The aluminium operations utilise the Bayer process to digest insoluble components and extract valuable components from bauxite using very hot caustic soda. This process is the principal means of refining bauxite to produce aluminium oxide through the stages of digestion, clarification, precipitation, and calcination.

The waste by-product generated is bauxite residue, termed ‘red mud’, which is highly alkaline and rich in toxic heavy metals, making it extremely corrosive.

This is a challenge faced by mining organisations globally, and the alumina industry generates 1.20 times the mass of alumina as bauxite residues.

Generating red mud creates significant challenges for mining operators in the effective containment and storage of the waste product. Red mud contains residual caustic which makes it extremely corrosive and problematic for disposal due to the high alkalinity.

This mining organisation produces about 2.5 million tonnes of red mud annually, and this requires significant investments to prepare a new containment area for the waste every 5 to 7 years of operations.

Globally, there are many research attempts to either recover valuable materials or re-use the red mud as construction materials. However, more effective and efficient solutions are required to solve this challenge.

This major mining company in the Middle East is seeking suitable partners and solutions to generate value from red mud and reduce the environmental and financial impacts of storing the material.

The goals of the project are to:

• Introduce circularity in tailings management and use bauxite residues for the extraction of pig iron, rare earth elements (REEs) and unextracted alumina.
• Reduce the investments required to prepare containment areas for red mud disposal and minimise future expansion of tailings dams.
• Generate new revenue streams with a strong market demand by developing supplementary cementitious materials and valuable by-products from the red mud.
• Reduce the environmental degradation caused by storing red mud in containment areas for a long period of time.

Phase 1
Suppliers are invited to submit their short-form solution to the challenge by Friday 12 August 2023 for evaluation by Austmine and the mining organisation. A shortlisting process takes place and successful companies are invited to participate in phase 2.

Phase 2
Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to a technical briefing, where each supplier will be able to gain more information about the challenge. Following the technical briefing, suppliers will pitch their solution directly to the mining organisation online. This provides the opportunity to ‘sell’ the solution, gain feedback from operational teams and field questions about the solution.

Phase 3
Following the Pitch Session, a final shortlisting of suppliers takes place. The remaining suppliers are invited to submit a formal technical and economic proposal to solve the challenge.

Winner Announced
The mining organisation will select the best fit solution/s for the challenge and the supplier will work directly with them to trial the technology and implement the solution.

Submission deadline - Friday 11 August 2023

Technical briefing - 21 August 2023

Pitch sessions - 28 August 2023

Final proposal deadline - 8 September 2023