EGA to set up pilot plant for transforming bauxite residue into environment-friendly soil

On 10^th February 2022, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) made public that it will commence construction of a pilot plant where bauxite residue, a waste material from alumina refining would be transformed into soil products that can be utilized for greening and other eco-friendly purposes in the UAE.

However, the metal company stated, “EGA’s pilot plant, which will be in Al Taweelah in Abu Dhabi, is expected to be operational in 2023.”

EGA’s pilot plant is conceptualized to be an elemental in the world, which follows five years of research & development (R&D) by EGA in association with The University of Queensland’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences. The revolutionary procedure transposes bauxite residue in its entirety in hours into environmentally and plant-friendly soil.

As per the industry experts, it is anticipated that at least 150 million tonnes of bauxite residue are produced worldwide each year and presently less than 2% are proffered towards the usage of productivity. The major reason is untreated bauxite residue is acoustic material that cannot support plant life.

A few experiments done has manifested that EGA’s manufactured soil, which the company calls Turba (the Arabic word for soil), supplements plant growth while using less water and fertiliser than local sandy alternatives.

UAE, as a nation has a dearth of naturally-occurring soil, due to the barren climate. Nowadays, the country imports huge quantities of soil products every year for greening and agricultural purposes from as far afield as Europe. As it is very much known that soil is a complex of minerals and organic matter and is considered a non-renewable resource. Furthermore, it is noted that even in the most favourable climates, it takes centuries or longer period for nature to add even a centimetre of soil to the surface, while bulk transportation of soil products generates greenhouse gas emissions.

 Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, the Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “The productive use of bauxite residue has been a global challenge since the dawn of the aluminium industry more than a century ago. We believe that our Turba process is a breakthrough, and our pilot plant will enable us to learn how to apply it on a large scale. This and other potential solutions we are developing hold out the prospect of an end to new bauxite residue storage this decade, whilst creating products useful in the UAE.”

In 2019, the Al Taweelah alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi commenced its production by the installation of alumina refining as a new industrial activity in the UAE.

EGA owned Al Taweelah alumina refinery’s licensing terms is undertaken to scout productive utilization for bauxite residue within the UAE. Although these plies are developed, EGA is stockpiling bauxite residue in line with current world-class best practices at a dedicated site about 30 kilometres inland from the coast in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi.

The Bauxite Residue R&D Group of EGA has framed a portfolio of additional novel applications that are at an advanced stage of development, with further pilot-scale trials expected.