Media ININ Economy We Trust
20-05-2019 Media IN Abu Dhabi
Emirates Aluminium International today announced the launch of a new facility for the treatment and recycling of smelter residues at a cost of AED 15 million, an important step towards progress in the recycling of industrial waste.
Waste from aluminum smelters – materials consumed and used in the lining of aluminum smelter cells – is one of the most important waste sources in the aluminum industry worldwide and will be used by the facility to process these wastes for use by cement companies in the UAE as alternative raw materials .
The new facility reflects the commitment of Emirates International Aluminum Company to reduce the rate of industrial waste and reuse.
Emirates Aluminum has been working with UAE cement companies since 2010 to develop the possibility of replacement of smelter residues in place of some of the fuels and materials that are resistant to smelting required in the manufacture of cement.
Last year, Emirates Cement provided cement companies with more than 41,000 tons of smelter residues to be used as alternative fuels and raw materials, reducing stocks from previous years and making the company a global leader in the reuse of these industrial wastes.
Globally, the aluminum industry produces more than 1 million tons of smelter residues per year, according to industry experts, many of which are kept indefinitely without much economic use.
The new treatment and recycling plant is located at the Taweelah headquarters of Emirates International Aluminum and is the largest facility in the Gulf region.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Aluminum International, said: “The smelters are a challenge to the global aluminum industry. Within a decade, however, we managed to transform the waste into an economic value within the UAE. The company now has its own infrastructure to convert smelter residues into useful raw materials in the industry. “
It is worth mentioning that Emirates International Aluminum has previously worked with specialized third parties to treat smelter residues prior to supplying them to the cement companies, resulting in increased transport distances and processing costs.
Most of the carbon residues, which are other secondary materials from aluminum smelters, are supplied by the UAE to aluminum companies for fuel.
In addition, the company is sending some metal scraps to be processed for the recovery of the aluminum. A third party is currently constructing a new facility near Emirates Aluminum International’s Al Taweelah facility to treat the metal residues that allow the reuse of these wastes.
The UAE’s aluminum production from waste, excluding smelter waste, fell by 15 percent last year compared to 2017
