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São Luís Municipality

Aluminium Smelter in Brazil. Approximate location -2.61189, -44.31483.

Aluminium SmelterBrazilCO₂ reported

São Luís Municipality is an aluminium smelter in Brazil with a reported capacity of 4,134,539 t of alumina/aluminum. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment. By capacity it ranks #1 among 6 aluminium smelters in Brazil. It emits about 6,865,403 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 1.6 million passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 21% below the national median for this sector.

4,134,539t of alumina/aluminum
6,865,403t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#5CO₂ rank in Brazil
1.66t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3672956.

Data status

Known source data

FacilitySão Luís Municipality Climate TRACE
CountryBrazil Climate TRACE
Coordinates-2.61189, -44.31483 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoraluminum Climate TRACE
Reported capacity4,134,539 t of alumina/aluminum Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e6,865,403 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Brazil rank#5 of 130 · top 3.8% calculated
Global aluminum rank#7 of 257 · top 2.7% calculated
Climate contextderived from coordinates calculated

Not available

Owner / operatorNot available not in dataset
Fuel typeNot available not in dataset
Thermal capacity (MW)Not available not in dataset

Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.

Similar facilities by modelled emissions

Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.

Operating power plants within 50 km

PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.

In context: how this facility compares

At 4,134,539 t of alumina/aluminum, São Luís Municipality is well above the median aluminium smelter in Brazil (480,000 t of alumina/aluminum). Subsector: aluminum. As aluminium smelter, it requires high process heat (typically 600–900°C) for its core industrial operations — heat that must be supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion, and losses through uninsulated vessels and piping represent wasted fuel. Removable modular insulation can cut those losses by 80–96%, surface-cooling equipment to ≤45°C, with payback often under 2 years. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.

Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.

What 6,865,403 t CO₂e a year looks like

This facility's reported annual CO₂e in everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:

1.6 millioncars driven for a year
895khomes' annual energy use
114 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 6.9M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), São Luís Municipality carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 6.9M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €517M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. The fastest decarbonization lever is energy efficiency: eliminating heat loss on hot equipment (removable insulation, steam & waste-heat recovery) typically cuts 2–5% of fuel-related CO₂ — here ≈137k t–343k t/yr, worth €10.3M€25.9M, with payback up to 2 years. No domestic carbon price — but cement, steel, aluminium, fertilizer and hydrogen exported to the EU face CBAM at €75/t (rising to 100% by 2034).

6.9M t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€517M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
137k t–343k t/yr ≈ €10.3M€25.9MDecarbonization potential

Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/t · EU ETS €79/t, July 2, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Efficiency range: US DOE / ASTM C680 (method). Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice. Estimate the saving for this site →

Capacity vs largest aluminium smelters in Brazil

São Luís Municipality: 4,134,539 t of alumina/aluminum4.1MSão Luís M…Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter: 3,850,000 t of alumina/aluminum3.9MSao Luis A…Sorocaba aluminium plant: 480,000 t of alumina/aluminum480kSorocaba a…São Luis aluminium plant: 465,000 t of alumina/aluminum465kSão Luis a…Belem aluminium plant: 460,000 t of alumina/aluminum460kBelem alum…Poços de Caldas Municipality: 141,756 t of alumina/aluminum142kPoços de C…

Reported capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).

Local climate

São Luís Municipality sits in a tropical savanna climate zone (Köppen Aw), at 2.6°S in the southern hemisphere.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~29°Ctypical warm-season
Tropical savanna: hot and humid year-round with little seasonal variation

Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

The local climate sets how fast unprotected steel, protective coatings and the insulation on hot process equipment degrade at this site. It sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
49/100environmental-severity index
1.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
40 kmdistance to coast
Very highCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1231 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.95× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1169 W/m² of that. Reference-surface calculation at a 150 °C surface from WorldClim climate normals (ASTM C680 / ISO 12241) — an indicative per-climate comparison, not a measurement of this site’s specific equipment. Open method dataset: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20787408 (CC BY 4.0).

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby sites

The #1 largest of 6 aluminium smelters in Brazil by reported capacity.

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates -2.61189, -44.31483. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a aluminium smelter, the main modular-insulation targets are alumina calciner, casthouse furnaces, hot ducting (electrolysis itself is electric). Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–1,000 °C °C.

electrolysis is mostly electricity (Scope 2) + anode process; on-site combustion small - insulation mainly relevant to alumina refining/casthouse.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 4,200 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 840 t CO₂e/year of avoided emissions. Screening estimate scaled from installed process-heat projects and surface-temperature reduction data.

See Inzonex Modular Insulation → Run the calculator →

Screening calculation from facility class, capacity and open emissions/energy context. Engineering survey required before procurement.

Safety & the no-regret first step

Start with a thermal survey of valves, flanges, doors and bends. Removable modular insulation keeps maintenance access open while lowering exposed-surface temperature and wasted heat.

External climate finance your country can access

For energy-efficiency projects around process heat, likely external funding channels include:

CBAM. Exporters of cement, steel, aluminium, fertiliser, hydrogen and electricity to the EU face the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — cutting embedded emissions (efficiency + insulation) lowers the levy.

Sources: country climate-finance facilities and public development-bank programmes.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is São Luís Municipality?

São Luís Municipality is a aluminium smelter in Brazil. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.

What capacity is reported for São Luís Municipality?

The open dataset reports 4,134,539 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for São Luís Municipality.

How much CO₂ does São Luís Municipality emit?

The page uses about 6,865,403 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #5 among facilities in Brazil by reported CO₂.

Where is São Luís Municipality located?

São Luís Municipality is in Brazil at approximately -2.61189, -44.31483.

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