Researchers at Trinity College Dublin are testing a new type of concrete made using red mud, a residue from alumina refining. The project, supported by Enterprise Ireland and carried out with Gannon Eco and McGrath Quarries, has progressed from laboratory research to trials using industrial batching equipment. The university reported on 22 October that the geopolymer concrete formulations reduced the carbon footprint by 67.8–79.8 per cent against a CEM II-A/L cement reference. The comparison included raw material supply, transport and manufacturing. To know the futuristic market and value proposition of red mud, explore the report " A Comprehensive Analysis of Bauxite Residue (Red Mud): Sustainability, Resource Recovery and Strategic Recommendations " Laboratory tests also found that the...
Domestic spot alumina prices edged down slightly last week amid flat trading activity. Recent alumina price movements were mainly attributed to earlier concentrated restocking by downstream buyers, which has led to accumulating inventories at rail stations and smelters. Coupled with supply-side maintenance-driven output cuts that are still building, readily available spot volumes have tightened relatively. Only sporadic tender deals were heard recently, leaving prices in a temporary steady phase. On the bauxite front, domestic ore prices saw limited movement last week. Supply-side bottlenecks are unlikely to ease in the near term, with mines prioritising captive supply, leaving little excess spot material available. For imported ore, freight rates rebounded slightly and consecutively last...
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The Australian supplier of high purity aluminium products, Alpha HPA, wishes to make at least 10,000 tonnes of HPA each year and additional high purity components utilising its HPA refining technology and solvent extraction procedure. Though Alpha is working towards three orders in Brisbane currently, the facility is under lockdown following the installation of roller doors, clads and roofs. While looking after the construction of its stage one precursor facility in Gladstone , Queensland, Alpha HPA has promised to deliver its first round of high purity aluminium precursors in the third quarter nearing September, in addition to its HPA First Project. The primary electrical installations will be furnished, with lights hanging outside and inside the facility. The wiring of the main...
According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), world alumina production in May 2022 recorded a month-on-month rise of 3.09 per cent to 11.728 million tonnes (including 10.983 million tonnes of metallurgical-grade alumina), following almost a restraint in the previous month. In April, the output was 11.376 million tonnes, compared to 11.373 million tonnes in March 2022. However, on a year-on-year basis, world alumina output during May reflected a downfall of 3.08 per cent from 12.101 million tonnes, found IAI data. In the first five months of the year, world alumina production totalled 56.222 million tonnes, down by 2.47 per cent from 57.647 million tonnes. Daily average production of alumina in May 2022 stood at 378,300 tonnes, which registered a dip of 0.24 per cent M-o-M from...
On 24 th June 2022, the Norwegian aluminium company Norsk Hydro was accused in a Dutch court, imputing the world’s biggest alumina refinery polluting a Brazilian river for years, engendering critical health issues for inhabitants. An association and nine victims together representing around 11,000 indigenous families from the north-eastern Brazilian river port of Barcarena are suing Hydro, its seven subsidiaries and shareholders out of which six are based in the Netherlands over alleged spillage from the Alunorte plant for at least 20 years. According to our report, one of the suitor’s lawyers said, “A lot of people have suffered horrible health effects as a result. That dates back at least two decades.” “Some developed various forms of cancer. Others developed skin diseases. Babies have...
ChemX Materials, one of the world’s most innovative developers of High Purity Alumina (HPA), is passing through the final stage of integrated process commissioning of its HiPurA high purity alumina (HPA) micro plant in Western Australia. The HiPurA process developed by ChemX is supposed to produce HPA using substantially lower levels of energy and reagent, ultimately decreasing the operational costs and capital expenditure than most contemporary producers. The purpose of the plant will be to enhance the methodologies and controls under a relentless operational scale producing 99.99 per cent concentrated HPA regularly. The plant is also cooperative as it offers samples of freshly constituted HPA for customer qualification tests. The COO of ChemX, Peter Lee, exclaimed that commissioning and...
The newly improved Norton Gemini Grinding and combination/pipeline wheels from Saint-Gobain Abrasives feature a 15 per cent quicker cut-rate and also include a new premium alumina grain. In comparison to goods from earlier generations, advanced bond technology and wheel hardness are optimised for performing quick cuts and offer up to 60 per cent longer life and metal removal per wheel. The updated wheels deliver a controlled yet aggressive sensation without the fatigue that other competitive high-performance wheels do since they were ergonomically engineered. A reminder of correct machine selection, safe operation, and essential personal protective equipment is also displayed on the new Gemini wheels, which have been upgraded with big, industry-standard iconography that can be read in any...
