Arctus Aluminium Receives Grant to Develop Carbon-Free Aluminium Production

Arctus Aluminium has received a grant from the Climate and Energy Fund (Loftslags- og orkusjóður) for further development of a new technology for carbon-free aluminium production. The grant will be used to scale up the production cell in a pilot plant at Grundartangi, in collaboration with Norðurál.

Over the past ten years, Arctus Aluminium has developed the technology together with Tæknisetur and many domestic and international partners. Arctus is one of the startups based at Tæknisetur. The Grundartangi project will be carried out by Arctus and Norðurál together with Tæknisetur, Efla, Reykjavík University and other industry and research partners.

A new approach to environmentally friendly aluminium production

The goal of the project is to scale up an electrolysis technology that produces aluminium without carbon dioxide emissions. It does this by avoiding the conventional carbon anodes that generate CO₂ in the production process. With its metal and ceramic electrodes, the new technology releases only oxygen.

Besides lower greenhouse gas emissions, the technology offers lower energy use, better use of raw materials, simpler operation and greater sustainability. The pilot plant will be an important step in validating the technology in an industrial setting and preparing to scale production cells up to full size.

Iceland as a platform for green industrial technology

Iceland is uniquely placed to develop sustainable metal production because of its access to renewable energy and its strong knowledge and experience in energy-intensive industry.

Through the project, Arctus Aluminium and its partners will contribute to the next generation of aluminium production, with a focus on lower environmental impact, better energy efficiency and long-term competitiveness.

The Grundartangi pilot plant will be built in cooperation with Norðurál, Tæknisetur, Efla and Reykjavík University. It will provide an important platform for continued development and testing of the technology under real industrial conditions.

Tæknisetur warmly congratulates Arctus Aluminium on the grant.

About Arctus Aluminium

The Icelandic company Arctus Aluminium has been developing new technology for carbon-free aluminium production. Its focus is on inert anodes, low-temperature electrolysis of alumina, better energy efficiency and a sustainable production process. The work has been done in close collaboration with experts at Tæknisetur, Reykjavík University and foreign research laboratories and companies.