From carbon dioxide to oxygen: How Rusal technology is changing the aluminium industry Rusal to begin industrial application of inert anode technology in 2026 09/13/2024, 09:00

Aluminum according to new rules

Rusal is set to rewrite the rules of the game in the global aluminium industry. In 2026, the company will begin industrial scale-up of its revolutionary inert anode technology. The traditional aluminium production technology with carbon anodes, which has been used in the industry for over a century, will become a thing of the past. This method releases large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere – on average, more than 11 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of aluminium. Rusal has already managed to reduce this figure to 2.3 tonnes per tonne of aluminium – well below the global average. However, when using an inert anode, carbon dioxide emissions are almost completely eliminated. Instead, pure oxygen will be released into the atmosphere (approximately 900 kilograms per tonne of aluminium).

Since 2017, RUSAL has been piloting aluminum production using inert anode technology at the Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Smelter. To date, the pilot plant has produced 5,000 tons of “green” aluminum under the ALLOW INERTA brand. The products are actively being tested on the market, and the company is already preparing to increase production. In 2026, it is planned to start implementing inert anode technology on an industrial scale, which will significantly reduce the load on the planet’s atmosphere and improve the environmental performance of the entire industry.

This, without exaggeration, revolutionary technology is the result of many years of efforts of the Rusal Engineering and Technology Center (ETC), created in 2002 at the initiative of Oleg Deripaska, the founder of the Rusal company. ITC has managed to combine the scientific and engineering resources of the Russian aluminum industry, which has allowed the company to remain competitive and continue to innovate. Other notable achievements of the center include a series of high-amperage energy-efficient PA-300, PA-400, PA-550 electrolyzers, as well as the EcoSoderberg aluminum melting technology, which significantly reduces emissions compared to traditional Soderberg technology used worldwide.

Science as a tool for competition

The development of the inert anode was made possible by significant investments in research and technological development. These financial investments not only strengthened Rusal’s position in the global market, but also demonstrated the importance of long-term investment in science to maintain leadership in the industry. Investing in innovations such as the inert anode not only enables the company to follow global trends, but also to stay ahead of them by setting a new standard in environmentally friendly aluminium production.

But Rusal is not the only one looking to develop an inert anode. Other industry leaders (American Alcoa and mining giant Rio Tinto) have formed a consortium specifically to work on this technology. And Canadian authorities have already allocated more than $100 million for it to set up a pilot production facility in the province of Quebec. China, the world leader in aluminum production and consumption, is also actively working on developing this technology. Dr. Shi Zhongyin, a representative of Northeastern University (Shenyang), spoke about this during a speech at the forum “Non-Ferrous Metals”. However, China and Western consortiums lag behind Russia in the development of this technology.

Despite serious competition, Rusal continues to lead the technology race. Even under pressure from sanctions, the company maintains its position as the largest aluminum producer outside China, and plans to launch industrial-scale production using inert anodes from 2026. Thus, a long-term development strategy based on investments in science and innovation allows Rusal not only to remain at the forefront of technological progress, but also to set new standards for the entire industry.