed in 2013 and will process excess oxalate produced by the refining process.

Table 4: Waste management objectives Objective

Action

Reduce waste going to landfill.

Continue to improve the recycling program. Report to the CCN on waste management and recycling performance. Promote recycling programs within the Pinjarra workforce. Investigate options for alternative use / reuse of waste streams.

Progress towards a long term solution to oxalate management.

Investigate options for oxalate management at residue.

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Community involvement Pinjarra Refinery has the benefit of a dedicated Community

With of the CCN including people that are active

Consultative Network (CCN) which provides community

in their community, the process provides a means for Alcoa

and input on issues of interest to both the

to reach its stakeholders and for Alcoa to have a greater

community and Alcoa.

understanding of the needs of the community. The CCN enables

For Alcoa this engagement is a fundamental component of managing its operations and growth projects. It makes the company more responsive to community views and creates new opportunities to work in partnership with communities on local issues. The CCN was formed in 1994 and provides input on a range of issues relating to Alcoa’s refining and mining operations, local community matters and issues relevant to the Peel Region. 14

representation from neighbours, townspeople, local business owners and local and state government. Smaller working groups are formed as needed from the CCN such as the Environmental Improvement Plan Working Group and the Pinjarra Bauxite Residue Stakeholder Reference Group. Further information on Alcoa’s community and stakeholder engagement work is available at http://www.alcoa.com/ sustainability/en/info_page/operations_soc_stakeholder.asp

Environmental regulation and management Alcoa’s Western Australian operations are subject to environmental regulation under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and are licensed by the Department of Environment Regulation (DER). Alcoa is committed to meeting the and conditions of its environmental licence and environmental approval conditions. Alcoa’s commitment to the EIP 2014 – 2016 is voluntary. It both compliments and exceeds the requirements of its environmental protection licence.

Environmental protection licence Pinjarra Refinery’s environmental licence is istered by the DER which sets emission limits and other conditions to ensure environmental impacts are managed. Specific areas covered by the licence include: • Reporting. • Ambient dust monitoring and control. • Air emission limits, targets, monitoring and reporting. • Management of residue disposal areas. • Water quality monitoring and criteria. • Liquid chemical storage. • Waste acceptance at landfill. • Storage of oxalate. Alcoa’s corporate Environmental Management Systems (EMS) have been certified to ISO14001:2004 and each location in WA is certified to this international standard through an external certifying body. ISO14001 requires each location to identify activities with the potential to significantly affect the environment, define the controls in place to manage those risks and develop action plans for improvement. The EMS enables Alcoa to meet its environmental licence requirements and commitments made in the EIP. Further information on the Alcoa EMS can be found at http://www.alcoa.com/australia/en/info_page/environ_overview.asp

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National Pollutant Inventory The National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) launched the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) in 2000. It provides communities with environmental emission data and aims to satisfy community demands for this information as well as assist governments and industry with environmental planning and management. Emissions to air, land and water are reported. The NPI is published on the Australian Government’s National Pollutant Inventory website www.npi.gov.au. This database contains information about emissions from large operations and the estimates of emissions from smaller business activities such as petrol stations, dry cleaners, fast food outlets and other sources including transport, home heating and cigarette smoking. Pinjarra Refinery reports to the NPI annually. To help people understand what NPI data means, the NPI website provides contextual information. The aluminium industry has added further information, which can be found on the Australian Aluminium Council website: www.aluminium.org.au

Other links of interest include: Australian Greenhouse Office: www.greenhouse.gov.au Minerals Council of Australia: www.minerals.org.au Western Australian Department of Environment Regulation: www.der.wa.gov.au Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority: www.epa.wa.gov.au Centre for Excellence in Cleaner Production: www.cleanerproduction.curtin.edu.au Greening Australia: www.greeningaustralia.org.au

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How aluminium is made

From bauxite ore to versatile metal

Darling Range Bauxite

The aluminium making process

7 tonnes bauxite

starts with a chemically altered and weathered rock known as bauxite. Its colour and texture looks little more than ordinary gravel. However, its careful extraction from mines in the

Energy Caustic soda Lime

beginning of the 20th century has revolutionised the transport, building and other high technology industries.

