Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has announced a signed agreement for the re-use of an industrial by-product, replacing the use of fresh raw material, improving efficiency, and benefiting the environment.

The agreement marks another step by EGA to re-use waste streams as feedstocks by cooperating with other industries.

EGA recycles around 100,000 tonnes of its own waste each year, including sending major waste streams as feedstock to industries including cement manufacturing.

Under the agreement, Gulf Extrusions will supply EGA with around 450 tonnes of spent caustic soda from its Abu Dhabi and Dubai extrusion plants each month for alumina refining.

In aluminium extrusion, caustic soda is used to dissolve residue aluminium in the extrusion dies and to etch extruded aluminium profiles in the anodisation process. Spent caustic soda from Gulf Extrusions is rich with dissolved aluminium. Previously, this by-product required extensive treatment at Gulf Extrusions, resulting in an aluminium-rich sludge that was supplied as an additive to cement manufacturers in the UAE.

This approach jointly developed by EGA and Gulf Extrusions removes the need for treatment and re-uses the aluminium content of the by-product, making it a cradle-to-cradle solution. It also slightly reduces EGA’s requirement for fresh caustic soda and bauxite for Al Taweelah alumina refinery.

Chief Executive Officer of EGA, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, commented:

“Finding ways to re-use waste takes innovative thinking and close cooperation between companies and industries…The first priority must be eliminating waste generation, but we must think of waste we cannot avoid creating as a potential resource today rather than as our children’s problem.”

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA

Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Extrusions, Christian Witsch, said:

“EGA’s re-use of spent caustic soda to make full use of the aluminium content of this by-product will reduce the environmental impact of both our companies. I believe this is the first time in the world that an extrusion company is supplying this by-product to an alumina refinery for re-use, and I am proud that Gulf Extrusions is part of this innovative sustainability initiative.”

Christian Witsch, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Extrusions

For more information, visit:

https://www.ega.ae/en/media-releases/2021/august/gulf-extrusion