Developed
in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur, the innovative process will enhance
resource efficiency and curb energy consumption
Vedanta Aluminium, the
largest aluminium producer in India, has announced the development of a
groundbreaking process to significantly reduce the generation of bauxite
residue, commonly known as red mud in the alumina refining process. The process
reduces bauxite residue by a remarkable 30% by eliminating iron values while
simultaneously recovering a higher alumina yield, reducing the total organic
content from bauxite during the alumina refining. The process significantly
enhances resource efficiency and curbs energy consumption during refining. The
research project was led by the company’s Research & Development (R&D)
department in collaboration with the Department of Metallurgical and Materials
Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT KGP), with special
support from the Lanjigarh, Odisha unit, home to Vedanta’s world-class alumina
refinery. This cutting-edge development will enhance the company’s operational
excellence and have a sustainable impact on the global aluminium industry.
Bauxite is the primary ore
for aluminium, and it undergoes an intermediate refining stage, known as the
Bayer process, to produce alumina, which is then subjected to electrolysis to
produce aluminium. This refining process generates bauxite residue as a
by-product. To produce 1 kg of aluminium, it requires 2 kg of alumina, which
consumes 6 kg of bauxite, leaving behind 4 kg of bauxite residue. Managing this
voluminous by-product sustainably has been a long-standing industry challenge.
Vedanta Aluminium is actively engaged in minimising bauxite residue and
exploring avenues to extract value from it. The company has developed a
revolutionary process, which has been successfully validated in the laboratory
and patented. Presently, the company is focusing on establishing a pilot plant
to implement and assess the process, along with determining its potential
advantages.
On the breakthrough, Mr. GG Pal, Dy. CEO – Alumina Business,
Vedanta Ltd., said, “At Vedanta Aluminium, operational efficiency is of
paramount importance for us in achieving sustainability. Toward this goal, we
are aggressively focusing on our in-house R&D initiatives to drive tech-led
innovative solutions to address existing industry problems.”
Sharing his thoughts on the
development, Dr. Amit Chatterjee, Chief
Research & Development Officer, Aluminium Business, Vedanta Ltd., said,
“We look forward to implementing our groundbreaking process in bauxite residue
management in our refinery operations. This is a significant milestone that
will offer a pathway to enhanced resource efficiency and energy conservation
and contribute towards reshaping the global aluminium industry.”
Dr.
Chenna Rao Borra, Assistant Professor, Department of Metallurgical and
Materials Engineering, IIT Kharagpur said, “Vedanta Aluminium’s
dedication to R&D for sustainability goals is truly inspiring. The
reduction of bauxite residue has been one of the key challenges for the
aluminium industry, requiring significant technological advancements. The
process, developed through the collaborative efforts of IIT Kharagpur and the
company, will not only significantly improve bauxite residue management but
also contribute to reducing the carbon footprint in the process.”
Vedanta Aluminium is the
first company in the country to extract the entire volume of water from bauxite
residue slurry and recycle it back into operational use, achieving Zero Liquid
Discharge (ZLD) and demonstrating its commitment to water conservation. The
remaining bauxite residue is densely packed in dried form and stored in a
specially constructed and scientifically managed concretized area called the
Bauxite Residue Reservoir. This containment method prevents bauxite residue from
inadvertently leaching into the groundwater. For this processing purpose, the
company was the first in the country to establish a Bauxite Residue Processing
Plant. With the new method implementation, this residue generation will be
reduced further.
Additionally, Vedanta
Aluminium is actively collaborating with research institutes to develop
innovative technologies for the utilization of bauxite residue. These
technologies include the beneficiation of bauxite residue to enrich Rare Earth
Elements (REEs), the recovery of alumina and iron values, and processes for
extracting and separating titanium and REEs like Scandium. This effort is
crucial because bauxite residue houses valuable metals, including iron,
alumina, REEs, and titanium dioxide.
Vedanta Aluminium, a
business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium,
manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in
FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical
applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a
reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class
aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company
fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the
‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow. www.vedantaaluminium.com
Indian Institute of
Technology, Kharagpur is a higher educational and academic institute, known
globally for nurturing industry-ready professionals for the world and is a
pioneer institution to provide Excellence in Education, producing affordable
technology innovations. Set up in 1951 in a detention camp as an Institute of
National Importance, the Institute ranks among the top five institutes in India
and is awarded, “The Institute of Eminence”, by the Govt. of India in 2019. The
Institute is engaged in several international and national mission projects and
ranks significantly in research output with about 19 academic departments, 12
schools, 18 centers (including 5 Centre of Excellence) and 2 academies with
vast tree-laden campus, spreading over 2100 acres having 15,720+ students.
Currently, it has about 810+ faculty, 880+ employees and 1270+ projects. To
know more visit: www.iitkgp.ac.in
