Caustic soda plant setup in India: How aluminium growth is reshaping demand, costs and opportunities
Caustic soda may not be the most visible ingredient in aluminium production, but without it, the journey from bauxite to alumina would look very different. The chemical, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a crucial reagent in the Bayer process, where it helps dissolve alumina-bearing material in bauxite and separate it from impurities. The dissolved material is then processed to recover alumina, which ultimately feeds aluminium production. That makes caustic soda more than just another industrial chemical. Its availability, price and efficient use can influence the economics of alumina refining and, by extension, the wider aluminium value chain. As India expands its alumina and aluminium capacity, the requirement for this chemical is also becoming increasingly important. For companies...
Aluminum investment across North America and Asia: Who leads reshaping the next phase of growth?
Aluminum investment has been spreading across the entire value chain, from primary smelting and alumina refining to recycling, rolling, extrusion and battery foil, building more integrated and higher-value supply chains. During the past 5 years, the US and Canada in North America and China in Asia have been grabbing headlines pertaining to the aluminum industry. These updates have involved growth stories or have shed light on volatile market situations. How have these headlines contributed to a greater picture for the benefit of the aluminum industries of the two continents? Between 2021 and 2026, major projects across North America and Asia have targeted new primary capacity, lower-carbon production, recycled aluminum and higher-value downstream products. But the investment pattern is...
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Dip in construction cuts demand for billets and pushes ingot production
China’s slowdown in construction has affected the aluminium market forcing the smelters to produce more ingots for domestic spot markets moving away from the construction-friendly billets. The construction of new building has dipped 9.3 percent in the first nine months of this year when compared to the last and real estate accounts for the almost one-third of the total aluminium demand in China, the biggest consumer and producer of the metal. The mainland is now aiming to increase its export of semi-finished aluminium products which has already risen in the past nine months by nearly 10 percent. Exporting of primary aluminium in China is uneconomical as it faces a tax of 15 percent but the export of semi-finished aluminium products can well thrive due to the entitled rebate of 13-15...
Aluminum caps biggest two-day slide in three weeks
Aluminum capped the biggest two-day loss in three weeks as signs of a weaker housing market raised concern that demand will slow in China, the world’s top metals consumer. New-home prices fell in all but one Chinese city monitored by the government in September, the nation’s statistics bureau said today. Aluminum’s uses in construction include sheet products for roofing and wall cladding, according to Rio Tinto Group, which produces the lightweight metal. “The construction sector is one of the major consumers of aluminum,” Daniel Briesemann, an analyst at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt, said in a telephone interview. “If the construction sector is going to cool down, as falling home prices in China might suggest, it would have a negative impact on demand.” Aluminum for delivery in three...
Next-generation Wrangler will get an aluminum body
The next-generation Jeep Wrangler will feature an aluminum body to save weight, and will remain a body-on-frame vehicle, sources say. Because Chrysler won't make the switch to unibody construction, Wrangler assembly will probably stay in Toledo. And that means the company will likely produce more Wranglers for U.S. dealers and for export. The Wrangler tale started in early October in Paris when Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, was asked about two of his previous promises -- never to build Wranglers outside Toledo and no more brick-and-mortar factories in North America. In his response, Marchionne chose his words carefully. He said that the next Wrangler needed to lose weight and that doing so with aluminum might mean the Wrangler had to move elsewhere because of...
Aluminium ingot exports to India will not face duties or compensation fees
The Ministry of Economy announced on Sunday that following Indian authorities’ investigation into the UAE’s aluminium ingot exports to India will not result in the imposition of any duty or tariff. Abdullah Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Industry in the Ministry of Economy, said that the Indian government initiated its investigation this year on April 7, into imports of “not alloyed ingots of unwrought aluminum”. The investigation was launched due to Indian aluminum producers’ claims of economic harm due to the increased imports of cheap aluminum ingots. Since the start of the investigation, the Ministry has held meetings with Emirates Global Aluminum (Dubal and Emal), the only producer of aluminum ingots in the UAE. The ministry reviewed information and provided help...
Sapa shows year-on-year improvement in third quarter
Sapa’s underlying financial results in the third quarter were lower than in the previous quarter, partly due to seasonally lower sales volumes in Europe, but were considerably higher than in the third quarter of last year. Sapa had underlying EBIT of NOK 201 million in the third quarter (NOK 350 million in Q2), compared with NOK 24 million in the third quarter of 2013. Operating reveSapa improves results in Q3 2014nues increased from NOK 10,798 million in the third quarter of last year to NOK 11,603 million in Q3 2014. While the seasonally lower sales volumes in Europe impacted the Q3 results, demand increased by 1 percent compared to the third quarter of 2013. This was supported by growth within the automotive market segment. In North America, extruded aluminium products demand rose by 7...
