Rusal achieved primary aluminum production with vanadium content reduced tenfold, marking a meaningful milestone in the development of inert anode technology. This progress aims to lessen the environmental footprint of aluminum manufacturing and bolster Russia’s position as a supplier of environmentally responsible metal. The information was released by the company’s press service.
Rusal technical director Victor Mann explained that reducing vanadium content to microscopic values, nearly to zero, serves as a distinctive sign of metal produced using inert anode technology.
“Aluminum produced with carbon anodes using conventional technology inevitably contains impurities of heavy metals from carbon anodes made from petroleum coke. We now have a key capability where all our customers can reliably distinguish molten metal produced with inert anode technology,” he said.
Vanadium and several other heavy metals appear in small amounts in carbon anodes used for electrolysis by the global aluminum industry for over a century. Even tiny concentrations of heavy metals from carbon anodes can enter the primary aluminum and impact material performance.
Industry observers note that vanadium reduction improves conductivity and lowers energy use across aluminum value chain, delivering benefits to utilities. The energy sector—one of the four largest aluminum-consuming industries worldwide—relies on aluminum wire rod as the main material for cables, spanning from backbone networks to on-premises cabling. The improved purity and conductivity associated with inert anode aluminum support more efficient power transmission and distribution.
“The use of wire rod produced from inert aluminum opens new opportunities for customers; the near elimination of heavy metal impurities minimizes energy losses and makes this wire rod an ideal choice for energy-saving solutions,” emphasized Alexander Krokhin, director in the development department of foundry technologies and new products at Rusal. Alexander Gusev, manager of the “Electrolyzer with inert anode” project at the RUSAL ITC, noted that the multifunctional composition of the inert anode results from years of research and steady improvements in the company’s technology, offering solutions to a range of technical and environmental challenges.
It is worth recalling that RUSAL began testing electrolyzers with inert anodes in 2017, with plans to commercially introduce the technology around 2026.
ITC’s inert-anode technology traces back to 2002, initiated by industrialist Oleg Deripaska, founder of Rusal.