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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Rio Tinto Plc has agreed to enter into a development agreement for bauxite residues iron phase product with Innord Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Geomega Resources Inc. As part of the agreement, Rio Tinto will pay Innord US$1 million to complete the requisite proof of concept work and the following small scale locked cycle pilot plant at its Boucherville, Quebec facilities as part of the deal. Rio Tinto and Innord have agreed to evaluate various opportunities to monetize the iron compounds produced by Innord's Bauxite Residues Technology (IBRT). A US$4 million pilot plant and feasibility study of a sustainable and complete valorization of bauxite residues were also announced. As part of the project, Innord has agreed to develop and test an extension technology to IBRT over the next 12...
On Thursday, April 21, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, along with Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumara Mangalam Birla, inaugurated the caustic soda manufacturing unit by Grasim Industries Limited at Balabhadrapuram in East Godavari district. In February 2019, Grasim Industries Limited had signed an agreement with Aditya Birla Group to acquire the under construction 200 TPD Chlor-Alkali project at Balabhadrapuram, Andhra Pradesh for INR 235 crore. Now that the plant is complete, the Chief Minister and Birla went around it, inspecting different features of its design and the laid safety protocols. The unit is supposed to achieve a production capacity of 1,600 tonnes per day in three separate phases, involving a total investment of INR 2,700 crore. Though Birla...
The after effects of Russia-Ukraine crisis can still be felt in the global alumina industry. To begin with, as per customs figures released on Wednesday, April 20, China's alumina export to Russia had increased by more than 90 times in March compared to the same month a year ago, as Western-led sanctions had cut off some of its usual supply. The global alumina market is expected to be in a state of flux in the second quarter (Q2) of 2022, as the fallout from the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as a bevy of other interrelated factors, threaten to disrupt supply and demand fundamentals. However on the other, the news of Alba receiving the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Gold Medal Award for maintaining a good safety and health record in fiscal year 2021, shows the care and...
Alumina Limited which owns a 40% non-operating stake in Alcoa World Alumina Chemicals’, is aiming higher at this moment with the increasing demand for alumina and the rising aluminium prices despite the supply disruption. Russian metal industry giant, Rusal is being trampled under the European sanctions and Australian bans moreover, the closing of its only Ukrainian Refinery Nikolaev is hammering hard on the Company. Plus, Covid issues, production delays and Chinese environmental measures have together contributed to the rise of aluminium prices as explained by Alumina CEO Mike Ferraro. “The alumina market price reached over $530 per tonne in March 2022 and averaged $498 per tonne for that month. The API currently sits at $371 per tonne, still well above the average price of $329 per...
On Wednesday, April 20, custom statistics indicated that China’s alumina shipment to Russia heightened by more than 90 times in March compared to the same month a year ago, as sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine cut off some of its customary supply. According to the General Administration of Customs, China transported 9,949 tonnes of alumina to Russia in March, up from 104.5 tonnes in the same month in 2021. Last month its overall alumina exports increased by 180 percent year on year to 12,955 tonnes. When compared to China's monthly output of around six million tonnes, the amount is still insignificant. However, as part of Western-led sanctions against Russia, Australia placed an export embargo on alumina and aluminium ores to Russia. Analysts had predicted that Russia would...
Mostly known for their vanadium and gold, an Australian mining company King River Resources is attempting to divert avenues towards high purity alumina or ‘HPA’ space, exploring their addition to the Department of Science, Energy and Resources’ Critical Minerals list. The ASX registered high purity alumina plant by King River Resources will have to submit a comprehensive feasibility assessment for the proposed 2,000 tonnes per annum HPA production plant in May 2022 whereas global HPA demand is estimated to rise by 30% annually till 2028 serving the needs of LED lighting, semiconductor and electronics, optical and battery industries. The requirement for HPA will heighten steered by its essential role in the manufacture of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) and Lithium-ion batteries. The global...
