Alton Tabereaux

Subscribe Now

  • Posted in:

    Advances in Processing Alumina Refinery Bauxite Residue Waste

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. Bauxite residue is an insoluble solid waste by-product generated after the digestion of gibbsitic bauxite ore with sodium hydroxide at elevated temperature and pressure in the Bayer process for the extraction of alumina. During the digestion process, aluminum minerals react with caustic soda process liquor to form soluble sodium aluminate […]

  • Posted in:

    Top Ten Light Metal News Stories of 2023

    Each year, Light Metal Age (LMA) enjoys looking back at the top ten most viewed news stories that we published on our website, highlighting the trends that have affected the aluminum sector over the previous year. In 2023, these top articles and news stories reveal recent trends and developments, including an interest in advanced technologies for […]

  • The Las Tadeas wind farm in Spain. (Source: Capital Energy.)

    Posted in:

    The Shift Toward Renewable Power in Aluminum Smelting

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. Sixty-eight million tonnes of primary aluminum were produced worldwide in smelters in 2021. According to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), the aluminum sector was directly responsible for 275 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2021, a 2% increase over the previous year. If the indirect emissions from electricity are included, the […]

  • ALDEL potline one

    Posted in:

    European Aluminum Smelters Face Closures

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. The European primary aluminum industry has been deeply impacted by surging energy prices. This is due to a combination of factors, including increasing demand, skyrocketing natural gas prices, and insufficient quantities of affordable renewable (wind, solar, hydro) or nuclear energy. The invasion of Ukraine also significantly impacted supply chains, in […]

  • Figure 2. Demolition and removal of SPL from an aluminum cell cathode.

    Posted in:

    The SPL Waste Management Challenge in Primary Aluminum

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. Spent potlining (SPL) disposal is one of the largest environmental waste management challenges confronting worldwide primary aluminum smelters due to its toxicity. The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) asserts that 1.6 million tons of SPL were generated from primary aluminum production in 2019,1 making it the second largest waste volume produced […]

  • Fig 1 Red Mud Pond Stade-NEW

    Posted in:

    ARTICLE: Addressing the Challenge of Bauxite Residue

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. The largest waste by-product generated in the Bayer bauxite refining process is bauxite residue, commonly called red mud. An enormous quantity of caustic red mud is generated worldwide every year, posing a very serious and alarming environmental and safety problem. The storage of red mud is a challenge for alumina […]

  • Alcoa Warrick aluminum smelter

    Posted in:

    World Primary Aluminum Production in 2017: The Beginning of U.S. Tariffs on Imported Aluminum

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. Production by Country As prices generally increased throughout 2017, world primary aluminum production increased 3.4% compared with the previous year (Table I). China is the world’s largest producer of electrolytic aluminum, making up over half of the global output. The terminal consumption of electrolytic aluminum in China is mainly concentrated in […]

  • Posted in:

    World Primary Production in Review – Part II

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. A conspicuous transformation occurred in the world’s primary aluminum industry during the past five years with the construction of “Mega” aluminum smelters (>1 million tpy) in China, which have boosted aluminum production to levels not previously experienced by companies. Nine aluminum companies had an annual production greater than 2 million […]

  • Posted in:

    World Primary Aluminum Production in Review – Part I

    By Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor. The largest gain in primary aluminum production during 2015 was in China at 31.1%, followed by India (21.1%) and Saudi Arabia (11.3%). This was due to startup of new low cost smelters and/or the restart of potlines. China accounted for a staggering 54.9% of the total world aluminum production in […]