Business
Constellium SE and TARMAC Aerosave will explore the development of technologies and processes to recover aluminium from end-of-life aircraft, and reutilize it within the aerospace value chain, while maintaining material properties and performance.
The footprint of aluminium compares very favorably with competing materials used in aircraft production, and recycled aluminium adds to this advantage. Recycled aluminium uses just 5% of the energy required for primary metal production, which results in 95% fewer CO2 emissions for the aluminium produced for commercial aircraft.
The project will benefit from TARMAC Aerosave’s expertise in end-of-life aircraft dismantling and valorization and Constellium’s know-how in metallurgy, aluminium recycling and alloy design. The goal of this project is to demonstrate that aluminium can reach full circularity in complex aerospace applications.
“Dismantling of the aircraft, and re-use of components and materials are already part of our core business”, said Sebastien Medan, Facility and EHS Director for TARMAC Aerosave. “This collaboration with Constellium encourages us to explore the valorization of the end-of-life airframes even further, and to expand our contribution towards the ambitious decarbonation targets set by the commercial aviation sector.”
“Recycling is at the core of Constellium’s strategy,” commented Ingrid Joerg, President of Constellium’s Aerospace & Transportation business unit. “Returning aluminium from end-of-life metallic aircraft structures back into our process is critical to achieving full circularity for commercial aviation. Aircraft recycling currently faces many technical challenges, but every effort to decarbonize the aerospace industry is necessary. As a technology and market leader in aluminium solutions, Constellium is committed to play its part.”