DTE and Nordural: a commercial step linking real-time analysis to low carbon aluminium production

An Icelandic SME backed by the European Innovation Council has closed a material commercial agreement with a major aluminium producer. DTE, a company that develops high technology equipment for process and quality control in the aluminium industry, signed a 1.85 million US dollar cooperation contract with Nordural. The deal covers delivery of DTE's real-time chemical composition analysis solution for four skimming stations in Nordural's new low-carbon billet casthouse.

What the contract covers and the project's scale

According to the announcement, DTE will supply its in-line analysis system to the new billet casthouse operated by Nordural, a Century Aluminum subsidiary in Iceland. The casthouse expansion is described as a 120 million dollar investment that will add a 150,000 tonnes per year billet production line. Nordural expects the casthouse to begin production in the first quarter of 2024. The company estimates approximately 90 jobs during construction and around 40 permanent positions when the plant is operational.

What DTE says its technology does

How in-line real-time analysis typically works in aluminium production

Real-time chemical analysis in aluminium plants is technically demanding. Molten metal temperatures are very high and the environment is corrosive and dusty. Commercial approaches to continuous or near-continuous analysis usually rely on optical methods such as laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, optical emission spectroscopy, or robust X-ray based sensors. These systems either sample a small stream of metal and analyse it in a protected chamber or perform non-contact laser interrogation through a window or probe. To be useful in process control the sensors must deliver repeatable results, remain calibrated against laboratory standards, withstand fouling and slag, and feed measurements into the plant control system for alloy additions and furnace management.

Technical and commercial caveats

Public descriptions of DTE's solution do not disclose the exact measurement principle, the frequency and latency of measurements, or details of calibration and traceability to laboratory reference methods. Those factors matter because performance in a controlled demonstration can be very different from long term operation in a casthouse. Sensors can drift, windows can foul, and dielectric or slag layers can distort readings. Integration work with plant control systems can also be non trivial. Operators will want independent verification that the readings meet specification limits for alloys used in billets and that maintenance and consumables costs do not erode the financial case.

Claims that the system will reduce emissions and energy consumption are plausible if the equipment enables fewer remelts and tighter process control. However those emission reductions are incremental compared with the dominant factor for Nordural which is the electricity source. Icelandic aluminium producers already have a low CO2 footprint thanks to near exclusive use of renewable electricity. The net emissions impact of improved online analysis therefore depends on how much it reduces material losses, rework and furnace energy per tonne.

Nordural, Natur-Al and the market for low carbon aluminium

Nordural emphasises its low carbon credentials. The company uses Icelandic renewable electricity and markets Natur-Al, a low-carbon aluminium product with a low CO2 footprint. Demand from European customers for low-carbon aluminium is growing as manufacturers seek to meet scope 3 emissions targets and regulatory pressure increases. Traceability and documented production data are becoming commercial differentiators in the market. For Nordural, an inline analysis system could create process data to support product claims and reduce downstream quality costs.

EIC support and what 'full blended grant' implies

Implications for the companies and the sector

For DTE the Nordural contract is a commercial reference and a revenue opportunity. Successful commissioning and reliable operation in a demanding casthouse would strengthen DTE's pitch when selling to other smelters and casthouses. For Nordural the investment forms part of a broader strategy to supply low-carbon aluminium to European customers and to secure process advantages in billet production.

For the wider aluminium sector the announcement is an example of digital and sensor technologies penetrating heavy industry. Inline process analytics are a component of industrial decarbonisation because they can improve yields and reduce energy intensity. At the same time the scale of emissions savings needs to be assessed plant by plant and audited independently.

Quote

DTE CEO Diego Areces commented on the contract. He said, "I’m very thankful and excited for this opportunity, which is a major milestone for DTE. Nordural has been one of our strategic partners and has remained a great supporter of DTE. We look forward to delivering on this commitment and contributing value to the new low-carbon billet casthouse project. In addition, we will continue working together, deploying DTE’s solution along Nordural’s production process to maximise operational efficiency, resilience, and sustainability."

Bottom line and open questions

The deal ties an EIC-backed sensor developer to a low-carbon aluminium producer in Iceland. The agreement is sensible from a commercial validation point of view, but several practical questions remain. These include the sensor measurement principle and longevity, the degree of independent verification of accuracy, the timeline for full commissioning, and the quantification of energy and emissions savings. Observers should look for third party test reports or plant-level performance data once the system is operating at scale.