The Conversation (0)
Orbite Aluminae (TSX:ORT) announced the development of a patented technology that can convert red mud, the most significant waste product of the traditional Bayer process for aluminum production, into an environmentally-neutral residue that is less than 90% the volume of its original state. The technology thus offers the only ecologically sound and commercially viable alternative to manage and eliminate these toxic residues.
As quoted in the press release:
Orbite’s technology converts red mud into a dry, inert, and most importantly, environmentally neutral residue that is less than 90% the volume of its original state. High commercial value products are also recuperated in this process, including alumina (which can make up 25% of red mud), ultra-pure hematite (which is what gives the toxic residue its red colour) and magnesium oxide, as well as rare metal oxides that can have significant residual economic value. Orbite’s team of engineers has verified these results using red mud samples with properties characteristic common to those that currently confront the alumina industry. The Company developed a large-scale industrial process capable of treating red mud while individually recovering its main components.
Click here to read the Orbite Aluminae (TSX:ORT) press release