Environmental projects have started at three Urals plants – the Bogoslovsky Aluminium Smelter, the Urals Aluminium Smelter, the Urals Silicon Plant in the Urals, and at the Achinsk Alumina Refinery (AAR) in Siberia.
At AAR, the gas purification systems of sintering furnaces #5 and #6 will be reconstructed and a new waste storage area created. After the reconstruction, gas purification efficiency will be 99.8%.
The waste storage area will enable the refinery to extend the waste storage terms up to 20 years in compliance with environmental law requirements.
A dry gas purification system is to be installed at the its Urals Silicon Plant, which is expected to result in a 150-fold decrease in mineral dust emissions with SiO2>70%.
The Urals Aluminium Smelter is going to reconstruct the waste storage field #2 and reconstruct waste storage field #3 to prolong its service up to 2027. An extended waste storage field will also be built at the Bogoslovsky Aluminium Smelter.
The environmental actions are aimed at modernisation and upgrading 50-60 years old production facilities and at development of the new environmentally friendly aluminium production technologies for greenfield developments.