Final Assessment of Preindustrial Solid-State Route for High-Performance Mg-System Alloys Production: Concluding the EU Green Metallurgy Project

The Green Metallurgy Project, a LIFE+ project co-financed by the European Union Commission, has now been completed. The purpose of the Green Metallurgy Project was to establish and assess a preindustrial process capable of using nanostructured-based high-performance Mg-Zn(Y) magnesium alloys and fully recycled eco-magnesium alloys. In this work, the Consortium presents the final outcome and verification of the completed prototype construction. To compare upstream cradle-to-grave footprints when ternary nanostructured Mg-Y-Zn alloys or recycled eco-magnesium chips are produced during the process cycle using the same equipment, a life cycle analysis was completed following the ISO 14040 methodology. During tests to fine tune the prototype machinery and compare the quality of semifinished bars produced using the scaled up system, the Buhler team produced interesting and significant results. Their tests showed the ternary Mg-Y-Zn magnesium alloys to have a highest specific strength over 6000 series wrought aluminum alloys usually employed in automotive components.