Pinjarra Alumina Refinery
Coordinates: 32 ° 38 ′ 39 ″ S , 115 ° 56 ′ 45 ″ E
The Pinjarra Alumina Refinery is one of three refineries operated by Alcoa of Australia in Western Australia , Australia . The next major city is Mandurah . About 1000 people are employed in the refinery. It is not far from Pinjarra and is one of the largest in the world , with an annual capacity of 4.2 million tons of aluminum oxide , which is around 7% of the world's production, which is produced using the Bayer process .
Manufacturing
The bauxite ore from Darling Scarp only has an aluminum content of 30%, which can be processed into aluminum oxide. For some years now there have been two gas and steam combined cycle power plants not far from the refinery for power generation , which together generate 280 MW of electricity. The power plants, which are about 6 km east of Pinjarra, were renewed in cooperation between Alcoa and the gas supplier Alinta Energy in 2006/2007 and the current average annual CO 2 emissions are 474,500 tons. That is 15% less than in previous years.
In the Bayer process, the finely ground bauxite is mixed with concentrated sodium hydroxide solution at around 7 bar and around 180 ° C. A high expenditure of energy is required and when the bauxite is dissolved, basic red mud is produced , which must be dumped and safely stored.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pinjarra Refinery. Alcoa , accessed August 1, 2015 .
- ↑ power-technology.com : Alcoa Gas Fired Cogeneration Facility, Australia , in English, accessed 10 April 2012