NEW YORK - Alcoa announced Tuesday the launching of a new technology, the ‘Carbon Capture’ system, at its Kwinana alumina refinery in Western Australia that has the potential to deliver significant global greenhouse reduction benefits and will contribute to a reduction in the aluminum industry’s environmental footprint.
Alcoa’s ‘Carbon Capture’ system is a residue treatment process that involves mixing bauxite residue, a by-product of the aluminum-making process, with carbon dioxide (CO2). It delivers environmental benefits by locking up large volumes of CO2 that would otherwise be released to the atmosphere.
The Kwinana carbonation plant will lock up 70,000 tons of CO2 a year, the equivalent of eliminating the emissions of 17,500 automobiles.
Alcoa is planning to deploy the technology to its nine alumina refineries worldwide. Deployment across Alcoa’s operations in Australia alone could potentially save 300,000 tons of CO2 each year.
The ‘Carbon Capture’ system was developed by Alcoa’s Technology Delivery Group, the company’s global refining research and development unit, based in Australia.