During the fiscal year 2021, Alba won the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Gold Medal Award for maintaining an excellent track record in Safety and Health, becoming the ninth time recipient of the same in a row. Keeping the employees and the contractors’ labour force safe is of utmost importance to Alba. Among other prestigious international awards, Alba proudly showcases an International Safety Award and Merit from British Safety Council which it won in 2020. Alba remained stoic in its quest for Safety Excellence, surpassing more than 20 million safe working hours without any Lost Time Injury (LTI) by the end of 2021. Today, Alba can be regarded as the World’s largest aluminium smelter excluding China with the production of more than 1.561 million tonnes per annum...
In the second quarter (Q2) of 2022, the global alumina market is envisaged to be in a state of uncertainty, as the after-effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a slew of interconnected variables threaten to shift supply and demand fundamentals. The embargo on alumina and bauxite shipments to Russia imposed by Australia on March 20 resulted in an immediate worldwide oversupply. In Q2 market investors will be keeping an eye on Rusal’s worldwide holdings and how it will shape its business overseas by distancing itself from Russia. There will also be an emphasis on the growth in supplies from Australia. Following Australia's export prohibition, market players will be watching Rusal's subsequent alumina supply, with fresh talk of Chinese domestic alumina exports filling the supply gap....
Investigations led by foreign media concluded, Guinea’s interim government is eager to know about the work plan and duration of each project carried out on their ground to extract alumina from bauxite. The government is reportedly asking international mining companies to submit production plans for refining bauxite into alumina along with an explanation pertaining to the construction timeline for alumina refineries. The documents must be submitted before the end of May this year which might accelerate the construction of alumina projects under the Chinese enterprises operating in Guinea. Guinea stands out to be a country with the biggest amount of bauxite reserves in the world with high content of alumina in each produce. The reserves yield 40 billion tonnes of bauxite which accounts...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market, the average alumina spot price in China has recorded an increase of RMB 3 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,997 per tonne on Monday, April 18, following three days of restraint at RMB 2,994 per tonne. On a week-on-week calculation, the alumina spot price is up by RMB 5 per tonne from RMB 2,992 per tonne. However, most of the provinces have continued to witness a restraint in the alumina price today, except Henan, where the price has grown by RMB 10 per tonne to RMB 3,035 per tonne. The reason being the aluminium smelters in north-west China have begun to seek alumina from Henan, as provinces like Shanxi are experiencing shipment disruptions due to strong measures taken for cross-province transportation of raw materials as well as finished products to...
In March 2022 (31 calendar days), China produced 6.548 million tonnes of alumina, including 6.342 million tonnes of metallurgical-grade alumina. That was a hike of 15.94 per cent from 5.47 million tonnes of metallurgical-grade alumina output in February. China’s daily average output of metallurgical-grade alumina in March 2022 was 204,600 tonnes, an increase of 20.42 per cent month-on-month and 4.44 per cent year-on-year. The month-on-month increase in China’s alumina production in March was primarily contributed by Henan adding 78 per cent to the total output, followed by19 per cent from Shanxi, and 11 per cent from Shandong, showed the SMM data. SMM further explained that the growth in Shanxi’s alumina output was caused by the production resumption in March after the output curb in the...
Alcoa is an American industrial corporation and is one of the largest producers of bauxite, alumina, and aluminium products, with a goal of reinventing the aluminium sector for a more sustainable future. On Monday, April 11, Alcoa announced that the Australian governments have contributed $7.7 million to perform experimental trials on a novel carbon reduction technology that will assist Alcoa's Refinery of the Future project. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has given Alcoa of Australia $6.4 million (A$8.6 million) and Western Australia's Clean Energy Future Fund $1.3 million (A$1.7 million) to test electric calcination (CEFF). “We are the lowest carbon intensity alumina producer in the world, and we have a technology roadmap of future-oriented research and development...
