AlCircle News Edited By "Rupankar Majumder"
A professional with a technical background, specialising in producing insightful content centred around metals, particularly aluminium, passionately engaged in the intricacies of the recycling sector.
Aquatecture: Made from Aluminium, rain harvesting panels designed innovatively to ‘catch’ water
A South African born, designed the Aquatecture rain-harvesting panels that equip people to catch water at drought-stricken areas. The rain harvesting panel collects water by diverting raindrops flowing over the perforations on the surface to the inside of the system. Now, from there the water drizzles down into a collection tank where it can either be stored for later use or can be pumped back into a building’s greywater system. Presently, the panel is also being developed to harvest moisture from the atmosphere. Aquatecture is the brainchild of South African born designer Shaakira Jassat. Although she lives in the Netherlands now, Jassat witnessed Cape Town’s devastating drought when she attended the Cape Town Design Indaba as a speaker in 2018. She was determined to design a rain...
En+ Group criticizes LME’s sustainability plans
The world's leading producer of low carbon aluminium and largest private sector generator of hydropower, EN+ Group, highlighted the response published last week by the London Metal Exchange (LME) towards industry feedback on its sustainability discussion paper that En+ counts do not address the industry's concerns. En+ believes the LME's announced plans acts for a lost opportunity to drive industry-wide meaningful change as the world looks to 'build back better' from the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Lord Barker, Executive Chairman of En+ Group, said: "We warmly welcome this long-overdue first step by the LME into the low carbon age but it doesn't go far enough. London should lead global Green commerce and trading; timid actions don't cut it. So, we will be looking for...
Aluminium specialist MQP doubles Optifine grain refiner production capacity with STNM plant expansion
Aluminium specialist, MQP’s parent company has more than doubled the size of its plant to produce more of its high-efficiency grain refiner and raise the bar in manufacturing worldwide. The expansion of STNM’s state-of-the-art plant in Baoding, China, means MQP can now produce up to 39,000 tons a year of Optifine – which can improve melt quality by up to 70% and reduce casthouse costs by a half – an increase of 23,000 tons. STNM is one of the largest producers of master alloys in the world and now one of the biggest Al-Ti-B grain refiner production plants. Richard Courtenay, CEO said: “Demand for lightweight vehicles is a major factor behind aluminium market growth right now. However, the industry-wide problem of inconsistency in the efficiency of grain refiner on a global scale has...
Harsco Corporation: ALTEK apt to deliver End-to-End solutions for sustainable Aluminum production
On 18 th December’20, Harsco Corporation announced that its subsidiary ALTEK is now able to deliver end-to-end dross processing and environmental solutions to enable the global aluminium industry to maximize aluminium recoveries and achieve zero waste. Harsco acquired U.K.-based ALTEK in May 2018, a leading supplier of innovative process technology to the worldwide aluminium industry, to expand the metal recovery by-product reuse capabilities of its environmental division, Harsco Environmental (HE), into the aluminium industry. ALTEK has active equipment in over 600 locations around the world and works with customers, supplying knowledge and technology to improve operating efficiencies and productivity, reduce waste generation, and manage and extract value from waste streams. Presently,...
BALCO CEO, Abhijit Pati recognised amongst ‘Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia 20-21’
On 15 th December’20, The Economic Times in a virtual ceremony have recognised Mr Abhijit Pati, CEO and Director of BALCO as ‘Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia 2020-21. This award recognizes eminent business leaders who are poised to make a significant impact in shaping the business demographics of not just their country but also beyond. Mr Pati with an illustrious career spanning over 30 years in the Aluminium Industry has served in several leadership profiles delivering exponential growth. Under his leadership, BALCO continues to deliver excellence. He is passionate about new ideas, innovation, safety, sustainability, and digitalization across the entire value chain. He is also a visionary in the areas of corporate social responsibility and diversity & inclusion. Mr Abhijit Pati,...
Nestle Malaysia introduces NESCAFÉ Classic Kopi Kedah in Aluminium cans for limited edition
Nestlé Malaysia has introduced 100% local nursery coffee known as NESCAFÉ Classic Kopi Kedah which is available in the market starting from earlier this month. Juan Aranols, CEO, Nestlé Malaysia Bhd, said: “NESCAFÉ Classic Kopi Kedah! Inspired by the NESCAFÉ Grown Respectfully program (NESCAFÉ Sown with love), a sustainable coffee plantation initiative launched last year in Kedah.” "NESCAFÉ Classic Kopi Kedah limited edition is available in 170-gram aluminium cans and sold at a retail price of RM23.02 at selected local supermarkets and mini markets such as MYDIN, Billion, EconSave and 99Speedmart from December 1," he said. According to him, the coffee beans used in NESCAFÉ Classic Kopi Kedah are sewn with love and carefully selected before being roasted until perfect and ground into fine...
