EGA agrees to innovative reuse of industrial by-product in refining process

Gulf Extrusions will supply the UAE aluminium producer with 450 tonnes of spent caustic soda each month

Emirates Global Aluminium recycles around 100,000 tonnes of its waste each year, with some of its major waste products used as feedstock by downstream industries. Courtesy EGA

Emirates Global Aluminium, the UAE’s biggest industrial company outside oil and gas, signed an agreement with Gulf Extrusions for the supply of an industrial by-product for use in the Abu Dhabi company's production process as it seeks to boost its efficiency.

Gulf Extrusions, a subsidiary of the Al Ghurair Group, will supply EGA with about 450 tonnes of spent caustic soda from its Abu Dhabi and Dubai extrusion plants each month for use in alumina refining.

The move will eliminate the need for new raw materials, boost efficiency and benefit the environment, EGA said on Sunday. It will also help the aluminium manufacturer make use of waste products as feedstock through its collaboration with other industries.

“Finding ways to reuse waste takes innovative thinking and close co-operation between companies and industries,” said EGA chief executive Abdulnasser bin Kalban.

“But solutions like this agreement with Gulf Extrusions reduce the need for fresh raw material and are part of how we can address our global waste management challenge.”

EGA recycles about 100,000 tonnes of its own waste each year, including sending major waste products as feedstock to industries such as the cement manufacturing sector, it said.

“EGA’s reuse of spent caustic soda to make full use of the aluminium content of this by-product will reduce the environmental impact of both our companies,” said Christian Witsch, chief executive of Gulf Extrusions.

EGA and Gulf Extrusions did a trial run of the process at Al Taweelah and developed transport protocols to ensure its safe transfer between the two companies’ sites.

Separately, EGA has been working with UAE cement companies since 2010 to reuse spent pot lining, one of the aluminium industry’s most significant waste products, in cement manufacturing, the company said.

EGA is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi’s strategic investment arm Mubadala Investment Company and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. It is the largest company jointly owned by the two emirates.

The company, which has more than 400 long-term customers in 50 countries, sold 2.52 million tonnes of cast metal in 2020.

EGA’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation climbed to Dh4.1 billion ($1.13bn) at the end of last year, a 63 per cent rise from 2019.

A strong production increase at EGA’s alumina refinery and bauxite mine in Guinea, West Africa, cost controls and lower global prices for raw materials have helped to improve the company’s earnings.