The US aluminum trihydrate market strengthened in September 2026 as downstream procurement, rising overseas production costs, and shipping bottlenecks supported prices. In contrast, Bosnia’s market faced a quarterly correction as European buyers drew on accumulated inventories and lower caustic soda costs eased manufacturing pressures, highlighting diverging regional price trends. US aluminum trihydrate market gains on demand and supply constraints US aluminum trihydrate prices increased 2.38% month over month in September, supported by purchases from wire and cable manufacturers, electrical infrastructure compounders, and electric vehicle (EV) component producers. Demand remained particularly resilient for applications involving low-smoke cable compounds and flame-retardant materials....
China-based China Aluminum International Engineering Co., Ltd. (CHALIECO) has won a bid for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract valued at approximately USD 833 million for a proposed alumina project in Vietnam, adding to investment activity in the country’s mineral processing sector. The project, being developed by Binh Phuoc Ore Mining and Beneficiation Joint Stock Company, is designed to process 2.4 million tonnes of alumina annually. The proposed contract is valued at around CNY 5.595 billion (USD 839.04 million), with completion expected within 27 months of the contract’s effective date. CHALIECO to oversee turnkey refinery development Under the proposed turnkey arrangement, CHALIECO’s responsibilities will cover the full project delivery process, from...
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Aluminium major Nalco will set up a one million tonnes a year alumina refinery plant in Odisha as part of its expansion plan, union mines secretary Balvinder Kumar said on Monday. The company would set up the plant at Damanjodi in Koraput district with an investment of Rs.5,600 crore, he added. The mines secretary and Nalco chairman T.K. Chand met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday and discussed the expansion plan of the public sector company. The state government has already recommended granting Potangi bauxite mines in the state to feed the proposed plant. It has already bagged the Utkal D and Utkal E coal blocks at the Talcher coalfields in Angul district. It would spend about Rs.2,000 crore for the development of the blocks, said a release from the Chief Minister's Office. With a...
There is great potential to extract alumina from coal ash in China, as the country boasts the world’s top generator of the material. China is expected to produce 620 million tonnes of coal ash, a byproduct of thermal power generation, in 2015, making it the world’s top producer, said Cui Yuansheng, professor at the Institute of Technical Information for Building Materials Industry as saying. Stockpiles of alumina-rich coal ash in central and west Inner Mongolia, north Shanxi, among other regions, have exceeded 100 million tonnes, and are growing at about 25 million tonne pace every year. The coal ash contains 40-50% of alumina, offering huge potential for extraction. However, technical bottleneck exists that needs to be broken. For example, consuming 1 tonne of coal ash could generate 6-7...
Orbite Technologies Inc. announced that it has completed a secured debt financing totalling up to C$22 million (or US$16.95 million) in the aggregate. The Facility is comprised of a US$6.5 million revolving credit facility, term loan A (US$0.45 million) and term loan B (US$10.0 million) - all with MidCap Financial. The credit facility and term loans with MidCap will bear interest at the London Interbank Offered Rate (or Libor) rate, which shall be no less than 0.5% (currently 0.2%), plus 6.5%. "Having successfully commenced commissioning of sections of our HPA plant, we have now secured the remaining funds required for completion and full commissioning of the facility, and to cover our working capital requirements beyond the start of commercial production, expected in the fourth quarter...
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa reported progress on the company’s performance against three-year financial targets and its continuing transformation as it prepares to separate into two industry-leading, publicly-traded companies. The company delivered the update at its 2015 Investor Day event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In its Upstream business forecast, Alcoa moved down two points on the global alumina cost curve to the 23rd percentile in 2015 with goal to improve position to the 21st percentile in 2016; The company also projected a 1 million metric ton alumina deficit in 2016 from a 2.2 million metric ton surplus in 2015 estimated in third quarter 2015, due to record global alumina demand and refinery curtailments. The company was recently reported to be planning to reduce aluminium...
China imported 372,000 million tonnes (mt) of alumina in September, down 6.80% MoM, but up 9.79% YoY, customs data showed. Despite falling import prices, import volumes did not grow significantly, due to rising port stocks and weaker demand from aluminum smelters. China imported 3.14 million mt of alumina January-September, down 19.89% YoY. Imports from India grew 10.13% YoY to 486,000 mt during the first three quarters, 15.6% of total imports. Imports from Australia, however, fell 20.4% YoY to 1.88 million mt in the same period.
