Aluminum in US coins By Daniel Borodin, Mustaffa Jaffar, et al.

Sustainability-Team Definition Sustainability is a method of economic use of Earths resources by creating more efficient systems, through technological advancement It is a way to ensure that humans live in harmony with nature and that future generations will have access to important resources for survival

Rationale for Change Our team was looking for something that was both very common and useful if made more sustainable Our goal was to choose a product which could easily and effectively be changed without causing further waste of resources We want to make changes on a bigger scale, not only at University, to help economy and the environment

Original Design-Comparison The coin design and the method of producing a master hub from which the coins could be duplicated will be the same However, aluminum- containing coins could help save money because of the usefulness of certain properties of the metal

New coinage In the new design we will attempt to change the composition of Dimes, Quarters, and Nickels Dimes and Quarter, which consist of 8.333% nickel and rest copper, will be changed to containing 2.5% Cu, same Ni, and rest Al Due to uncertainty in the alloys properties, the % of Al might have to be lowered Nickels, with 25% Ni and rest Copper will be changed to having 2.5% Cu, same Ni, and rest Al

Advantages of Aluminum Aluminum is one of the most malleable metals and has lower melting point: its an advantage because making coins requires heating the alloy to make stamping possible, so with Al less heat can be used Alloys are known to be harder that pure metals, so Al-Cu-Ni alloy would also not wear out because of its resistance to corrosion Aluminum is the most conductive metal per weight, which could make coins easily detected by vending machines, examined for fakeness, and counted with lasers

Since Aluminum is lighter than Copper, the main component of US coins, using Aluminum could reduce transportation and handling costs and would be easier to handle by regular people Aesthetic look to Al alloys would make good-looking coins Since heating tarnishes the coins in normal production, they must be fed to a tank filled with chemicals that would restore its shine Al alloys, with their luster, could make away with the tank and reduce spending even further

Cost estimateOld design vs. New As previously shown, less energy could be used overall: electricity, chemicals, fuel When coins are punched, the remaining scrap will be easier to recycle, adding to overall efficiency and sustainability The new coin manufacturing may rely on fewer machines due to properties of Al metal

* Production cost assumed to be the same Saving Calculations Type# made in 2012 Old per coin cost New per coin cost* Total savings per year assuming same # Quarter568,010, cents8.367 cents15.75 m$ Nickel1,023,600, cents9.179 cents20.48 m$ Dime1,676,000, cents4.515 cents19.02 m$ TOTAL~55.25 m$

Implementation Our teams future research on the specific alloy and the method of preparing it could be submitted to the US bursary Make a prototype coin and measure energy costs and savings Test the coin for physical properties such as impact absorption, tensile strength, reduction in area, conductivity, specific heat, etc. Spread news about possible savings and make a report with all the steps thoroughly explained and comparisons stated Make a survey/ surveys to see how many people support the idea of changing the metal in coins to aluminum

Simple block diagram Creation of Alloy Forming alloy into Metal Sheets Stamping coins, easier than before Heating coins, easier than before Washing, drying, and upsetting, also easier Arranging and transporting Craps are collected Lower boiling point of aluminum allows easier fractional distillation Purification of aluminum and reuse