Cape Alumina Increases $250k unsecured debt financing to $500k to progress the Bauxite Hills project
Cape Alumina Limited (Cape Alumina) is pleased to announce that it has increased the $250,000 unsecured debt financing (announced to the ASX on 27 August 2014) to $500,000 to progress the Bauxite Hills project. The loan is being provided by MetroCoal Limited (ASX:MTE) (MetroCoal) which, on 5 August 2014, announced an off-market takeover bid for all of the shares in Cape Alumina which it did not already own (refer to MetroCoal’s Bidders Statement, lodged on 19 August 2014, for more information about the terms of the bid). The loan will enable Cape Alumina to preserve its existing cash resources, pending resolution of the MetroCoal takeover bid, and continue to advance the Bauxite Hills project critical path work program including environmental works and bauxite analysis to enable a...
Russian firm set to build $1.5b mineral facilities
Russia’s investment and industrial group Vi Holding may pour around US$1.5 billion into building mineral processing facilities in Indonesia, a Russian minister says. The projects would comprise a $1 billion alumina refinery and a $500 million ferronickel smelter, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said Tuesday. The $1 billion alumina project was to be located in Kalimantan with a total output capacity of 2 million tons per year, Manturov added. It is expected that the refinery will finish development within four years, according to the minister. “The alumina to be produced by the Indonesian refinery will be shipped to China to supply its own industry where it will then be processed into aluminum,” Manturov said after a meeting with Indonesia’s newly inaugurated President...
Aluminium-air battery could give Electric Vehicles longer range
A new technology was introduced at the annual Battery Show held in Michigan at the Suburban Collection Showplace convention centre on Friday - an aluminium-air battery that is likely to eliminate range anxiety experienced with other electric vehicles, as per inventors’ claim. The technology is developed by Phinergy- an Israeli along with Alcoa, the aluminium giant. The aluminium-air battery will not be the only energy source in the vehicle; a lithium-ion battery will work in conjunction with it. The lithium-ion battery will be used for daily driving powering the car until it is depleted while the car’s computer will automatically switch to aluminium-air when going on longer drives. The downfall with lithium batteries is that they need to be charged via an electric source and the longevity...
AMMG releases update on High Purity Alumina (HPA) Market
Highlights • Global HPA market estimated at 19,040tpa in 2014 with increase to 48,230tpa anticipated by 2018 • Market growth forecast at a CAGR of approximately 28% • Asia Pacific region HPA market share 70% • Asia Pacific potential location for AMMG’s HPA plant – best geographic position to service the large growing market • AMMG will focus production towards 4N (99.99%) HPA product due to bulk of sales and demand • As a new potential suppler, AMMG aims to meet the forecast HPA deficit as well as providing buyers with increased choice and flexibility Australia Minerals and Mining Group Limited (ASX : AKA) (AMMG/the Company) is pleased to provide an update on the high purity alumina (HPA) market. HPA – NON-MTALLURGICAL MARKET Alumina or aluminium oxide, commonly known as Al2O3 is...
New Jaguar XE car pioneers with 50% recycled content aluminium
Jaguar’s new XE car is using a new aluminium alloy that means 50 per cent of the body is made from recycled aluminium. Funding for the development of the new alloy came from Innovate UK (the new name for the Technology Strategy Board) in 2007 when it provided 69 per cent of the £2 million total funding for the collaborative R&D competition. Six other partner organisations were involved in the project meaning a fully integrated supply chain. These included Novelis, Zyomax, Norton, Stadco, Brunel University and Innoval Technology. A second project is now being worked on to increase the recycled content even further with the aim of 75 per cent. Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “This is a fine example of a great British company driving British innovation. This could be a game changer for...
Future remains grim for alumina, economist says
WESTPAC chief economist Bill Evans says he doesn't hold any great hopes for the alumina industry, with low commodity prices set to continue. Speaking at the GEA Major Industry Conference in Gladstone on Thursday, Mr Evans said the future for the industry appeared grim. More than 3000 people work in the sector in Gladstone. The sector has been hit by low commodity prices in recent years, leading to hundreds of job cuts. Mr Evans said prices were unlikely to rise in the foreseeable future. "The problem with alumina is that it's affected by excess supply," the ABC reported. "The demand overall I would argue would be lifting, but the supply story of alumina is still quite scary." Earlier this week Boyne Smelters Ltd general manager Joe Rea said the aluminium industry was going through...
Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd conferred with 2 awards for Projects in Six Sigma
Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd has been conferred with two prestigious awards by the International Convention on QC Circles, 2014 under the categories - Reduction in Waste and Reduction in downtime. The Company won the Silver Award for both their projects in Six Sigma. Shares of ESS DEE ALUMINIUM LTD. was last trading in BSE at INR 347.3 as compared to the previous close of INR 349.2. The total number of shares traded during the day was 16472 in over 1215 trades. The stock hit an intraday high of INR 360.7 and intraday low of 344. The net turnover during the day was INR 5771756.
Cheap imports push Aluworks to the margins
Cheap Chinese aluminium products, buoyed by a kind export rebate, have taken over the Ghanaian market and are pushing the nation’s main manufacturer of aluminium products -- Aluworks -- to the fringes. Aluworks’ MD Kwesi Okoh is troubled by the situation and is calling on the Ghanaian government to put in place countervailing measures -- or his company will die. “Chinese imports end up here very cheap not because they are more efficient than we are; in fact, in many cases we are better in our processes but because they get what is called an export rebate -- sometimes as high as 35 percent -- which means their products land here way cheaper than our price,” he lamented to parliamentarians. “But let me be very clear: I am not actually fighting the Chinese. Ghana’s government should help...
Press Metal upbeat on aluminium industry outlook
Press Metal Bhd is upbeat on the outlook of the aluminium industry driven by supply shortage amid higher demand from various industries including car, construction, aviation and cable. Group chief executive officer, Datuk Koon Poh Keong, said despite the forecast deficit of one million tonnes this year, more industries were moving to use it primarily due to the tighter regulation on emission control in the Western countries. "The price of aluminium has been holding well. It is at US$2,000 a tonne now and next year is set to be US$2,200," he told reporters after the company's extraordinary general meeting on Thursday. Last year, the price stood at US$1,700 per tonne. He said car sector was one of the major industries shifting from steel-based to aluminium as seen by US Ford Motor Co's...
HKeX signs deal aimed at LME Asia warehouse expansion
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKeX) has signed a preliminary deal with China Merchant Group companies aimed at expanding London Metal Exchange warehouses in Asia and developing new products and services for the Asian market. HKeX has been under pressure to boost earnings ever since it bought the London Metal Exchange (LME) in 2012 for $2.2 billion. To this end, it has long planned to steer the LME into mainland China, the world's biggest metals market. HKeX representatives, including Chief Executive Charles Li, are in London this week for LME Week, the global metals industry's largest annual gathering. The deal or MoU (memorandum of understanding) was signed on Wednesday with China Merchants Group (CMG) and China Merchants Securities (CMS). "This agreement ... marks the beginning of...
Orbite awarded Green Chemistry and Engineering Network Award
Orbite Aluminae Inc. announced today it has been awarded the Chemical Institute of Canada’s Green Chemistry and Engineering Network Award. The award is presented to companies that have made significant contributions to the field of green chemistry and engineering, including the technical, economic, human health and environmental benefits. The accolade was awarded to Orbite for its development of a breakthrough technology in the field of alumina production and monetization of red mud and fly ash. Alumina is the primary material used to make aluminium, and is extracted from bauxite. The industry currently uses an extraction process that generates a highly caustic waste, which is typically stored in holding ponds. Depending on the quality of the bauxite and process efficiencies, between one...
ISRI member George Chen receives special recognition for work in the recycling industry
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) congratulates George Chen, president of ISRI Member G&T Trading International in Clifton, New Jersey, for receiving the Commissioner’s Award from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. George was honored at the Association of New Jersey Recyclers annual recycling symposium. “For George, recycling is a passion that he cares deeply about and shares with others as a way of helping preserve the planet for future generations,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “He has shown a strong dedication to the industry through various leadership roles and through promoting its many benefits. We are proud to call George an ISRI member, and congratulate him on this well-deserved award.” Each year the New Jersey Department of...
Alcoa to sell ownership stake in Mt. Holly Smelter to Century Aluminum
Alcoa today announced that it has reached an agreement to sell its ownership stake in the Mt. Holly aluminum smelter in Goose Creek, South Carolina, to Century Aluminum Company for $67.5 million in cash, plus an additional potential earn-out. Mt. Holly is owned 50.3 percent by Alcoa and 49.7 percent by Century. “While Mt. Holly is a strong facility, its cost structure doesn’t match Alcoa’s criteria for a low cost portfolio of upstream assets,” said Bob Wilt, President, Alcoa Global Primary Products. “The sale will help achieve Alcoa’s strategy to optimize its commodity portfolio, and protect the facility’s jobs and economic contribution to the local community. We would like to thank our community stakeholders and the employees of Mt. Holly for their years of support.” The smelter has the...
