ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY/AUGUST 2025 25 agencies (FHWA, ASHTO) to highlight the benefits of changing the recycled content of road signage. The U.S. DOT 2022 Sustainability Plan calls for a Sustainable Procurement goal, with a priority to: “Initiate a Low Carbon Procurement Pilot Program to increase the acquisition of goods…to support GHG reduction goals[18].” From an infrastructure standpoint, the effort to “decarbonize” road signage by replacement of 5052 could be a first step. Extrusion alloys such as 6061 (containing Cr) and 6063 (low Fe, Mn) present similar recycling problems to that of 5052 and are specified for highway architecture such as lighting standards and railroad crossing barriers in addition to highway signage. As with the 5052 example discussed in detail, European producers offer alternate 6xxx alloys with the option for higher recycled content. ~AM&P For more information: Robert Sanders, senior technical advisor, Novelis Global Research and Technology Center, Kennesaw, GA, 803.580.1487, robert.sanders@novelis.adityabirla.com. References 1. P. Hobson, Hydro-Powered Smelters Charge Premium Prices for “Green” Aluminium, Reuters News, August 2017. 2. Rio Tinto and Alcoa Corporation, joint press release, May 2018. 3. R.A. Fielding, Triple M Metal Defines the Paradigm in Aluminum Recycling, Light Metal Age, August 2006. 4. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Standard Specification for Construction of Roads and Bridges on Federal Highway Projects, FP-14, 2014. 5. The Aluminum Association, Aluminum Standards and Data, 2017. 6. New York City Department of Transportation, How NYC’s Stop Signs are Made, December 20, 2012, youtu.be/ fvDn8Xx3B_M?si=FHlZlSCvUSXY2KzC. 7. Interstate Signways Inc., Little Rock, AR, How We Make It: Episode 8, and How We Make It: Episode 7, youtu.be/ 5A27hPL5JEw?si=LfKD8PNgEZkcUHFJ, youtu.be/XIlvRV8R3D4?si=IRED_hto8- VOLUtmT. 8. South Carolina Department of Transportation, How Are Highway Signs Made?, January 31, 2018, youtube.com/ watch?v=KDeha_NjXZM. 9. Texas Department of Transportation, Recycled Materials in Sign Blanks, memorandum, 2022. 10. E.H. Dix, Jr. and J.J. Bowman, Fifty Years of Aluminum Alloy Development, Metals and Alloys, Vol. 7, p 29-34, February 1936. 11. The Aluminum Association, Teal Sheets, International Alloy Designations and Chemical Composition Limits for Wrought Aluminum and Wrought Aluminum Alloys, August 2018. 12. Speira Aluminium, speira.com/ markets-products/shipbuilding-trans- port/traffic. 13. U.S. Geological Survey. 14. International Aluminum Institute, London, UK, bit.ly/4k82EzO. 15. A. Home, Beer, Not Tariffs Will Boost U.S. Aluminium Capacity, Reuters, February 11, 2025. 16. B.V. Costello, Private communi- cation, November 2024. 17. N. Kamp, Novelis-Europe, estimate, September 2024. 18. U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Sustainability Plan, July 2022. Are you maximizing your ASM membership? Expand your knowledge and apply your ASM International member-only discounts to a variety of professional development resources: • Reference Materials • ASM Handbooks Online • Technical Journals • Continuing Education Courses Learn more about your membership benefits by visiting: asminternational.org/membership
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