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), one of the leading producers of aluminium in the world, has unlocked a new development, which will result in all bauxite residues produced in the UAE being re-used in the UAE, due to significant R&D advances. “We have already achieved important success with other by-product streams, such as spent pot lining, which is now a feedstock for the UAE cement industry,” said Abdulnasser bin Kalban, EGA’s Chief Executive Officer, briefing a visiting team from the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) led by its Secretary-General Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri. The EAD, which oversees environmental issues in Abu Dhabi, has created cutting-edge technology tools and systems to make sure that industrial facilities and development projects comply with applicable...
Belonging from Kazakhstan, Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has collaborated with a German organisation, ThyssenKrupp, to develop hybrid filter technology for its plants. In December 2021, ERG signed a contract with ThyssenKrupp to invest US$44 million or 19 billion tenge for developing four electric filters in sintering furnaces at ERG’s Pavlodar Alumina plant. Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) is attempting to decarbonise its projects utilising green hydrogen and renewable resources, as was cleared by the chairman, Board of Directors, Alexander Machkevitch. “We are exploring replacing fossil fuel oil in calcination kilns with green hydrogen, which can eliminate 100 per cent of direct greenhouse gas emissions,” Machkevitch notified. He also added that ERG plans to develop a renewable capacity...
On 13 th June 2022, Guinea’s second sizeable bauxite mining company, Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG) stated that alumina refineries will be built in Guinea in the coming years; however, these projects demand substantial investments and are complex by nature. The above statement of CBG has come following the new behest from Guinea’s junta government , which is desirous to foster mineral processing in the country. On 10 th June 2022, the present government of the West African nation, Guinea said, “Ten days from now, the bauxite mining companies will present a roadmap for constructing alumina refineries, extending a deadline the companies missed at the end of May.” Approximately half of China's bauxite imports come from Guinea, Africa's largest producer of bauxite and the...
China’s Shanghai Metals Market disclosed the metallurgical-grade alumina output amounted to 6.955 million tonnes in May 2022 (31 days), flaunting M-o-M increase of 12.16 per cent from 6.201 million tonnes and Y-o-Y rise of 12 per cent from 6.210 million tonnes. The average daily output of metallurgical-grade alumina was 224,400 tonnes. The total alumina output in the first five months of the year came in at 31.046 million tonnes, witnessing a 5.2 per cent rise from around 29.43 million tonnes of production during the same period last year. The month of May has one extra day with a naturally heightened production ratio, resulting in more output around China. The introduction of new capacities exponentially raised the output in Chongqing and Hebei by 224 per cent and 119 per cent M-o-M to...
On 10 th June 2022, the Guinea govt. has stated that it has given the bauxite mining companies doing business in the nation another ten days timeline to present the proposals for building alumina refineries , which they were supposed to attain by the end of May 2022. Guinea, one of the world’s leading bauxite producers and exporters has pushed companies to build locally alumina refineries to mechanize its national mineral wealth into economic development. The statement said, "As of today, it has been noted that none of the companies has complied.” Guinea's two top bauxite producers have also been impacted by the alumina refinery demand, Societe Miniere de Boke (SMB) and Compagnie des Bauxite de Guinee (CBG). To date, Guinea has only one alumina refinery, the Friguia refinery owned by...
The global mining and metal giant, Rio Tinto plans to will invest in extensive green energy generators (wind and solar farms) in central and southern Queensland to power its Gladstone region aluminium assets. On 9 th June 2022, Ivan Vella, the CEO of Rio Tinto’s Aluminium business called for proposals to meet the energy needs of the Yarwun alumina refinery, the Queensland alumina refinery and the Boyne smelter. Vella further added, “It is early in the process, but this is an important step towards meeting our group climate change target of halving our emissions by the end of the decade (from 2018 levels).” A minimum of 4,000 megawatts of wind and solar power will be required to run the facility or about the same as two coal-fired power plants. Jaclyn McCosker, the Climate & Energy...
According to a report on Monday, June 6, Rusal, the Russian aluminium giant, prosecuted global miner Rio Tinto to regain its access to 20 per cent share in alumina produced at a jointly owned refinery Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL). Rusal, in the lawsuit, challenged Australia’s sanctions against Russian firms and oligarchs who had link with President Vladimir Putin as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and asked for the restoration of its rights at QAL. In April 2022, Rio Tinto overtook the control of Queensland Alumina Ltd, removing Rusal’s access to the refinery’s output. Rusal had an ownership of 20 per cent in QAL, while Rio Tinto had 80 per cent of ownership. Rusal’s Australian unit Alumina and Bauxite Company (ABC) said in the lawsuit filing that there were no...
