EGA signs deal with VITO to assess use of bauxite residue

Emirates Global Aluminium announced a partnership with VITO, the European research and technology organisation, to assess use of bauxite residue, a by-product of alumina refining, in construction materials.

Abdalla Alzarooni, EGA’s Vice President of Technology Development & Transfer said: “Using bauxite residue as the raw material for construction products is one potential solution we are investigating for bauxite residue. Finding viable uses for this by-product is a challenge for our industry globally, but we aim to reduce and even eliminate the need to store new bauxite residue in the longer term.”   

VITO will work with experts at the University of Leuven in Belgium to assess the technical and commercial potential of using bauxite residue in the UAE in the manufacture of materials such as road base to cement, concrete, and refractory bricks for company’s own aluminium smelters.

Most bauxite residue produced worldwide is still stored indefinitely as waste. Industry experts estimate that at least 150 million tonnes of bauxite residue are produced worldwide each year. It is thought that less than two percent of this is currently put to productive use, according to company press release.

EGA is currently building its first alumina refinery in the UAE, next to its Al Taweelah smelter in Abu Dhabi.