Aluminum’s Energy Revolution: How Scrap Metal Could Power Heavy Industry

The Aluminum Energy Breakthrough

In a Boston laboratory, a startup is preparing for what could be the most significant real-world test of aluminum as an industrial fuel source. Found Energy, led by CEO Peter Godart, has developed technology that transforms ordinary aluminum scrap into a zero-carbon energy source capable of powering manufacturing facilities and heavy industrial processes. After two years of small-scale development, the company has now activated what it claims is the world’s largest aluminum-water reactor, setting the stage for a revolutionary approach to industrial energy.

The Aluminum Energy Breakthrough
From Laboratory to Factory Floor
Why Aluminum as Fuel?
The Historical Challenge
Found Energy’s Catalytic Breakthrough
Industrial Applications and Climate Impact
The Road Ahead

From Laboratory to Factory Floor

Early next year, Found Energy’s technology will undergo its most critical test yet when it’s installed at a tool manufacturing facility in the southeastern United States. The system will provide both heat and hydrogen to the facility while using the plant’s own aluminum waste as fuel. This closed-loop approach represents a potential breakthrough for industrial decarbonization, particularly for processes that are difficult to electrify directly.

“We invented the fuel, which is a blessing and a curse,” Godart explains from his laboratory, surrounded by the complex network of pipes and wires that make up the experimental reactor. “It’s a huge opportunity for us, but it also means we do have to develop all of the systems around us. We’re redefining what even is an engine.”, according to technological advances

Why Aluminum as Fuel?

Aluminum’s potential as an energy source has fascinated engineers for decades due to its remarkable energy density properties. Once refined and smelted from ore, aluminum metal contains more than twice as much energy as diesel fuel by volume and almost eight times as much as hydrogen gas. The fundamental chemistry is straightforward: when aluminum reacts with oxygen from water or air, it forms aluminum oxides while releasing substantial heat and hydrogen gas that can be captured for zero-carbon power generation., according to technology insights

However, aluminum’s natural tendency to form a protective oxidized layer has historically prevented its widespread use as a fuel. “It’s like a fire that puts itself out as it generates ash,” Godart notes, explaining why aluminum doesn’t spontaneously combust despite its energy potential., as previous analysis, according to market developments

The Historical Challenge

The concept of aluminum as fuel has faced significant skepticism from the scientific community. Metallurgist Geoff Scamans of Brunel University London, who spent a decade working on aluminum-powered vehicles in the 1980s, represents the cautious perspective: “This potential use of aluminum crops up every few years and has no possibility of success even if aluminum scrap is used as the fuel source.”

Scamans argues that the fundamental energy economics don’t add up, given the substantial energy required to refine aluminum from ore initially. “A crazy idea is always a crazy idea,” he maintains, highlighting the longstanding scientific consensus that has discouraged further investment in aluminum energy systems.

Found Energy’s Catalytic Breakthrough

What sets Found Energy’s approach apart is a fundamental rethinking of the catalytic process. Rather than traditional methods that attempt to bring water and aluminum together on a catalyst surface, the company developed what Godart describes as a “flipped around” approach.

“The real breakthrough was thinking about catalysis in a different way,” Godart explains. “We found a material that we could actually dissolve into the aluminum.”

The company’s proprietary liquid metal catalyst permeates the aluminum’s microstructure, preventing the formation of the protective oxide layer that typically stops the reaction. As the aluminum reacts with water, the catalyst forces the metal to froth and split open, continuously exposing fresh, unreacted aluminum to the water and maintaining the energy-releasing reaction.

Industrial Applications and Climate Impact

The potential applications for this technology are particularly promising for industries that require high-temperature heat:

Cement production – where temperatures exceeding 1,400°C are typically generated using fossil fuels
Metal refining and smelting – energy-intensive processes that are difficult to electrify
Manufacturing facilities – particularly those generating aluminum waste as a byproduct
Hydrogen production – creating both heat and hydrogen gas simultaneously

For visual learners interested in the underlying chemistry, this educational video demonstrates aluminum-water reactions and their energy potential.

The Road Ahead

The upcoming installation at the unnamed manufacturing facility represents more than just another clean energy experiment—it’s a test of whether aluminum can transition from laboratory curiosity to practical industrial fuel. If successful, the technology could transform how we think about both energy storage and industrial waste, creating a circular economy where manufacturing byproducts become valuable energy resources.

As Godart and his team prepare for this crucial demonstration, the industrial energy sector watches closely. The success or failure of this real-world test could determine whether aluminum finally takes its place as a viable zero-carbon fuel or remains what skeptics have long considered it: an engineer’s promising but impractical dream.