Bauxite Residue Sustainability Measure of Improvement (AMIRA P772) (1B2)

Project Status: Complete
Project Participants: Alcoa, BHP Billiton, CSIRO, Curtin University of Technology, AMIRA, Parker Centre
Project Leader: Greg Power (CSIRO)

The is the first joint CSRP and Parker CRC for Integrated Hydrometallurgy Solutions research project and is the first Bauxite Residue Foundation Project from the Alumina Technical Panel roadmap implementation. The project seeks to define the “ideal” bauxite residue storage with the aim of measuring improvements in the sustainable handling of this material.

The Alumina Technology Roadmap (2001) identified a set of strategic goals for the alumina industry to address its technology needs over the next 20 years. One of these goals relates to dealing with bauxite residue (“red mud”), as follows:

“Develop methods to achieve a 1,000-year ecologically sustainable storage of red mud and other solid wastes in existing storages, and make substantial progress in storage for later reuse as well as achieve substantial progress in the reuse of the red mud.”

This project was in response to the request by the Alumina Technology Roadmap Committee (via AMIRA International) for submissions to undertake the proposed Bauxite Residue Foundation Project “Sustainability Measure of Improvement”. It addressed the need for quantitative measures for the assessment of storage practices, using a quantitative, risk-based methodology within a sustainability framework – the “Bauxite Residue Sustainability Measure of Improvement” (BRSMI).

The research objectives were to deliver:

• A risk-based methodology for the evaluation of current and proposed residue storage practices in a sustainability framework.
• A basis for business cases for change where desirable, and a direction for technology development.
• Benchmarking of practices in other industries.
• Proposals for best practices on a flexible, situational basis.
• Improved understanding of the balance between costs and risks of current and future options, including whole of life costs.
• Inputs to the development of legislation and in responding to community concerns.