In a revolutionary breakthrough, Japanese researchers have developed a new type of glass that is nearly unbreakable and is said to be as strong as steel. To make glass tougher, alumina- an oxide of aluminium and silicon dioxide- is used. However, in the past, when researchers tried building strong glass by using large amounts of alumina, it caused the mixture to crystallize as soon as it touched any kind of container, preventing glass from being formed. Overcoming the obstacle, the team at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science, instead did away with the need of using container to make the glass. The researchers used gas to push the chemical components into the air, where they synthesized together. The resultant transparent ultra glass was 50 per cent alumina and rivals...
Altech Chemicals Limited announced that it has reached agreement with Dana Shipping and Trading S.A. to grant Dana the exclusive right to mine up to 10Mt of kaolin from the company's Meckering kaolin deposit. The Meckering Deposit covers approximately 184km2 in area and contains indicated and inferred kaolin mineral resources estimated at 64Mt @ 83.4% brightness JORC (2004). Under the terms of the kaolin mineral rights agreement, Dana will pay Altech $1 million cash for the right to mine 10Mt of kaolin (First Transaction) upon either the grant of mining lease ML70/1334 or the grant of any alternate mining lease that provides Dana with mining access to kaolin within an area of the exploration lease containing the Meckering Deposit (EL70/3923). If the conditions of the First Transaction are...
Orbite Technologies Inc. announced that it has received patent titled "Methods for Separating Iron Ions from Aluminum Ions" from IP Australia. The company has also been notified of the following: • Patent application No. 14/005,885 titled "Processes for Recovering Rare Earth Elements from Aluminum-Bearing Materials" has been found allowable by the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO"); • Patent application No. 2,863,755 titled "Methods for preparing Hematite" has been found allowable by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office ("CIPO"); • The State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China ("SIPO") issued a Notification of Granting for patent application No. 201280044914.7 titled "Methods for Separating Iron Ions from Aluminum Ions". Fees will be paid...
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, has announced its operating results for the third quarter 2015. Alumina production for the quarter ended September 30 totaled 1,870 thousand tonnes (+2.8% QoQ). Alumina production for the first nine months of the current financial year stood at 5,496 thousand tonnes (+1.1% YoY). International operations, including Aughinish Alumina and Windalco, accounted for the major part of the output growth due to routine maintenance repairs performed at those plants in 2Q15. The overall alumina production growth is attributable to stronger internal (intercompany) demand and sustainable demand from third parties.
Malaysia's Vjikks Engg Power (M) Sdn. Bhd. has successfully ventured into the alumina ceramic wear resistant lining industry by applying its years' of experience in the power sector. Equipped with a team of personnel with strong process knowledge about every system in a conventional fossil fuel fired power plants including combined cycle gas turbine power plants, Vjikks Engg Power had boldly and successfully implemented a project in the balloon manufacturing industry, back in 2013. Everts (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the only balloon manufacturing industry in Malaysia, placed order on Vjikks Engg Power (M) Sdn. Bhd. to do alumina ceramic lining in one of the ball mills used to mix titanium dioxide. Vjikks Engg Power had successfully executed the job. After having experienced good performance for...
South32 has reported a 10 percent jump in first quarter alumina output after maintenance work was completed in Australia. Production in the three months to September 30 was 1.36 million metric tons, from 1.24 million tons a year earlier, when the assets were operated by BHP, the Perth-based company said in a statement. South32 forecasts it will cut costs by 25 percent this fiscal year. Aluminum output from South Africa is forecast to decline marginally in fiscal 2016 should some temporary suspensions and current markets prevail, it said in the statement. “We continue to take decisive action to maximize financial performance, rather than volume,” Chief Executive Officer Graham Kerr said in the statement. Producers including Glencore Plc and Freeport-McMoRan Inc. are trimming output of...
Altech Chemicals has appointed Tunku Dato’ Ya’acob bin Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah as a non-executive director of the company. Tunku Dato’ Ya’acob has nominated Mr Uwe Ahrens as his alternate.Tunku Dato’ Ya’acob is the executive chairman of the Melewar Khyra Group of Companies (Melewar), a Malaysian base diversified financial and industrial services group. He is the major owner and shareholder of Melewar. Melewar is a substantial shareholder in Altech with close to 12%. Altech is aiming to become one of the world's leading suppliers of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (HPA) (Al2O3). Luke Atkins, Altech chairman, welcomed the appointment of Tunku Dato’ Ya’acob and his alternate Mr Uwe Ahrens. “These gentlemen are successful businessman in their own right and will add a wealth of experience and...
