Advancing the Recycling of High-Quality Aluminum Alloys
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Producing aluminum requires considerable resources and energy, making recycling particularly important for this lightweight metal. Recovering aluminum from end-of-life (EoL) products and production scrap consumes just five percent of the energy required to manufacture primary aluminum. However, recycling remains challenging because aluminum alloys contain various elements that are practically impossible to separate from one another. Current practices of mixing different end-of-life alloys inevitably result in downcycling and reduce the availability of high-quality raw materials.
At the LKR Light Metal Competence Center, an AIT subsidiary, researchers are pursuing a new approach through the EU-funded project RecAL (Recycling technologies for circular ALuminium). Together with 19 partner organizations from nine European countries, the initiative aims to transform the European aluminum industry through advanced recycling technologies, digital connectivity, and innovative alloying strategies. Its objective is to advance the transition toward a circular economy by examining every stage of the production and reuse cycle across the entire value chain.
Building Europe-Wide Networks and Improving the Purity of Recycled Materials
RecAL is developing solutions that allow a greater proportion of recycled material to be incorporated into alloy designs without compromising material properties. The project also involves the development of digitally controlled sorting processes. Another key component is the digital “RecAL Hub,” which intelligently connects recycled material streams with innovative recycling technologies, buyers, and producers. This platform is considered an important step toward replacing linear material flows with a closed-loop system.
Beyond materials research, the initiative focuses on sensor technology, robotics, and digital twins to ensure that aluminum flows can be monitored and managed efficiently and transparently throughout their entire life cycle. These technologies are intended to produce recycled material streams with significantly higher purity. By connecting stakeholders across Europe, RecAL aims to substantially increase the use of secondary aluminum, preserve resources, and sustainably reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.
“With RecAL, we want to show that high-tech and the circular economy are not mutually exclusive,” explains Gerald Prantl, project manager at LKR. Establishing a Europe-wide aluminum recycling system would create the basis for an industrial future that combines environmental sustainability with competitiveness while strengthening Europe’s resilience in securing this valuable raw material.
The RecAL project will continue until 2028. Its innovative approach and anticipated impact on European industry have already attracted considerable public attention. In 2025, the initiative received the ÖGUT Environmental Prize in the category “Toward a Circular Economy Through Research & Innovation.”
Applied Research as a Driver of Industrial Competitiveness
Europe’s future competitiveness will increasingly depend on how quickly new research findings can be converted into market-ready technologies and practical applications. Applied research at the interface of science, technology, and industrial use is therefore particularly important. The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology plays a key role in this area by aligning its research activities closely with industrial requirements and current societal challenges.
AIT’s research delivers tangible results and develops solutions that benefit businesses, society, and ultimately everyone.
About AIT
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria’s largest research and technology organization, employing more than 1,600 people who work on key infrastructure challenges of the future.
Its research activities are centered on two closely connected priorities: “Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructures,” with a particular focus on energy, transportation, and health, and the “Digital Transformation of the Economy and Society.”
AIT works in close collaboration with industrial partners and clients from public institutions. Research and development are essential drivers of innovation across industry, the economy, and society. They help secure employment and prosperity while strengthening Austria and Europe as competitive business locations.
Discover the AIT Impact Report 2026
The AIT Impact Report 2026 presents around 30 examples of how AIT, in cooperation with partners from industry, academia, and the public sector, translates research into practical solutions.
The featured projects cover a broad range of topics, including the digitalization of industrial processes, resilient infrastructure, sustainable energy and industrial systems, health, mobility, security, and the circular economy.
The AIT Impact Report 2026 is available online at www.ait.ac.at/impact-report.