The influence of flux type and scrap size on recycling yield of Al drink cans

Abstract

Abstract Aluminium is widely used as a beverage can due to its excellence properties, i.e., good deformability; excellent corrosion resistance, high strength to weight ratio and non-toxic. The global consumption of canned drinks in 2017 was estimated at approximately 200 million pieces annually. These aluminium cans should then be recycled to minimize environmental challenges. Challenge, however, exists to optimize the recycling process. In this work, size of recycled cans, flux type, and recycling temperature were investigated to achieve higher recycling and Al yield. After various flux compositions were attempted to increase the recycling and Aluminium yield, the most suitable flux material was a mixture of chloride, fluoride, and SO4. Meanwhile, when the scrap dimension reduced to 1 cm2, the recycling and Aluminium yield showed no significant differences with the yield obtained using a scrap dimension of 4 cm2.