Chemical feed stock 2 tonnes alumina (al2o3)

Darling Range of Western Australia start a process which since the

Export alumina Alumina Refinery Bayer Process

Energy Coke, Pitch Aluminium Fluoride

Alumium Smelter Hall-heroult Process

Export ingot

1 tonne aluminium (molten al)

By mixing bauxite with caustic soda, and then pressure heating, Alcoa extracts alumina in a fine white powder form. Alumina is shipped to

Alloy elements

Rolling Mill

Export can sheet

aluminium smelters in Victoria and exported around the world. The alumina is then smelted at very high temperatures and an electric current ed through it to form aluminium – one of the world’s most versatile metals. 17

From dirt to aluminium Refining Process

Mining and Rehabilitation

Preparation of mining area

After clearing of timber and other material, topsoil and overburden are carefully removed and returned after mining when the areas are being rehabilitated.

Bauxite mining

Crushing plant

A 4-5 m layer of caprock and bauxite is removed using large excavators or loaders and haul trucks.

Ore is taken to a crusher where it is crushed into smaller pieces.

Ore conveyors

The ore is then transported by conveyor belt and rail to the refineries for processing.

Rehabilitation

Digestion

Precipitation

Clarification

After mining, topsoil and overburden are returned to the area and the site is prepared for revegetation.

Finely ground bauxite is mixed with hot caustic soda solution to dissolve the alumina from the bauxite. Every seven tonnes of bauxite makes two tonnes of alumina.

Smelting Process

Dissolving alumina Chemical process Calcination

Alumina is dissolved in an electrolytic bath of molten cryolite within a large lined furnace known as a “pot”. There are hundreds of pots at a typical smelter.

Alumina is made up of aluminium and oxygen, which need to be separated to produce the metal. Every two tonnes of alumina makes one tonne of aluminium.

The alumina hydrate is washed, then heated to remove water, leaving a pure dry alumina in the form of a fine white powder. This is cooled and stored, then shipped to smelters for processing.

The liquid containing alumina hydrate is then cooled in large open tanks and seed crystals added, causing the alumina to crystalise out of solution.

Insolubles, such as sand and mud, are settled and filtered out, leaving a solution of dissolved alumina hydrate.

Rolling Process

Reduction process Forming aluminium Casting A high electric current is ed through pots via carbon blocks. The current flows continuously from the carbon block (positive) through the alumina/ cryolite mix to the lining of the pot (negative), and then on to the next pot.

Electricity maintains the temperature of the process at about 950°C and enables the alumina to split into aluminium and oxygen, with aluminium settling to the bottom of the pot.

The molten aluminium is cast at a temperature of just over 700°C to form ingots.

Hot rolling

Coiling

Sheet finishing

Cold rolling

Aluminium ingot is reheated to around 600°C, then ed through a hot finishing mill where it is reduced in thickness to 3-6mm.

The aluminium strip from the hot rolling mill is coiled and cooled before being sent to the cold rolling mill.

Recycling Process

Final processing and casting

Initial processing

Coated aluminium (painted or lacquered) Molten aluminium is transferred to a holding is processed through a gas fired rotary furnace furnace and then cast before being sent to into ingots. Recycling a “melter” where it is aluminium consumes only five per cent of the mixed with uncoated energy required to make or new aluminium. new aluminium, with no loss in quality.

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Classification

Upon receipt at the Alcoa Australia Rolled Products’ Yennora recycling centre, the recycled aluminium is classified so the optimal end use and processing path can be determined.

Preparation

Recycling aluminium starts with preparation for transporting, which involves compaction to improve the density of the aluminium and to reduce freight, storage and handling costs.

Most sheet products require a finishing step such as cleaning, coating and slitting. All products are trimmed to customer specified widths.

The aluminium coil is further reduced (to as thin as 0.24 mm) by three es through a cold rolling mill. Exit speeds of cold rolling mills are as high as 1000 metres per minute.