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.
Monash University: Engineers reveals improvements in the fatigue life of high strength aluminium alloys by 25 times
Monash University, a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia has come up with a world-first study by its engineers, as they have demonstrated improvements in the fatigue life of high strength aluminium alloys by 25 times, which is a significant outcome for the transport manufacturing industry. As per the demonstration, researchers claim that the poor fatigue performance of high strength aluminium alloys was because of weak links called ‘precipitate free zones’ (PFZs). Professor Christopher Hutchinson has led the team, who is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University in Australia, was able to make aluminium alloy microstructures that can heal the weak links while in operation (i.e. a form of self-healing). The enhancement in the lifetime of high...
Belarus import of Aluminium wire during 2018-20 unfolds steady growth
The economy is set to contract this year, hit by both the pandemic and political tensions. FocusEconomics panellists project the economy to shrink by 3.8% in 2020. In 2021, the economy is expected to rebound and grow 2.3%, which is down 0.2% points from last month's estimate. Civil engineering is a growing industry in Belarus. The industry makes a positive contribution to the country's GDP. The landlocked eastern European nation’s import of aluminium wire during 2018-19 has been recorded at 62,032 tonnes and the revenue expended on the import remained at $164.45 million. The import for 2020 has been marked to reach at 37,812 tonnes and expenditures to happen will stand at $155.80 million, however, when the import volume and expenditure of the previous two years gets added it depicts...
Govt. of India plans another effort to construct satellite port at Betul in Goa, majorly for Bauxite export
Mormugao Port Trust said three years after that it has shelved plans for the satellite port at Betul, following people’s protests; the Central government has made another effort to construct a satellite port there through Sagarmala V project. As per the industry report, a new multipurpose terminal at Betul has been planned. The Sagarmala V report says:“Bauxite mines are located at Betul about 35 km south of the Mormugao port. There are significant bauxite reserves at this location (over 200 MT).” “Mormugao port may explore the possibility of developing a terminal at Betul for export of Bauxite,” added. “This could either be a direct loading port for all-weather or fair-weather operations. Alternative a barge terminal could be planned at Betul for loading the mother ships inside the...
Hulamin: South African Aluminium Group reports sales recovery in third quarter ended September
On 14 th October’20, the South African Aluminium Group Hulamin announced: “Third-quarter sales to end-September have improved, with order books in all its operations approaching normal levels.” The sales figure of the Group in the third quarter ended September rose to 45,000 tonnes, from 29,000 tonnes in the second quarter, as with Hulamin confirmed orders for beverage can products, heat-treated plate and extrusions were particularly healthy. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit hard Hulamin in H1 and due to the high fixed-cost nature of the business, improved volumes was a vital factor to its return to profitability. Hulamin’s sales had fallen 35% to 71,000 tonnes in H1 to end-June. The Group also made public on 14 th October that the preliminary findings of the US department of commerce...
German luggage maker “Rimowa” to launch camouflage edition of its iconic original Aluminium suitcase
German luggage manufacturer RIMOWA quietly added new colour options to its classic suitcase line earlier this month. However, the manufacturer now has unveiled two new special editions of its iconic original aluminium suitcase set to drop in November’20. The travel accessory will be available in “Green Camouflage” and “Pink Camouflage,” featuring refined camouflage print and unique visual focal points throughout. Crafted using RIMOWA’s traditional techniques, the luggage piece comes with an anodized aluminium badge engraved with the brand’s signature logo, as well as its new monogram on the wheel. Assuring stable and effortless steering is the high-end RIMOWA Multiwheel System, which comes with ball-bearing mounted wheels engineered for increased resilience, stability and durability. The...
ISGEC Heavy Engineering successfully commissions modified 150 MW boiler for Hindalco’s Aditya Aluminium unit in Odisha
The Indian heavy engineering company, ISGEC has successfully commissioned a combustion modified 150 MW boiler for Hindalco’s Aditya Aluminium unit in Sambalpur, Odisha. The project incorporated the entire modification of the combustion system of a digressive fired boiler to drastically reduce Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions in line with the revised and more stringent norms issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Isgec executed this project in collaboration with BHI FW Corpn., USA. The extent of the project included design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, transportation, construction, commissioning, and performance guarantee testing. In December 2019, the site work at the project was inaugurated and the performance guarantee test successfully conducted in the...
