Ultromex signs major deal with Rio Tinto to remediate a salt slag landfill site in Europe

Ultromex, supplier of vital technologies to the aluminium smelting industry in dealing with its production wastes has signed a major deal with Rio Tinto to remediate a salt slag landfill site in Europe. Ultromex introduces SALTROMEX, a patented plant & technology enabling aluminium smelters to treat and recycle their salt slag wastes.

The UK based technology firm Ultromex, together with its partner EJM Hydrovac, will excavate process and re-instate the site in France during the next three years. This multi-million Euro contract will treat 65,000 tonnes of salt slag waste.

Salt slag, also referred to as salt cake or black dross is a waste material generated by secondary aluminium processing (the recycling and smelting of new aluminium from aluminium scrap, dross and other industry wastes). Due to its reactivity with water and the nature of the contaminants it contains, salt slag (or salt cake as it sometimes known) is now classed as a hazardous waste.

Nigel Seddon, CEO, Ultromex, said: “The signing of this major contract is the result of more than three years hard work by the Ultromex & EJM teams, including a pilot trial which validated and demonstrated to Rio Tinto the effectiveness of our Saltromex process for remediating slag. The Ultromex plant will be built during 2021 and will be capable of processing the waste at a rate of 18 tonnes per hour.”

“We are pleased to be working with such a prestigious company as Rio Tinto and we are confident that our technology will open up many future projects in Europe and around the world”.

In general, aluminium smelting wastes are hazardous and traditionally it used to routinely landfill before the EU and other regions changed regulations to prohibit further landfill. There are various other landfills in existence around the globe and, where they cause environmental issues, Ultromex now has a proven solution to resolve the problem.

Ultromex offers a range of technologies to treat and recycle aluminium smelting wastes. It offers solutions to address wastes such as dross, salt slag, SPL and filter dust as they arise at the smelter, or in this case, where they have been stockpiled or landfilled in the past.