Alcoa, Rio Tinto Partner on Carbon-Free Aluminum Process

Alcoa Corp. and Rio Tinto Group are forming a joint venture to further develop and commercialize Alcoa’s carbon-free aluminum smelting process.

The Montreal-based venture will be called Elysis and plans to open a research facility elsewhere in Quebec. The partners aim to license the technology, which eliminates all direct greenhouse emissions from the smelting process, by 2024.

Alcoa, Rio Tinto, Apple and the governments of Canada and Quebec are investing a combined C$188 million ($147 million) in the effort. The governments will provide nearly two-thirds of the funds, and Quebec will own 3.5% of the joint venture.

Alcoa and Rio Tinto are investing a combined C$55 million and will own equal 48% shares of Elysis. Apple, which helped facilitate the collaboration and will provide technical support for the venture, is contributing C$13 million.

Alcoa has been developing the patented technology for more than 20 years. The company has been conducting pilot tests at its Pittsburgh technical center since 2009.

The new method uses unspecified proprietary materials in place of carbon electrodes employed in the 130-year-old Hall-Heroult smelting process. Alcoa says the only byproduct of its process is oxygen.

In addition to licensing the technology, the joint venture company will sell its own anode and cathode materials. The proprietary formulations will last more than 30 times longer than traditional components, according to the partners.