Drives & Controls Magazine February 2023

NEWS n ABB HAS FORMED a strategic co-operation with Boliden, a Swedish mining and smelting company, to use low-carbon footprint copper in its high-efficiency electric motors. The aim is to cut greenhouse gas emissions while driving the transition to a circular economy. Copper is vital for electrical equipment, but its production is energy-intensive. Boliden has developed a low-carbon copper that is mined using fossil-free energy. It is also producing copper using rawmaterial from recycled products. The carbon footprint of products using“green”copper is 65% lower than the industry average. A typical 75kWmotor weighing 650kg includes around 80kg of copper. Using low-carbon-footprint copper will save about 200kg of CO 2 emissions for eachmotor. ABB has a strategic goal of cutting the environmental impact of rawmaterials in its products by replacing themwith lower carbon alternatives. As well as using recycled copper, the company is increasing its use of recycled electrical steel and aluminium. ABB is already designing its motors to be up to 98% recyclable, with the remaining 2% capable of being incinerated to produce heat. It estimates that recycling copper, aluminium and steel can achieve energy savings of 75–95% compared to virgin production of these materials. Starting this year, ABB will buy low-carbon and recycled copper from Boliden for use in its IE5“ultra-premium”efficiency SynRM synchronous reluctance motors, as well as e-mobility motors. ABB will also help Boliden to identify inefficient LV motors in its plants, which could be replaced by high-efficiency machines and the old motors recycled to provide rawmaterials for Boliden’s low-carbon copper. ABB has also placed the first order for Boliden’s certified recycled copper which will be turned into hollow-conductor wires for use in electromagnetic stirrers used to manufacture steel and aluminium. Motors using ‘green’ copper will each save about 200kg of CO 2 emissions ABB will use Bolliden’s recycled and low-carbon copper to produce synchronous reluctance and e-mobilitymotors