Innovation beyond ideas: Creating lasting value in aluminium

In my last couple of articles, I emphasised the application of AI as a tool to add value to Business. AI as an executable means to improve upon the target Operational and Business parameters and therefore, is considered an innovation which every Industry is aspiring for. In this article, I am rather interested in considering a topic on the definition of INNOVATION as a subject that often needs clarity for its better understanding.

In Industry, innovation is often used as a term which refers to an idea or a wish to enhance the present situation. No matter at what stage this ideation may be and how relevant and possible it is to bring it to a stage of implementation, this is where a quantifiable process needs to be adopted to judge the effectiveness of an idea to be treated as an INNOVATION.

A little deeper, innovation has three primary or core elements, namely;

• Novelty: Introducing a new concept which has not been in practice so far for an improvement to a standard process.
• Execution: Turning an abstract thought into a usable reality. An idea is creativity, but executing it for impact is innovation.)
• Value Creation: Producing a tangible benefit, such as increased revenue, improved user experience, or reduced costs.

In my experience, many industry professionals consider proposing any idea to be innovation in itself, no matter whether it is abstract or implementable. Understanding issues from a wide range of users of the product and process is essential. However, bringing an innovative solution is the job of a few selected experienced people with subject matter expertise or deep practical operational experience.

Why is the user of a product or process very important? Because from their experience perspectives, there can be users who have a very creative mind, which may bring innovation to a product or process. Hence, the essential element is a creative component and a fearless consequence, which will nurture innovation.

Still, it probably does not sound very clear for a smart definition. Actually, the subject itself in reality has much more complexity than we can think of. There is a clear line distinction that is required. Today, most corporations follow Patenting Novel ideas as a benchmark of Innovation. They follow what is called the creation and legal protection of IP by publishing patents. A patent has to be based upon a novel idea which can be clearly defined by scientific laws & principles with proper validation.

Let us now examine a few examples. I have published a patent on preprocessing bauxite before it enters the digestion circuit to reduce red mud generation and enhance alumina extraction. In my opinion, in the near future, the process may be an integral part of a refinery since it is economic and energy efficient.

Image used for representational purpose

Secondly, the separation and recovery of gallium from the bauxite digestive liquor of the alumina refinery is of huge techno-economic value. Challenges for this are many from an operational perspective. However, a solution to separate gallium while maintaining alumina productivity is possible and therefore represents a step-ahead innovation in the processing circuit.

Critical minerals like Scandium are very well observed in the bauxite residue. Scandium is of very high importance as an alloying element with Aluminium. However, recovery of Scandium, which is hardly 100 ppm in concentration, from bauxite residue is a big challenge both in technical and economic terms. Therefore, innovation to beat the challenges is essential. Scandium aluminium alloys are of extremely high strength and very good corrosion resistance. However, the economic challenge due to the high price of Scandium needs innovation to address this. Thus, innovation is a culture which is deeply integrated to enhance the value of a product, reduce fluctuation in a process, reduce energy consumption and result in a sustainable business solution. Innovation needs investment in terms of advanced tools, human talent and sustained effort. Innovation is a necessity for all the said parameters. Sustainability itself is possible by means of innovation and this will come from Human Talent, rarely from any AI tool.

Also read – Aluminium: A differentiated material in the expansion of the AI industry

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