PyroGenesis Inc. has completed the installation of seven Drosrite aluminium dross recovery systems at a purpose-built plant in Saudi Arabia, closing out its original contract with Radian Oil and Gas Services Company.
The Montreal-based technology provider said on October 15, 2026 that the final four systems are now installed and operational. Together the seven units can process up to 45,000 tonnes of aluminium dross a year, including the company's first two 10,000-tonne-per-year units.
Seven systems complete the original contract
Radian originally engaged PyroGenesis to design, engineer, install and commission seven Drosrite systems. The first three units, each rated at 5,000 tonnes per year, entered full commercial operation in April 2022 at a temporary facility while the permanent plant was being engineered and built. Those units have since been relocated to the purpose-built facility alongside the four newly operational systems.
The completed installation comprises two 5,000-tonne-per-year systems and two 10,000-tonne-per-year systems, with the larger pair described as the first of their capacity that PyroGenesis has deployed anywhere. The plant sits within what the company calls the world's largest vertically integrated aluminium production complex.
The company said further dross processing requirements could emerge as the surrounding aluminium complex continues to expand, though no additional contract has been announced.
Drosrite targets metal recovery from aluminium waste
Aluminium dross forms when oxygen meets molten aluminium and solid impurities rise to the surface, where they are skimmed off. According to PyroGenesis, the material can contain up to 80 per cent metallic aluminium mixed with oxides, salts, fluxing agents and other contaminants. The company estimates that smelters can lose between 2 and 10 per cent of their annual aluminium melt production through dross.
Traditionally the material has been landfilled or reprocessed using salt or chemicals, although appropriate treatment can recover metal and other materials for reuse. PyroGenesis says its patented Drosrite process can recover up to 98 per cent of the aluminium contained in dross, with lower operating costs and energy consumption than some conventional routes. The salt-free method is also designed to avoid generating hazardous salt cakes that require disposal, allowing dross to be processed on site.
- Capacity: seven systems totalling up to 45,000 tonnes per year
- Latest build: two 5,000-tonne and two 10,000-tonne-per-year units among the final four
- Recovery: company claim of up to 98 per cent aluminium recovery
President and CEO P. Peter Pascali said growing aluminium demand was increasing the need to manage production by-products effectively. He added that poorly processed or landfilled dross represents both a loss of recoverable material and an environmental challenge for the industry.
Rising output increases dross management needs
The deployment comes amid growth in global aluminium consumption and production. Figures cited in the announcement put total aluminium usage, including primary and recycled metal, at 100.8 million tonnes in 2024, up from 82 million tonnes in 2016. Smelter output rose from 59.9 million tonnes to 72.9 million tonnes over the same period.
The announcement also cites estimates that dross generation could grow by 3 to 4 per cent annually. Roughly 4.78 million tonnes was generated in 2024, while some estimates put annual generation as high as 8 million tonnes when smaller facilities and downstream operations are included. An estimated 30 to 40 per cent of dross, particularly from the secondary aluminium sector, continues to be landfilled.
Those figures underline the potential role of recovery technologies in reducing metal losses and managing waste as aluminium production expands.