Aluminum Breakthrough Brings Elysis Technology Closer to Market
By Mathieu Dion, Bloomberg News – November 13, 2025
A significant technological breakthrough by Elysis, a joint venture between Alcoa Corporation and Rio Tinto Plc, is bringing cleaner aluminum production closer to commercial reality. The innovative technology, aimed at producing aluminum with dramatically reduced environmental impact, recently achieved a major milestone at Rio Tinto’s Alma smelter in Quebec, Canada.
A New Era in Aluminum Production
Elysis has demonstrated that high-amperage aluminum smelting can be achieved without generating direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions—a key contributor to climate change. Traditional aluminum smelting processes release large amounts of CO2 as a result of using carbon anodes in electrolysis. The breakthrough technology replaces carbon anodes, eliminating these emissions during the production process.
“This program will allow us to pursue a broader deployment of this technology by the end of the decade,” said François Perras, CEO of Elysis, in an interview. He outlined plans for continued testing and refinement at the Alma smelter, with the ultimate goal of commercial development by 2030. ### Backed by Industry, Government, and Technology Leaders
Elysis started in 2018 as a joint research and development effort, initially supported by investments totaling approximately C$650 million (around $464 million USD). The venture enjoys backing not only from Alcoa and Rio Tinto but also from influential partners including technology giant Apple Inc., the Canadian federal government, and the province of Quebec.
The collaboration reflects a growing industry commitment to sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint within industrial operations. Achieving no direct CO2 emissions in primary aluminum production could be transformative for the sector, which is a major global source of greenhouse gases.
Looking Ahead
With the successful demonstration of the technology’s viability at an industrial scale, Elysis is set to move from development to demonstration and eventually to full commercialization. The timeline to market by 2030 aligns with global efforts to decarbonize heavy industries and meet increasingly stringent climate targets.
The advancement represents a hopeful step for the aluminum industry, which supplies a lightweight, widely used metal critical to sectors from automotive to aerospace and consumer electronics. Cleaner production methods such as those pioneered by Elysis could become a benchmark for environmentally responsible manufacturing in the future.
Market Snapshot (as of November 13, 2025):
- Copper: $5.0785 / lb (+0.34%)
- Brent Crude Oil: $64.29 / bbl (+1.97%)
- Aluminum Futures: $2,827 / ton (-0.89%)
- Natural Gas: $4.563 / Btu (-0.74%)
- Gold Futures: $4,171.2 / oz (-0.09%)
For more news on commodities, mining technology, and sustainable innovations, visit MINING.COM.
This article is part of ongoing coverage of breakthroughs in mining and metals technology, reflecting the sector’s evolving response to climate challenges.