Switzerland’s export of Aluminium Tubes and Pipes during 2018-20 demonstrates a significant downturn; earnings remain high
Switzerland is facing an unusual economic downturn. Globally most of the governments countered COVID-19 pandemic by imposing major restrictions on their societies and economies, prompting a significant plunge in global trade and the demand for Swiss exports. The Swiss government also restricted much of public life in the country, with a considerable impact on the domestic economy. The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) analysed that manufacturing output will fall by around 25% of total economic added value compared to 2019. The Central European nation’s export of aluminium tubes and pipes during 2018-19 was recorded at 7463 tonnes and the earnings remained at $27.88 million. The export for 2020 will remain at 2770 tonnes and the earnings to stand at $15.31 million....
World’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer “Hero MotoCorp” to hike price of vehicles in India; blames rise in commodity costs, including Aluminium
Hero MotoCorp, the Indian multinational motorcycle and scooter manufacturer based in New Delhi and also the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world and also in India is going for a price hike for its vehicles from January 2021 in India. The decision came in the public forum by the means of a regulatory filing with BSE Limited, has been taken given the rising input costs. The two-wheeler manufacturer with a market share of about 46% detailed that the rise in costs of commodities including aluminium components has increased manufacturing costs. However, the manufacturer has already taken other measures as well to control the impact, a price hike is still necessary to at least somewhat dampen the impact of an increase in commodity costs. Hero two-wheeler' prices in India will go up by...
Rio Tinto invests $8.4 million to expand Aluminum recycling capacity at Laterrière Plant
Rio Tinto, the industry leader in responsible aluminium production, with operations in Canada which runs on 100% renewable hydropower, is investing US $8.4 million to expand the recycling capacity of its aluminium operations in Saguenay- Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, to offer rolled product customers in North America a new, sustainable solution combining low-carbon and recycled aluminium. A new remelt furnace will be added at the Laterrière Plant’s casting centre to recycle aluminium cuttings from Rio Tinto’s operations and rolling mill customers in manufacturing sectors, producing rolling ingots for the automotive and packaging industries. The new aluminium recycling system is expected to be operational by the end of 2021, with an initial production capacity of 22,000 tonnes of remelted...
Rio Tinto: Jakob Stausholm appointed as CEO, effective 1 January 2021
The Anglo-Australian multinational and the world's second-largest metals and mining corporation, Rio Tinto has appointed Jakob Stausholm as chief executive, effective 1 January 2021. In 2018, Mr Stausholm joined Rio Tinto as an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer and since then he has played a leading role in the Group’s strong performance, maintaining capital allocation discipline and delivering significant shareholder returns, while strengthening the balance sheet. Jakob Stausholm, an experienced global executive, with 25 years in leadership roles in capital intensive and service industries across Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Before joining at Rio Tinto, he was Group Chief Financial Officer and Strategy & Transformation Officer of A.P. Moeller – Maersk A/S....
Peru’s import of Aluminium Household articles during 2018-20 manifests growth
Peru’s mining-driven economy, one of the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is expected to contract 12% in 2020, the deepest plunge in three decades. The country hasn’t seen such a hit since a 12.3% contraction in 1989, said Marţa Antonieta Alva, Minister of Economy and Finance. The Andean country’s import of aluminium household articles during 2018-19 was recorded at 1605 tonnes and the expenditure stood at 48.60 million. The import for 2020 is marked to remain at 2931 tonnes and the expenditure to sand at $11.86 million. However, when the import volume and expenditure for the import of 2020 gets footed by the existing two years, it denotes 4536 tonnes and $20.46 million respectively. Peru’s import of aluminium household articles in 2018 remained at 477 tonnes only and the...
Andhra Pradesh, India: Fresh bidding plans to operate Anrak Alumina refinery brings back Bauxite mining issue
The contended bauxite mining issue returns in the prominence with condemnation forthcoming to over the fresh bids to consider operationalizing the Anrak Alumina Refinery in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. Anrak Aluminium Limited, a company floated by Ras-al-Khaimah and Penna Group in 2013 built the alumina refinery, with an investment of approximately INR 6000 crore. However, AAL could not initiate operations following the cancellation of bauxite supply agreement by Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC), as the present state government declared it was against bauxite mining in the marked areas respecting sentiments of inhabitants, who had opposed intensely saying it would devastate their livelihood and environment in the region. The Indian state-run Aluminium...
