“Alumina refineries and aluminium smelters are increasingly realising the need for real-time process information,” Petra Mühlen, Partner and CEO, SpectraFlow Analytics

After working for 14 years in the family business Mühlen Sohn, which manufactures technical textiles and is also used in the aluminium smelters in sales and management roles, Petra started with the newly founded SpectraFlow Analytics in 2014. She has a master’s degree in mathematics and economics, which strengthens her quick technical as well as economic understanding. Her initial focus was on sales and technical implementation of the SpectraFlow product range over various industries. In 2020, she took over the CEO role as well.

AL Circle: Please describe how SpectraFlow quantifies Gibbsite or Kaolinite content in bauxite ore. Does this technology ensure enhanced quality of bauxite?

Petra Mühlen: SpectraFlow uses near-infra-red (NIR) technology to perform the real-time chemical analysis of solid bulk material transported on a conveyor belt, such as bauxite. The great thing about the technology is not only that it is completely free of any hazardous materials (e.g. radioactivity), but also that with light being used for the analysis, the NIR interacts with the bonding structure of the material. So the NIR analysis sees the difference in the minerals as each mineral absorbs energy in the NIR range in a different way. Looking at the formula and spectra of pure Gibbsite (Al (OH)₃) vs. Kaolinite (Al₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄), you can clearly see the differences in the 2 products, although they both contain alumina. SpectraFlow’s online analyser now measures an ever-changing material mix on the belt and therefore sees the accumulated absorbance of energy from all materials – organic (moisture, carbon, oxalates, …) as well as inorganic (minerals).