Vedanta signs pact with research institutes for value-extraction from bauxite residue

Vedanta on Monday stated it has entered right into a pact with research institutes for worth extraction from bauxite residue. Bauxite residue (pink mud) is a by-product generated throughout the processing of bauxite into alumina utilizing the Bayer course of. It consists of iron, alumina, uncommon earth components (REE) and titanium dioxide.

Bauxite is the first ore for aluminium that undergoes an intermediate refining stage to provide alumina, which then undergoes electrolysis for producing aluminium.

About three tonnes of bauxite produce one tonne of alumina, and round two tonnes of alumina is required to provide one tonne of aluminium. “Under this MoU (memorandum of understanding), we aim to maximise value extraction from bauxite residue for further usage, downstream,” Rahul Sharma, deputy CEO (aluminium),

, stated.

Abundantly obtainable on earth’s crust, bauxite mining is among the most sustainable mining processes.

Creating indigenous capabilities for extraction of REEs from bauxite residue has been the brainchild of the NITI Aayog, given the significance of scandium for defence and its scarce availability in India.

REEs embody Scandium, Lanthanum, Cerium, and Yttrium.

As it’s a voluminous by-product, bauxite residue requires scientific methods of managing it, and much more superior methodologies to extract business worth from it.

Along with peer aluminium producers, Vedanta has entered into the pact with three research institutes – CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), Jamshedpur; Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneswar; and Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research, Development & Design Centre (JNARDDC), Nagpur.

As a part of this, the institutes shall work collectively to develop applied sciences for bauxite residue utilisation like pink mud beneficiation for REE enrichment, restoration of alumina values, restoration of iron values and course of for extraction, and separation of titanium and REEs.