India’s renewable energy transition is gathering pace, with installed renewable power capacity surpassing 300 gigawatts (GW) in 2026, almost quadrupling over the past decade. The country has also achieved its target of sourcing 50 per cent of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources five years ahead of schedule, strengthening its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing clean energy markets. The expansion is beginning to deliver measurable energy security benefits by reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, while competitive renewable power costs and expanding domestic manufacturing are opening new investment opportunities. However, sustaining this momentum will require substantial improvements in electricity transmission, storage infrastructure and...
Glencore has defended its progress on the Aurukun bauxite project in Queensland, saying it has met all commitments under its licence conditions, as calls for greater scrutiny mount over its proposed sale to Rio Tinto. Queensland MP Robbie Katter, a member of the Parliamentary Primary Industries and Resources Committee, is seeking an inquiry into the deal. The reported sale value has been put at USD 250 million, though this figure has not been confirmed. Katter questioned why a multinational company should hold a public resource without developing it and then sell its interests. He said, “That resource is owned by the people of Queensland, it’s not the government’s to play around with, or for any of these global mining companies to just trade.” Explore the production, demand and...
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The Valencia-based start-up, Recycap has raised €400,000 in funding to simplify the recycling of coffee capsules and amp up the company’s commercial operations. Nowadays, one can brew fresh coffee at home with a simple press of a key. Plastic or aluminium coffee pods are found worldwide for small or commercial coffee machines. But very few people consider that these coffee pods have a very harmful effect on the environment. It has been estimated that over 4.9 billion coffee pods are dumped in landfills and forgotten yearly. It may take 500 years for each capsule to decompose entirely. It is extremely important to carve out a standard method for safely recycling coffee pods. Recycap has introduced an automated REACT technology to collect, sort and recycle used coffee capsules. The start-up...
On March 31, 2023, Alcoa Corporation announced that its engineering crews are repairing Alumar's two-belt system that conveys raw materials from the pier. On March 25, 2023, the conveyance system—which transports bauxite, coal, coke, and pitch—broke down, blocking the offloading of supplies. The pier is undamaged and fully functional. As a result of the failure of the conveyance system, the refinery and smelter have been working on alternative delivery methods and planning repairs. Daily alumina refinery production will be reduced by approximately 25 per cent for about ten days to conserve existing bauxite inventories. The nameplate capacity of the Alumar refinery is 3,860,000 tonnes per year, of which Alcoa's combined capacity is 2,084,000 tonnes. For the smelter's raw materials,...
Founded in 2015, BEG Destilaria Boutique, the luxury spirits company known for its famous artisanal gin, chose aluminium as its packaging material for refill bottles. The refill bottle is nine times lighter than glass, which means less fossil fuel per volume transported. BEG makes all its products by hand, diluting the resultant spirit with water rather than neutral alcohol to obtain the ABV needed for bottling after distilling the botanicals. Aluminium cans, lighter glass bottles and aseptic cartons were all options that BEG looked into for the refill bottle. Instead, it opted for a 500-mL aluminium bottle, which Marcelo Nery, Coordinator of R&D at Trivium Packaging-Brazil, claims is made using an innovative alloy and results in a 48-g container lightweight and has a less carbon...
Winning Logistics in Guinea awarded Konecranes an order for two Konecranes Gottwald Cranes on Barge in the first quarter of 2023. Winning will use ten Konecranes Gottwald Cranes on Barge to load ships with bauxite off the coast of West Africa after on-site commissioning in Q3 2024. Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses serving customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes Gottwald Cranes on Barge are specially designed and constructed to ensure continuous material flow on water, even in harsh marine conditions. They are built to Lloyd's Register Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment and can operate in winds of up to 24 m/s and at maximum wave heights of 2.5 m. Sun Zhijun, the Vice President of...
India’s top three aluminium players – NALCO, Hindalco, and Vedanta have elevated their aluminium ingot and aluminium products this week in tandem with the LME aluminium benchmark price hike. NALCO this week, with effect from Tuesday, March 28, lifted its aluminium ingot price by INR 5,600 per tonne or 2.6 per cent to INR 221,450-224,950 per tonne versus INR 215,850- 219,350 per tonne on March 18. NALCO’s aluminium wire rod and billets prices also experienced an increase of INR 5,600 per tonne from the previous prices , settling INR 225,950-230,300 per tonne and INR 225,900-228,550 per tonne, respectively. Hindalco’s aluminium ingot price saw two consecutive hikes this week on March 28 and March 30 by INR 3,500 per tonne and INR 6,000 per tonne, respectively. With the two successive hike,...
