| Project Detail |
AlSiCal is an ambitious Research and Innovation effort to make the mineral and metal industry more sustainable and environmentally sound. The project will further research, develop and de-risk a groundbreaking concept; the patented Aranda-Mastin (AM) technology. This technology enables the co-production of three essential raw materials (alumina, silica and precipitated calcium carbonate), using new resources - e.g. anorthosite, abundantly available worldwide - whilst generating ZERO Bauxite Residue and ZERO CO2. Today´s production of these raw materials is a long way from being environmentally friendly: they are obtained through traditional processes that generate large CO2 emissions, and bauxite residue in the case of alumina production from bauxite by the Bayer process.
AlSiCal will research and develop the innovative AM technology that allows:
• Green co-production of 3 essential raw materials, in a single process and from one source, with synergetic environmental and economic benefits
• Efficient use of anorthosite, a mineral abundant in Europe and worldwide
• Integrated CO2 use and capture for ZERO CO2 emissions from production
• ZERO Bauxite Residue generation from alumina production
AlSiCal will de-risk and develop (from TRL 3-4 to TRL 4-5) the AM technology under sustainability and efficiency principles. It will assess and quantify the: techno-economic feasibility, potential value creation for Europe, Life Cycle Analysis, impact and risks of this technology upon the key sustainability pillars: economy, society and environment.
AlSiCal will be performed by a balanced team of R&D and industrial partners representing the whole value chain. AlSiCal will set a roadmap for exploitation of the project results, to foster the later commercialization of the technology. Targeted dissemination and communication actions will contribute to increasing social and industrial engagement for developing innovative sustainable technologies for mineral processing. |