The world leader in the production of low-carbon aluminium, Rusal has opposed arrangements that permit Rio Tinto to take sole control of the joint venture refinery, the Queensland Alumina Ltd (QAL). The global metal and mining giant’s shift functionally slits Rusal’s ingress to production and management at the alumina refinery under a ban implemented by the Australian Govt. against exporting alumina and bauxite to Russia. The Government of Australia imposed the ban in March 2022 as part of its sanctions drive against Russia over its standoff with Ukraine. A spokesperson from Rusal stated concerning operations of the Queensland Alumina refinery (QAL) and Australian autonomous sanctions said, “Rusal disagrees that the operations of its subsidiary, Alumina & Bauxite Company Ltd (ABC), do not...
Following the military coup in the West African nation, Guinea, which is now ruled by the interim government and recognized as the world’s highest exporter of bauxite, has demanded from international mining organizations for submission of plans for bauxite production to generate alumina within the nation by May 2022. The leading producer of bauxite in Africa and also in the world has been endeavouring to channel its mineral abundance into national economic development by forcing organizations to construct local plants in the recent years that will transform bauxite into high-grade alumina. According to the statement given by Guinea’s interim government, clearly says that the companies that need to remain apprehensive about the building of alumina refinery incorporate Guinea's top two...
The Irish Government has declared that the parent companies of Aughinish Alumina are apparently not going to be hit by the next round of US sanctions in spite of the decision taken by Brussels to impose penalties on oligarch Oleg Deripaska. EU’s retributive measures against Mr. Deripaska, a billionaire from Russia, are constantly keeping the Co Limerick-based company under high pressure. But its mother unit, Moscow-based Rusal and its majority shareholder EN+ seem ready to avoid sanctions at this time. “We do not believe that the company Rusal and its majority shareholder EN+ will face any restrictions in the forthcoming round of sanctions,” the Department of Enterprise said last night in response to questions. “The State continues to engage with the company as it works on the development...
Rio Tinto has taken full control of an alumina refinery in Queensland that it shares with United Co. Rusal International PJSC, thus denying the Russian aluminium giant access to a vital raw material source. “As a result of the Australian government’s sanction measures, Rio Tinto has taken on 100 per cent of the capacity and governance of Queensland Alumina until further notice,” Rio said in an emailed statement. According to a source familiar with the situation, Queensland Alumina's (QAL) management had urged Rio to step in and take full control of the business after receiving legal advice that the operational structure could not comply with Australia's sanctions. When sanctions are lifted, control will revert to the old joint-venture operational structure, according to the source. While...
The shares of Gujrat Alkalies and Chemicals (GACL) witnessed a steep rise of INR 959, counting a surge of 7% at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 2 nd April 2022 intra-day trade. Following the company announced their restricted outset of caustic evaporation unit (CEU) in collaboration with GACL-NALCO Alkalies and Chemicals (GNAL), their stocks began to soar and have been on the upward swing during the end days of the previous week’s trading days. On 1 st April 2022, the stock had pulsated above its previously recorded number which was INR 932 in January 2018. GNAL is a Joint Venture between GACL and National aluminium Company (NALCO) mainly bonded to set up an 800 TPD caustic soda plant along with a 130 MW captive power plant at Dahej in the Bharuch district of Gujrat. GNAL can also be...
On 1 st April 2022, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness during his visit to the United States stated at the National Press Club in Washington DC that the Russian aluminium giant, Rusal owned Windalco alumina assets in the Caribbean island of Jamaica ‘are safe’ from any type of sanctions. Following the Jamaican Prime Minister’s meeting with the US Vice-President Kamala Harris, Holness commented that he sought no valid reason for the divestment of Windalco by Rusal, despite its shareholder Oleg Deripaska being under US and European Union sanctions in regards to the Ukraine-Russia stand-off. Prime Minister Holness after his news briefing at the National Press Club in Washington on 1 st April made his first public statement on Rusal’s noteworthy assets on the Caribbean island by...