Alumex PLC, a sister concern of Hayleys Group and one of the largest producers of state-of-the-art aluminium profiles, has vouched to add variations to its value-added services to strengthen its rank as a leading industry exporter. After being coroneted by some prime award-giving organisations in 2022, Alumex PLC has embarked on a journey to make a measurable impact on the international and regional markets. The aluminium profiles manufacturer is now going to commercialise its patented do-it-yourself (DIY) solutions for the indigenous market. The new DIY series covering a vast range of the company’s newly introduced products are mainly designated for residential application. Alumex has been making major investments in enhancing its high-tech melting plant in Sapugaskanda to keep...
Sustainability is one of the most important and prime aspects of the industry. Top brands like Dove launched the Dove Body Wash in recyclable aluminium packaging and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) packaging to address environmental concerns. The package includes a pump container made of aluminium or HDPE meant to be reused and a 118-millilitre HDPE refill bottle that holds body wash concentrate. Each HDPE container can be recycled. Dove Body Wash's recyclable packaging from Unilever encourages customers to choose refill packets made of biodegradable materials rather than single-use plastic bottles. The packing for refill concentrates and reuse bottles follow the 'buy once and refill numerous times' strategy reducing plastic pollution. For the same amount of Dove Body Wash, customers use...
As part of a joint venture, Gränges and Shandong Innovation Metal (group) Technology are on the go for constructing a recycling and casting facility in Yunnan , a hydropower-rich area in China. However, it has also been confirmed that the joint venture has secured access to low-carbon primary aluminium through energy-efficient delivery from a nearby smelter and renewable energy for casting operations. In order to reach its 2040 net-zero goal, Gränges' carbon footprint will be significantly reduced thanks to this strategic alliance. Additionally, it will make it possible for Gränges to satisfy Asian customers' requests for industry-leading sustainable aluminium solutions. The latest industry-focused report, ‘Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2023’ released by AlCircle, states China...
In an effort to maximise process efficiency and reduce unscheduled downtime, Emerson, the American multinational corporation, recently introduced its aluminum filter regulators, an alternative to stainless steel filter regulators. The ASCO™ Series 641, 642, and 643 aluminum filter regulators precisely control downstream instruments' pressure and can manage the largest flow rates of any regulators in its class. The regulators also increase process efficiency and guarantee that strict process valve opening/closing criteria, such as those for emergency shutdown valves, are satisfied thanks to the market's highest flow rate capabilities of up to 370.8 standard cubic feet per minute (10,500 litres per minute). More air is sent to the valve actuator at higher flow rates, speeding up the opening...
Samsung has recently launched a sturdy 4TB solid-state drive (SSD) called T7 Shield, which resembles an ATM card. The outside of the T7 Shield SSD is essentially made of aluminium that can be 100% recycled at the end of its life. The T7 Shield SSD though not bigger than an ATM card, can throttle a reading capacity of 1,050 MB/s and a writing speed of 1,000 MB/s. Samsung has incorporated aluminium in the device to make it more robust and adaptable to any given condition. The company claims this SSD is perfect for creative professionals who love travelling. The Samsung T7 Shield SSD has a storage capacity of about 4TB and a USB 3.2 Gen2 connection. The company has also claimed that the new SSD is almost 9.5 times swifter than the available external hard disks in the market, leading to an...
On Thursday, March 30, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced that it successfully certified AS Oxidwerke against Performance Standard V3 (2022) Certification for recycling aluminium salt slags of varying compositions into aluminium components, salt, and oxides. AS Oxidwerke has a processing capacity of around 55,000 tonnes of aluminium salt slag per year, from which more than 20,000 tonnes of salt, 1,000 tonnes of aluminium, and 30,000 tonnes of oxide are recovered annually. The recovered aluminium is then used to make new aluminium products, salt for aluminium melting process, and oxide for construction materials such as cement. The ASI Performance Standard V3 (2022) was launched in May 2022. The certification defines 11 principles and 62 criteria under three sustainability pillars...