As a result of increased capacity at the Utkal alumina refinery in India's eastern state of Odisha, Hindalco Industries has increased its alumina output by 20% for FY22. On 16th September 2021, Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha virtually inaugurated Utkal Alumina refinery’s expansion of production capacity from 1.5 MTPA to 2 MTPA. Hindalco’s alumina sales in FY22 stood at 359,000 tonnes, while its production was recorded at 3.24 million tonnes. The company said, “Hindalco aims to sell about 400,000t of alumina in the current fiscal year ending March 2023”. Hindalco's alumina refineries are located in Utkal, Renukoot, Muri, and Belagavi. This alumina is primarily used within the company for aluminium production. From April 2021 to March 2022, the aluminium production of the...
In Europe (incl. Russia), alumina production during April 2022 totalled 683,000 tonnes, a sharp decline of 86,000 tonnes or 11.18 per cent month-on-month, found the International Aluminium Institute. In March, alumina output in Europe was at 769,000 tonnes, also down over a month from 776,000 tonnes. On a year-on-year calculation, alumina production in Europe (incl. Russia) recorded a downfall of 18.59 per cent in April’22 from 839,000 tonnes. In the first four months of 2022, alumina production in Europe (incl. Russia) came in at 3.113 million tonnes, registering a downfall of 8.84 per cent from 3.415 million tonnes during the corresponding period last year. In the first quarter, the output stood at 2.430 million tonnes, down by 6.47 per cent quarter-on-quarter from 2.598 million tonnes...
The renewable energy solutions provider, Hydro Rein and Macquarie Asset Management’s Green Investment Group (GIG), a specialist green investor, agreed to form a joint venture named Feijão, which will operate after constructing a combined wind and solar power project, with a 586-megawatt capacity, in northeast Brazil. This action will replace coal as the main power source in the Alunorte alumina refinery. While in the Middle, Ma’aden’s agreement with GlassPoint reveals that the development of the world’s largest solar-powered steam plant at Ma’aden’s alumina refinery following its accomplishment will generate a 1500 MW solar steam facility to support the refinery diminishing carbon emissions by over 600,000 tonnes per annum. Hydro Rein, a renewable energy solutions provider, and Macquarie...
The Saudi Arabia state-owned mining company headquartered in Riyadh, Ma'aden has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GlassPoint, the leading manufacturer of industrial solar steam generators using solar thermal technology to generate steam for industrial processes. The signed agreement reveals that the development of the world’s largest solar process steam plant at Ma’aden’s alumina refinery following its accomplishment will generate a 1500 MW solar steam facility to support the refinery diminishing carbon emissions by over 600,000 tonnes per annum. Approximately 50% of the emissions in MA'ADEN's alumina refinery and 4% of its overall emissions will be reduced. Founder and CEO of GlassPoint, Dr Rod MacGregor, senior vice president of MA'ADEN's aluminium division and Riyadh Al...
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Alumina production in Africa & Asia (ex-China) stood at 1.179 million tonnes in April 2022, registering a continued increase of 8.36 per cent month-on-month, according to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) data. In March, the output stood at 1.088 million tonnes, up by 1.21 per cent from 1.075 million tonnes in February. On a year-on-year calculation, alumina production in Africa & Asia (ex-China) during April 2022 recorded a hike of 6.03 per cent from 1.112 million tonnes. In the first four months of 2022, alumina production in Africa & Asia (ex-China) totalled 4.491 million tonnes, 5.5 per cent higher than 4.257 million tonnes during the same period last year. In Q1 2022, alumina production in Africa & Asia (ex-China) came in at 3.312 million tonnes, down by 2.76 per cent...
Hydro Rein, a renewable energy solutions provider, and Macquarie Asset Management’s Green Investment Group (GIG), a specialist green investor, have signed an agreement to form a joint venture company Feijão. The company will build and operate a combined wind and solar power project, with a capacity of 586 megawatt, in the northeast of Brazil. As per the announcement by Hydro, Feijão will supply 100 per cent of the electricity required by Hydro’s bauxite mine Paragominas and replace the usage of coal at Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery by 2030 to further reduce carbon emissions. Both Paragominas and Alunorte have signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Feijão under Brazilian self-production structure. The hybrid wind and solar project is coming up at Piauí and Pernambuco,...