Denmark’s export of Aluminium scrap during 2018-20 displays gradual downfall
The economy of Denmark is a modern mixed economy with comfortable living standards, a high level of government services and transfers, and a high dependence on foreign trade. As a small open economy, Denmark generally advocates a liberal trade policy, and its exports, as well as imports, make up circa 50% of GDP. According to the updated IMF forecasts from 14th April 2020, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19, GDP growth is expected to fall to -6.5% in 2020 and pick up to 6% in 2021, subject to the post-pandemic global economic recovery. The Scandinavian nation’s aluminium scrap export during 2018-19 has been recorded at 272,005 tonnes and the revenue generated from the export remained at $225.20 million. The export for 2020 is expected to reach at 118,212 tonnes and earnings to stand at...
1107 attendees from 85 countries, GAE 2020: Let’s have a post virtual tour of the mega-successful EXPO
AlCircle’s first-of-its-kind “Global Aluminium Expo 2020”, as expected has turned into a successful two-day mega event. We are glad to share the total attendee registrations for the two-day event reached to 1107 from 85 countries around the world. It has been analysed that approx. 25% of the attendees, that is 276 in numbers has been present on both the days of the event and 2 hours: 3 minutes was the record average time spent by an attendee at the event. Just click on the video and have a post virtual tour of the event: AlCircle team once again remains thankful to all the 10 sponsors and 27 exhibitors who participated in this global event. The valuable contribution from our sponsors, exhibitors and cherished attendees from 85 countries has supported us to organize this successful event....
In a new Aluminium design, Apple rolls-out iPhone 12 mini
Apple’s desire to reach expanded market consumption has come up with a mini variant to the family and rolls-out the iPhone 12 mini with a 5.4-inch screen in new aluminium design. The US consumer electronics giant claims this is the smallest and lightest 5G smartphone in the world. The iPhone mini will be available for pre-order starting November 6 and will available on November 13. The mini version of iPhone 12 comes with features like FaceID, Apple's A14 Bionic 5nm chip with better energy efficiency and four-core GPU for console-quality games. Greg Joswiak, Sr. Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Apple said: "The arrival of 5G marks the beginning of a new era for iPhone and we're thrilled to bring these impressive new capabilities to our customers with iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.”...
Mattoni: Iconic Czech mineral water brand’s first aluminium can in 150 years comes with a three-crown deposit
Iconic Czech mineral water company Mattoni is now offering mineral water in refundable cans. This is the first in the 150-year history of the company, Mattoni product sold in aluminium can. The scheme is available through online Czech supermarket Košík.cz and follows a similar system to their PET water bottles. Since January this year, Košík has been selling Mattoni mineral water in refundable PET bottles. Through the new program, half-litre cans of Mattoni's lemon-flavoured sparkling water can be purchased on Košík.cz for 19.90 CZK, and it comes with an additional 3 CZK deposit. The cans may later be returned through a Košík.cz pickup, with customers refunded the 3 CZK deposit. Alessandro Pasquale, CEO, Mattoni said: "Our goal is for significantly more cans to be recycled in the Czech...
GFG Alliance appoints former first minister of Wales “Carwyn Jones” to its advisory board
Sanjeev Gupta led GFG Alliance appoints a former first Minister of Wales among the other members of a new global advisory board established by the organisation. The board has been appointed following the consolidation of GFG's businesses into three brands: Alvance Aluminium Group, Liberty Steel Group, and SIMEC Energy Group. Carwyn Jones, former First Minister of Wales, among the 17 experts assembled for the advisory board from the fields of industry, politics, economics and law. The board will help to structure GFG Alliance's strategy to transform industrial manufacturing and become carbon neutral by 2030. The board will be divided into five regional sub-groups – reflecting GFG Alliance’s key markets in Australia, India, continental Europe, the UK and the Americas - which will meet four...
Austal: Perth-based Aluminium shipbuilding giant is ASX’s thriving defence sector
The Australian Securities Exchange, ASX, has a small but thriving defence sector that is rolling out some impressive technology into larger potential markets; in reality, it means export success. The most venerable of the ASX’s defence stocks are the remarkable flourishing of Perth-based aluminium shipbuilding giant Austal, from its earlier days making aluminium dinghies in the late 1980s, has grown to become the global leader as an aluminium shipbuilder. It has a feather on its crown as Australia’s largest defence exporter, and the only foreign-owned prime contractor to have designed and built ships for the US Navy. Austal has built 300 plus vessels for more than 100 commercial and defence operators, spread across 54 countries in the last 30 years. The company’s order booking value is...