Rayzon Solar, an internationally renowned leading solar panel manufacturer in India, plans to become the first Indian company to manufacture and produce solar panels in the USA. With its lightweight strength, unmatched corrosion resistance, and durability, aluminium, also known as green metal, is considered the most widely used material to build renewable energy platforms like solar panels. The company aims to extend its manufacturing capacity to 2500MW in India and to start producing 500MW in a country like the USA. As part of their development strategy, Rayzon Solar will expand capacity in India, totalling 1000MW, placing them among India's Top 5 Solar Module Manufacturers and making them the first Indian firm to produce solar panels in the USA. Founded by Chirag Nakrani along with...
According to a report on March 13, CRN floated the new 72-metre superyacht CRN 139, hosting a private ceremony in Ancona, Italy. The fully-custom steel and aluminium motor superyacht features dynamic lines that exude nothing but elegance. The 1270-tonne vessel was started being constructed in 2018 at the Ferretti Group superyacht yard shipyard. A week before the launch, it was sent from the construction shed to the slipway using motorised hydraulic lift trucks in preparation for launch. The steel and aluminium superyacht’s exterior was designed by Studio Vallicelli Design, while the interiors by Nuvolari Lenard and the naval architecture by CRN. The yacht has six decks, with the accommodation capacity for up to 12 guests and 19 crew. The CRN 139 combines functional and design solutions...
Glencore, the Swiss multinational commodity trading house, has unloaded more than 100,000 tonnes of aluminium at the LME-registered warehouses in the South Korean port of Gwangyang, as reported by one of the world's largest news agencies. Several buyers and consumers in the transport, packaging and construction sectors have opted to renew their contracts to procure Russian aluminium. However, some declined due to the Ukraine-Russia geopolitical crisis. On the other hand, only some metal producers are anxious that the huge quantities of undesired Russian aluminium stored in LME warehouses will weaken the benchmark prices on the exchange. A few weeks back, Glencore delivered 40,000 tonnes of aluminium produced in Russia, adding its deliveries to LME warehouses in Gwangyang to the least...
USA-based paints and coatings brand PPG Industries has chosen Rodolfo Ramirez as the General Manager of its Global Packaging Coatings business. He will replace the former manager Amy Ericson and take office on April 1. Ramirez previously held the post of the global coatings services general manager in PPG’s Industrial Coatings business. Now he’ll encourage the development of various state-of-the-art technologies for safe and sustainable internal coatings across multiple beverage packaging modules. The General Manager’s role comes with added responsibilities like international business strategy building and creating a perfect operational course. Ramirez, as the head of the packaging coatings business, will be entrusted with all the above responsibilities. The former manager Amy Ericson...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market, China’s social inventories of aluminium ingot further lost 38,000 tonnes over a week across the eight major consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, to stand at 1.09 million tonnes as of Thursday, March 30. But it is to be noted that the weekly decline slowed down from the drop of 85,000 tonnes in the week of March 20-26. The reason behind the back-to-back primary aluminium inventory fall is high aluminium prices, limited increase in downstream operations, and a lack of confidence for future orders, resulting in downstream buyers being cautious about buying. Output cuts by smelters and an increased share of molten aluminium threatening the production of ingots could extend the destocking of primary aluminium inventories till April. Compared to...
LME aluminium opened at US$2,380.5 per tonne on Thursday, with its high and low at US$2,400 per tonne and US$2,369.5 per tonne respectively before closing at US$2,386.5 per tonne, an increase of US$3.5 per tonne or 0.15 per cent. On March 30, Wednesday, the LME aluminium cash bid price and the LME aluminium official settlement price slumped by US$22 per tonne or 0.93 per cent to close at US$2,343.50 per tonne and US$2,344 per tonne. The 3-month bid price dropped down by US$23.50 per tonne or 0.97 per cent, stopping at US$2,386 per tonne and the 3-month offer price plunged by US$22 per tonne or 0.91 per cent halting at US$2,388 per tonne. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price halted at US$2,577 per tonne and US$2,582 per tonne with a decline of US$16 per tonne or 0.61 per cent....
On March 29, 2023, the Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA) announced that the fourth high-speed Talgo train had begun daily commercial service on the Cairo-Aswan line. The Egyptian Ministry of Transport and the Spanish railway tycoons agreed on a contract of EUR 157 million in 2019, which also called for the delivery of six Talgo trains. In addition, the trains are made of aluminium, which makes them lighter, helps extend their lifespans, and reduces fuel consumption. A caboose, an engine, a power car, five air-conditioned first-class railcars, eight air-conditioned second-class railcars, and other vehicles make up each train. The train has several contemporary features, such as entertainment and special-needs seating. Asuit, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Edfu, and Kom Ombo are destinations where the...