ELYSIS accomplishes Industrial R&D center in Saguenay; a step close towards commercial production of carbon-free Aluminium
The Canadian Technology company, ELYSIS, that has been delivering disruptive innovation for aluminium smelting is now a step closer towards commercialization of a process to produce carbon-free aluminium and it has reached another significant milestone with the accomplishment of construction of the Industrial Research and Development Center in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec. ELYSIS, a joint venture by Alcoa and Rio Tinto, is scaling up a breakthrough technology that eliminates all direct greenhouse gases from the aluminium smelting process, instead of producing oxygen. Vincent Christ, CEO of ELYSIS, said: “We’re proud to have reached this milestone with completing the Industrial Research and Development Center, despite the challenges of 2020 with the global pandemic. Commissioning the...
Switzerland: Winterthur electricity network replaces copper lines with Aluminium
Winterthur electricity network in Switzerland replaces its copper lines by aluminium, which will support the city to save 80,000 francs a year. The Winterthur electricity will no longer flow through copper cables in the future, whereas it will be conducted over aluminium cables. However, aluminium has a strikingly lower conductivity than copper, while this can be counterbalanced by thicker cables. As per the report, Winterthur city considers the environmental impact of the two materials is comparable and the crucial factor was the price. Aluminium as a metal is around 40% economical than copper. The transformation from copper to aluminium should be on a process with around 3.5 kilometres of cables are replaced every year. The savings will not have any effect on the electricity tariff, as...
Bahamas Aluminium cans importation shrinks during 2018-20
The Bahamas has a general market economy that is hugely dependent on tourism and international financial services. The nation is considered the wealthiest Caribbean country in terms of GDP per capita. According to the updated IMF forecasts from 14th April 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, GDP growth is expected to fall to -8.3% in 2020 and pick up to 6.7% in 2021, subject to the post-pandemic global economic recovery. The Caribbean nation’s import of aluminium cans during 2018-19 was recorded at 57,041 tonnes and the revenue expended for the import remained at $7.69 million. The import for 2020 is marked to be reaching at 20,283 tonnes and the expenditure to stand at $2.84 million. However, when the import and expenditure for 2020 get assorted with the preceding two years, it signifies...
Bosnian Aluminium producer Aluminij inks five-year deal with Glencore for supply of billets
Bosnian and Herzegovinian aluminium producer Aluminij signed a five-year contract with Glencore, the British-Swiss company for the supply of aluminium billets. The synergy between Aluminij and Glencore is consequential for both companies, as their alliance goes back long before last year's suspension of Aluminij's operations. However, details about the financial aspects of the deal or the agreed volume of aluminium billets are yet to be disclosed. The troubled Aluminij resumed production last month, following a 15-month halt and the credit goes to the agreement with an Israeli-Chinese tie-up. Aluminij Industries d.o.o., the newly established Bosnian subsidiary of Israel's M.T. Abraham Group and its partners, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and China Nonferrous Metal...
Alumil Aluminium invests in aluminium scrap separation unit
ALUMIL, one of the largest industries in the extrusion of aluminium in Greece, considers that the environmental protection is not just a side project on the annual plan, but it is at the core of organisation’s strategy for the next decade. For more than 30 years, the aluminium company has developed innovative products that stand out in the global market. The superior quality architectural aluminium systems are the result of technological expertise; however, most of it is manufactured in a cyclical production model, which is in line with the principles of the company’s sustainable business plan. The primary intention of Alumil is to minimize carbon footprint. Consequently, they have invested €2.8 million in a new aluminium scrap separation unit which was recently installed in their...
King River opt Kwinana Industrial area for HPA production project
King River Resources selected the Kwinana Industrial Area as the preferred site for its planned production project of High Purity Alumina (HPA) following the discussion with the Western Australian Government. The exploration mining company in November’20 decided to modify its planned production of HPA facility from the Speewah speciality metals project south of Kununurra in the Kimberley to an industrial site using the company’s HPA project on aluminium chemical feedstock from other industrial processes. The company confirmed the Kwinana industrial site after considering other industrial sites in WA and Queensland King River detailed Kwinana as WA’s foremost industrial area as it is well catered by transport links and with deep-water bulk port facilities, freight routes and a heavy rail...
