11/02/2024
SOLUTION FOR RED MUD AT Aughinish Alumina Refinery, Foynes, Co. Limemerick, Ireland !
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"They turn harmful sludge into ecological steel. An impressive transformation has taken place in Europe."
German scientists, representatives of the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, decided to deal with the problem associated with aluminum production. It is estimated that each year it leads to the formation of up to 180 million tons of sludge, which has a negative impact on the natural environment.
Recent steps, described in more detail in Nature, allow us to deal with this problem. As a result, it is quite simple to turn toxic sludge into ecological and useful steel. This is a huge success, especially considering the fact that it removes a harmful substance while providing material for which the demand is constantly growing.
The whole process begins with an electric arc furnace, where iron oxide is converted into iron using hydrogen plasma. This way, almost 700 million tons of carbon dioxide-free steel could be produced from the four billion tons of red mud available worldwide. This is a gigantic amount, accounting for approximately ⅓ of the annual global production.
As if the advantages were not enough, the originators pay attention to one more aspect: the economic profitability of the above-mentioned concept. Why is waste product so problematic in the first place? This includes its strong alkalinity and the presence of heavy metals such as chromium. Red mud is produced in large quantities in countries such as Australia, Brazil and China, where it is usually dried and stored. However, this does not eliminate the problem and additionally generates costs.
Steel produced from environmentally toxic sludge could be the answer to the steel shortage while removing excess waste
Using an electric arc furnace, research team members were able to melt the red mud, also reducing the iron oxide contained in it to iron. This is done using a plasma containing 10% hydrogen. All this in just ten minutes. The liquid iron is then separated from the liquid oxides and can be extracted, and the purity obtained is so high that direct processing into steel is an option.
Due to the use of ecological hydrogen, the entire process is free from emissions of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide. It is said that almost 1.5 billion tons of this gas will be avoided by using the proposed method. As we live in a world where economic profitability usually plays an important role in the popularization of selected methods, this case could be no different.
In the case of the technology implemented by German engineers, green hydrogen and electricity are said to be profitable when the iron oxide content is 30-40 percent. With such a ratio, the obtained iron could be competitive on the market. Let us also remember about the possibility of using existing infrastructure in the form of arc furnaces, which should also be economically beneficial.
Source: https://www.focus.pl/artykul/rekord-predkosci-hyperloop-maglev
Aughinish Alumina Aughinish Alumina Refinery Aughinish, Clare, Ireland
