Allumina del Queensland

Queensland Alumina, one of the world’s largest alumina refineries, is situated in Parsons Point, South Trees and Gladstone in Australia and supplies Boyne Smelters Limited as well as other aluminium smelters with their needs for raw alumina. Rio Tinto owns 80% while Rusal holds 20% ownership in this facility.

Australian authorities recently implemented sanctions on Russian oligarchs Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, which has had an adverse impact on their ownership of Queensland Alumina Ltd (QAL).

Bauxite

Bauxite is the primary raw material for manufacturing alumina and aluminium metal. Composed primarily of gibbsite, boehmite, and diaspore minerals, it contains high concentrations of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) as well as silicate minerals – comprising up to 90 per cent by weight of total aluminum oxide content and approximately 30 percent silicate minerals.

Bauxite can be found worldwide in tropical climates, typically on red clay soils overlying carbonate rocks. Bauxite mining generally uses open cut methods from surface deposits near coastal lands; Australia was the top producer in 2017, mining 31 million tonnes.

Bauxite serves many functions. As the principal raw material for producing aluminum metal, it serves a multitude of applications; including being the main ingredient used to make alumina production possible and being utilized in cement production, refractory bauxite manufacturing and chemical manufacturing. Bauxite can also be found used to manufacture abrasives as well as being part of fireproof building materials.

Utilizing bauxite to create fire retardant fabrics and materials helps manufacturers meet regulatory standards in the construction industry, while simultaneously meeting regulatory compliance. Furthermore, its use helps in manufacturing fire-resistant walls, panels, and insulation that helps protect buildings against collapse during fire outbreaks.

Alumina and other chemicals derived from bauxite are indispensable in the production of plastics, paper, rubber products and paints/coatings, making roads and highways more durable.

Environmental pollution caused by bauxite mining has long been a significant concern in countries where it’s mined, particularly Guinea. Pollution comes from clearing of land for mining operations, extraction and washing of bauxite which pollutes water bodies, transportation and stockpiling of the product as well as air pollution due to dust inhalation deep into respiratory tracts.

Pollution from bauxite mining poses serious threats to biodiversity and wildlife. Clearing land for mining results in habitat loss, damaging trees and grasslands along the way, while its extraction and processing alters the chemical makeup of soil, disrupting its ecosystem.

Refining

Australia is the second-highest producer and exporter of alumina worldwide, contributing an estimated $7-$8 billion annually to Australia’s national economy through production and export of this mineral. Alumina production contributes roughly $9-$11 billion each year as raw material for aluminium smelters as well as being utilized as ceramic pigment, filler for plastics or catalyst for phenolic resins as a catalyst and/or abrasive.

Alumina is produced at six refineries across Western Australia and Queensland and shipped around the world for shipment. In 2022, Australia produced 20.3 million tonnes of alumina with ore mined at Weipa near far North Queensland transported via road and rail over 2000km to Worsley Alumina Refinery near Boddington near Boddington where the refining process is powered by natural gas which results in high emissions levels; prompting industry participants to look for ways to lower these emissions.

Refineries employ a Bayer process to transform bauxite into alumina. Once this step has taken place, caustic soda and aluminum hydroxide are separated out, with any excess material then being filtered off before entering a tank known as a precipitator containing seeds of aluminum hydroxide that stimulate crystal formation and then collected and dried to produce white powder known as alumina.

Refining processes are complex and energy intensive, contributing up to three per cent of annual emissions and using twice as much power as Tasmania combined. Therefore, refining companies are seeking innovative technologies that can lower emissions while decreasing power usage.

A recently published report by ARENA provides a roadmap for decarbonising Australian alumina refining operations, offering their authors solutions that could cut emissions using renewable energy sources, helping the nation meet its net zero carbon emission goals by decreasing carbon emissions.

Rio Tinto announced on January 13 that their Yarwun and Queensland Alumina plants in Australia have declared force majeure due to a shortfall of natural gas. Rio made this decision following a fire at its Dampier Salt plant which caused disruptions in Western Australia; they indicate this decision only affects third-party sales rather than their own aluminum production operations.

Environment

Queensland Alumina Ltd (QAL), one of the world’s largest aluminum refineries, is an integral component of Gladstone region economy each year with operations contributing over $153 Million. QAL also employs an environmental management system which strives to reduce operational and cultural risk while at the same time meeting stringent safety requirements.

QAL and Gladstone Regional Council have successfully collaborated in an innovative project where secondary treated effluent is being utilized as part of its alumina refining processes, eliminating the need to pump megalitres of fresh water from Gladstone’s limited natural resources and realising significant environmental, community and economic benefits for Gladstone as a result.

QAL’s success in mitigating its environmental impact has been recognised through the Australian Industry Greenhouse Challenge, an independent assessment of Australia’s energy and resource sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. The award honors industry efforts to reduce carbon footprint and support Australia in transitioning towards low-carbon economies.

Queensland Alumina Limited’s (QAL) Parsons Point refinery in Gladstone accidentally released a caustic spray of sodium hydroxide during a maintenance incident in 2018. The spray spread across an expansive area and caused extensive damage to cars, buildings, and equipment located within South Trees industrial suburb.

Australian government sanctions have been placed against Russian oligarchs Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, two Russian-American investors with stakes in global aluminium giant Rusal. This prevents them from receiving dividends or financial benefits from minority stakes they own in En+ Group – a London-listed resource company which owns Rusal. Activists have requested Rio Tinto cut all ties with these individuals.

In 2019, QAL announced that it had amended its contracts with Rusal to remove references to oligarchs and their affiliates in line with sanctions legislation, in order to remain compliant without disrupting sales of alumina to Rusal.

Rio Tinto announced in a press release that their Yarwun refinery in Gladstone and Queensland Alumina plant, operated jointly with Rusal, will continue operating at full capacity; however, force majeure has been declared on shipments of alumina to third parties; this move aims to protect Rio’s aluminium smelters from disruption caused by ongoing conflict in Russia.

Community

Queensland Alumina Limited recently awarded contracts to local company Ventia for maintenance work at their Gladstone Alumina Refinery. This involves the provision of materials and multidiscipline labour for upgrades at QAL’s Sewage Treatment Plant and Alkali Mist Reduction Project, respectively. Queensland Alumina’s Gladstone refinery is Australia’s largest, turning nine million tonnes of bauxite residue into alumina, used in aluminium production. Following equipment failure at their site which released caustic chemical spray spray that caused car bodies and surfaces etched particularly those made out of aluminium surfaces which caused surface etching of surfaces including car bodies made out of aluminium surfaces near its site which caused surface etchings on car bodies made out of aluminium surfaces near residents near its site apologies were issued.