Top sustainability moves in bauxite and alumina sectors

The growing focus on a carbon-neutral world and the implementation of a circular economy has changed the course of the aluminium industry, driving manufacturers to adopt sustainable methodology in the production process. This new transformation has touched upon the entire value chain – from bauxite and alumina to aluminium end-use product manufacture. It is no hidden fact that sustainability is now the primary commitment and goal to achieve, whether for aluminium raw material producers/suppliers, aluminium product manufacturers/suppliers or aluminium consumers.

AlCircle’s latest industry-focused report, ‘Aluminium Industry Outlook 2023’, rightly noted that decarbonizing aluminium on the supply side will be the industry’s topmost priority in the years to come. This is expected to intensify as regions impose carbon tariffs on carbon intensive products.

The year 2022 saw several moves towards sustainability across the aluminium value chain but here we will focus on bauxite and alumina sectors. Our outlook report for 2023 has highlighted some of the crucial initiatives in the bauxite and alumina industries towards sustainability and those are as follows:

Sustainability related developments in bauxite mining:

• The Jamaican government encouraged all the stakeholders of the bauxite mining value chain to work in tandem with the government to ensure that they employ sustainable solutions in their mining operations.
• Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certified Mineração Rio do Norte – MRN against the Performance Standard certification for bauxite mining operations.
• Hydro claimed that its Tailings Dry Backfill method (places the leftovers from extracting bauxite from processing, back in areas that have already been mined) was a successful sustainable solution – this method was tested by the company at its Paragominas mines in Brazil.
• Nalco, as part of its sustainability activities, planted around 110,000 nos. of trees in and around mines during FY2021-22.
• Hindalco at its Baphlimali mine increased afforestation drive in 2021-22 compared to 2020- 21; the company claimed to have carried out rehabilitation of 15 hectares of mining land area and slope plantation of 20 hectares.

Sustainability related developments in alumina:

• Alcoa adopted state-of-the-art alumina refining technology that reduced energy emissions, and bauxite residue. The company also opened a bauxite residue processing facility in Brazil (at its Poços de Caldas alumina refinery) – using technology the company expects to bring the bauxite residue land storage by 15% by the end of the decade.
• Rio Tinto joined hands with Canadian firm Innord Inc to explore the opportunity of using the company’s environmentally friendly technology of recycling bauxite residue.
• Hindalco started working with IIT Bombay on a bauxite residue neutralisation project, using flue gas from a power plant and polymeric bricks from waste Bauxite residue and fly ash. They also reported running multiple research projects to increase the bauxite residue utilisation at Utkal alumina, including road development, mine backfilling, polymerised bricks, soil enrichment and carbon capture projects.
• Vedanta, as part of its sustainable business practices initiative, wished to collaborate with stakeholders of the Indian Construction industry to utilise bauxite residue and fly ash.
•  Emirates Global Aluminium intended to build a pilot plant at Al Taweelah that converted bauxite residue into soil products for further use.

Our report also talks about sustainability initiatives in primary, downstream and end-used sectors of the aluminium value chain. To learn them, feel free to book your copy now!