RUSAL signs agreement with Kemerovo region and Environmental regional center to create new recycling production

Rusal the world’s largest aluminium producer, announces the signing of Cooperation Agreement with the Kemerovo Region administration and Environmental Regional Center (ERC) on recycling waste to innovative products for ferrous metallurgy.

The first stage provides for recycling by ERC of all spent carbon pot lining (aluminium production wastes) coming from the Novokuznetsk aluminium smelter in the amount of up to 3,000 tonnes per year. In the future, ERC will also recycle the stored pot lining from the waste site, increasing the site’s lifespan. The agreement will be valid until the end of 2015 and may be extended afterwards.

No additional investment is required from RUSAL. The Company will provide ERC with wastes and let it use its industrial sites for installation of recycling equipment. Purchase of the equipment required will be financed by ERC under a soft loan with the support of the Kemerovo Region administration.

The wastes will be recycled by ERC to synthetic flux used in cast iron and steel production, which are a substitute to natural flux (fluor spar). Compared to natural flux, synthetic one is cheaper; has a lesser inert content and a higher calorific value under a lower fusion temperature among other advantages.

ERC has already signed supply contracts with the West Siberian, Novokuznetsk and Nizhny Tagil metallurgical works. The long-term demand for synthetic flux from these plants amounts to 6,000-8,000 tonnes monthly.

The project is included into the Kemerovo Region investment projects’ list and is currently unique for Russia. This project will help RUSAL increase the amount of recycled wastes up to 80,000 tonnes by 2013.

Ivan Rebrik, UC RUSAL’s HSE Director, commented: ‘Innovative products that will be received from aluminium production waste recycling give us an alternative solution to their disposal. ERC has a waste treatment licence. It is also very important for us that the process implies a deep detoxication and a nearly complete decomposition of all hazardous substances. The introduction of synthetic flux also enables ferrous metallurgy plants to reduce their dependence from Mongolian and Kazakh natural flux suppliers.’

For reference: lining is a special coating which protects surface of equipment from potential mechanic or physical damage.