INSIGHT
At an Indian alumina processing plant, Nalco Water was commissioned to help reduce the amount of chemistry used while maintaining production and efficient handling of waste, specifically red mud tailings.
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INNOVATION
Nalco Water introduced a proprietary emulsion flocculant, called RRA™, to enhance the handling of red mud tailings. By introducing RRA, Nalco Water reduced flocculant usage by 32% and achieved a 2% increase in underflow, which has a potential to increase red mud tailings throughput by 48,000 MT per year. In addition, the 32% reduction in flocculant use resulted in a water savings of 60,000 m3 and an evaporator energy savings of $230K per year.
TECHNOLOGY
RRA is a proprietary Nalco Water emulsion technology, where the polymer has a unique structural property called Rigid Rod Architecture (RRA) to enhance the red mud settling operation. RRA can help an alumina plant reduce flocculant consumption and improve underflow compaction while maintaining optimal productivity.
