720129PAH Free PasteClosedGRD Development of PrototypeInnovate UKBawtry Carbon is the only UK manufacturer of cathodes and ramming paste which is a critical part of the aluminium smelting industry. We export around 90% of our production worldwide. Ramming paste is one of the key materials for electrolysis of Aluminium as it is critical for the performance of the cell and has a significant impact on emissions. The paste is required to have the right properties after densification and baking to avoid poor cell performance and it must also decrease the emissions of hazardous compounds. We wish to develop a ‘green’ ramming paste for the aluminium industry which does not contain Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Currently Coal Tar Pitch (CTP) is used as a binder to manufacture the ramming paste. CTP is carcinogenic and toxic and has other adverse environmental and health effects. Recent REACH regulations at European level declared CTP as a substance of high concern. It has also been included in a candidate list which could eventually be banned. Consequently the aluminium, graphite, steel and calcium carbide industries are keen to find a substitute for CTP. Our new product will not only be PAH free, but will also have the same characteristics and properties of traditional ramming paste with the additional benefit of an extended shelf life over currently available products which have a maximum of 6 months. A target of our project is to extend shelf life to approximately 8-9 months. Unlike conventional paste, our PAH free paste will also be classed as non-hazardous waste which will have major environmental benefits. We have been working on achieving proof of concept using a number of potential binders and have identified a promising binder. We conducted some preliminary experiments to achieve proof of concept. We now wish to undertake this development project to scale up the process and achieve working prototypes which we can validate and measure in a mock up cell.