Japan’s export of Aluminium Tubes and Pipes during 2018-20 exhibits upswing
The economy of Japan is a highly developed free-market economy. It is the third-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). However, the Japanese economy has shrunk at its fastest rate on record as it battles the coronavirus pandemic, as the economy saw gross domestic product fall 7.8% in April-June’20 from the previous quarter or 27.8% on an annualised basis. In contrary, the East Asian Island nation’s export of aluminium tubes and pipes reveals a good rise during 2018-20. The export during 2018-19 has been recorded at 4357 tonnes and the revenue generated on the export stood at $41.07 million. The projected export for 2020 has been analysed to reach at 4432 tonnes and earnings to remain at $42.81 million; when the export volume and...
Altech Chemicals: €7.38 million of grant support from Saxony State Government in Germany for construction of HPA plant
Altech Chemicals Limited aiming to become the world’s leading supplier of HPA has announced that it has received a commitment letter from State Ministry for Economic, Labour and Transport, Saxony, Germany for a grant of €7,380,000. The grant would be available to Altech towards the support of total investment for construction of a high purity alumina (HPA) plant at the Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park, in the State of Saxony, Germany. The grant offer follows the July 2020 signing of an option to purchase agreement by Altech’s wholly-owned German subsidiary Altech Industries Germany Gmbh, for a 10-hectare industrial site in the Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park, Saxony and a recent joint site visit to the industrial park by Altech alternate director Mr Uwe Ahrens accompanied by various Altech...
Rusal to reduce benzapyrene emissions by 60% at Krasnoyarsk aluminium smelter, using eco-friendly raw material
As part of its environmental modernization program by 2024, RUSAL, the leader of global aluminium industry plans to entirely switch the reduction area of the Krasnoyarsk aluminium smelter (KrAZ) to a new type of raw material, an eco-friendly pitch. In contrast to the traditional raw material, the eco-friendly pitch is less tarry in nature and its application in the aluminium production process is less harmful to the environment. The implementation of this and other technical innovations at KrAZ will lead to a reduction of benzapyrene emissions’ by at least 60% in the upcoming years. Vitaly Badmaev, First Deputy Minister of ecology and environmental management of the Krasnoyarsk territory, said: “The transition to the eco – friendly pitch at a production facility is a complex technological...
Ghana’s import of Alumina during 2019-20 reveals a positive trend for Aluminium production
Ghana is the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve the Millenium Development Goal 1, which is the target of halving extreme poverty. Ghana has recently become a middle-income country. Ghana's economic freedom score is 59.4, making its economy the 104th freest in the 2020 Index. Ghana is ranked 11th among 47 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall score is well above the regional average and slightly below the world average. The West African nation’s alumina import during 2019 has been recorded at 84,710 and the expenditure occurred for the import remained at $28.87 million. The alumina import for 2020 has been evaluated at 135,153 tonnes, growth by 59.54%, Y-o-Y surplus volume of 50,443 tonnes and foreign revenue to be expended is expected at $42.39 million, a...
Australian Mines Ltd. seek out to develop next-gen aluminium alloys using scandium
Founded in 2001 and ASX-listed, Australian Mines Ltd. is seeking to evolve new aluminium alloys using scandium, which will be sourced from the Sconi project in Queensland. The mining company has allied with Victoria-based Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials for the project, which starts on 12 th October’20 and lasts for nine months. The project strives to deliver aluminium alloys from high purity scandium oxide to enhance the performance of industrial processes within the energy industry. It will use machine learning algorithms and Deakin’s expertise in alloy development. Benjamin Bell, Managing Director, Australian Mines Ltd. said: “Working with Deakin to develop the next generation of aluminium alloys using scandium aligned perfectly with the company’s strategy to...
Rio Tinto’s Iceland Aluminium smelter staffs voted to strike
A greater part of the workers at Straumsvík aluminium smelter, near Reykjavík in Iceland, have voted to strike in action. As per the report, the strike actions begin on 16 th October, which entail daily strikes among certain professions within the smelter throughout November. A general strike is scheduled to begin on 1 st December if an agreement is not reached by that date. According to Reinhold Richter, a union representative, the striking workers belong to five different unions and are demanding the same wage hikes as are outlined in the “standard of living contract” signed by unions and the Icelandic Confederation of Enterprise (SA) in 2019. The smelter is owned by Rio Tinto, one of the largest metal and mining corporations in the world. Earlier this year, the company considered...
