Altek and Real Alloy Partner on Zero-Waste Aluminium Recycling Facility in Indiana

Altek is partnering with Real Alloy to develop a zero-waste aluminium salt slag recycling facility in Wabash, Indiana, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). The facility will utilize Altek’s AluSalt technology to recycle metallics, salts, and recover non-metallic by-products from aluminium salt slag.

Real Alloy has secured over $3 million in funding as part of a federal cost-share of up to $67.3 million for Phase 1 of the Zero Waste Advanced Aluminum Recycling project, known as Project Zaar. The grant was awarded by the OCED in November 2024.

Project Zaar aims to process salt slag, a by-product of aluminium recycling that is typically sent to landfills, and recycle it back into the aluminium production cycle or repurpose it for industries like cement manufacturing.

James Herbert, Managing Director of Altek, stated, “Our AluSalt technology reduces carbon emissions, eliminates landfill waste from salt slag recycling, and produces by-products reusable in Real Alloy’s operations and in the cement and steel industries.”

During Phase 1, Real Alloy will focus on project planning, facility design, and conducting environmental impact analyses to support the OCED’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. This phase is expected to last nine months.