en.Wedoany.com Reported - Coventry University has partnered with West Midlands foundry Alucast, through its Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME), to successfully develop a technical pathway for processing scrap aluminum into high-grade industrial aluminum alloys. The project, announced in July 2026, aims to address supply security issues arising from the UK's heavy reliance on primary aluminum in key sectors such as automotive and defense.

Alucast is an award-winning aluminum casting company. According to joint research by Coventry University and Alucast, the UK imports up to 1.25 million tons of aluminum materials annually. Meanwhile, large quantities of scrap aluminum cannot meet high-end industrial requirements due to insufficient purity. Through systematic analysis of aluminum life cycles and recycling processes, researchers at Coventry University identified key steps to reprocess specific end-of-life aluminum materials to achieve performance standards equivalent to primary aluminum.

Professor Marcos Kauffman, Director of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering, noted that the project delivers triple benefits: localizing the supply chain, reducing raw material costs, and lowering embodied carbon emissions. John Swift, Director of Alucast, stated that with Coventry University's assistance, the company successfully selected a different type of scrap aluminum. After sorting and alloying treatment, its mechanical properties matched those of primary aluminum in both test bars and mass-produced automotive castings.

This collaboration is part of the Clean Futures Programme. The research outcomes not only help reduce carbon emissions and manufacturing costs but also provide technical support for building a more resilient supply chain for critical materials in the UK's domestic manufacturing industry.