EGA to supply carbon by-products from aluminium smelting to cement industry for re-use

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) announced that it is to supply its entire carbon dust production, a by-product of aluminium smelting to the UAE cement industry to be used as alternative fuel.

The move strengthens EGA’s cooperation with UAE cement companies and also reiterates its commitment to sustainability and a circular economy. EGA also supplies its spent pot lining, another waste product, to UAE cement firms and has trialled the re-use of carbon dust in the cement industry.

Salman Dawood Abdulla, Executive Vice President, Environment, Health, Safety, Sustainability and Business Transformation at EGA, said: “…we are glad to be working with the cement industry to pioneer this approach in the UAE. We will now re-use almost all the carbon dust we generate at EGA, improving the environmental performance of both aluminium smelting and cement manufacturing.”

Carbon dust is generated during the process of producing anodes which are consumed in pots during aluminium smelting. High carbon content makes carbon dust an alternative fuel option. EGA is expected to supply about 78,000 tonnes of carbon dust to the UAE cement industry.

The use of carbon dust will cut down UAE cement companies’ dependence on other fuels like coal imported from as far as South Africa. Reducing mining and long-distance transport of coal is expected to save approximately 36,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the next two years. 

EGA will supply both the freshly-produced carbon dust and old stockpiles to the cement industry. Freshly-produced carbon dust will be supplied directly to the cement industry. EGA has signed a contract with Heavy Machinery Viqa for processing and reutilizing its already stockpiled carbon dust.

EGA recycled over102 thousand tonnes of waste in 2017, up from over 96 thousand tonnes in 2017.