South32 has delivered modest lifts in first-quarter alumina and coal production, and says it’s progressing well with plans to strip further costs out of its business as the resources sector continues to grapple with downbeat operating conditions. The mining group (S32), which was spun off from BHP Billiton this year, produced 1.364 million tonnes of alumina, a 10 per cent increase on the previous corresponding period. Aluminium production fell 7 per cent, year-on-year, to 244,000 tonnes. Energy coal production came to 8.698 million tonnes, a 2 per cent increase on the 8.523 million tonnes produced in the September quarter a year earlier. Metallurgical coal production rose 13 per cent year-on-year to 2.079 million tonnes, while lead and zinc production was largely flat. The miner said...
Altech Chemicals has completed a placement for A$1 million in proceeds with a cornerstone Asian investor as high-purity alumina (HPA) operations develop. The company has received the second tranche of an investment by diversified Malaysian industrial firm Melewar International investment Company Limited, with the completion of a placement of about 17 million Altech shares. The $1 million investment represents the majority of a $1.13 million fundraiser announced by Altech in August aimed at progressing a detailed design phase of the company’s HPA project. This operation encompasses mining properties 130 kilometres from Fremantle port in Western Australia and a proposed HPA plant in Malaysia with a throughout capacity of 4,000 tonnes per annum. HPA is a high-value, high-margin and highly...
It was a landmark Saturday afternoon rally. Hundreds of United Steelworks (USW) members walked down Saratoga Boulevarde to call for the end to Sherwin Alumina lock out. Sherwin Alumina shuttered down its Gregory facility in 2014 rendering 450 employees jobless. USW members had offered more than once to work while negotatios continue, but the company turned down their proposal. It was high time that both the parties thought of a logical solution to the grave situation. Now, the workers have agreed to get back to their jobs with fair contracts. The rally was held to show their intent towards this end. It remains to be seen how Sherwin Alumina management reacts to the situation and works towards a solution that is worth accepting both for the company as well the United members.
PT ANTAM Tbk and PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (INALUM) announced that they have agreed to set up a joint venture company to develop and operate Smelter Grade Alumina Refinery (SGAR). Construction of the SGAR in its proposed location in West Kalimanta, is to start in 2016; operations at the plant will commence in 2019. ANTAM's President Director, Tedy Badrujaman, said, 'The agreement with INALUM to set up a joint venture company with strategic partner is the next step following the signing of MoU between the two companies in July this year. The development of SGAR Mempawah will add value to our vast bauxite reserves through downstream processing.' INALUM's President Director, Winardi Sunoto, said, 'Our synergy with ANTAM is part of our sustainable development initiatives to create an...
Orbite Technologies Inc. announced shipment of its additional 5N+ high purity alumina (HPA) samples to seven prospective customers. Six of the prospective customers to receive the new 5N+ samples had not previously received Orbite's HPA. The company had previously shipped 4N8 and 5N+ HPA samples to prospective customers (see April 7, 2015 and September 10, 2015 press releases respectively). "The new 5N+ samples, produced at our Cap-Chat facility, replicate sample purity and consistency of those shipped before, thereby validating the degree of control and customization we have over our process," stated Glenn Kelly, CEO of Orbite. "This is a very important factor that we believe will allow us to differentiate Orbite in a market where product consistency continues to be one of the key issues...
OTC Markets Group Inc., operator of Open, Transparent and Connected financial markets, today announced Alumina Limited, a worldwide investor in bauxite mining and alumina refining through Alcoa World Alumina & Chemicals, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX® Best Market in the U.S. Alumina begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbols "AWCMY" and "AWCMF." Each American Depositary Receipt (ADR) represents four ordinary shares. "We are thrilled to welcome Alumina Limited, one of Australia's top 100 largest companies, to the OTCQX family," said R. Cromwell Coulson, President and CEO of OTC Markets Group. "Alumina joins a growing number of large, global companies that have chosen to join OTCQX to provide a superior trading experience for their U.S. investors and convenient access to their...
