Alcoa Renewable Powered Electric Calcination Pilot
Summary
The steam is not recycled in the conventional alumina refining process because it is contaminated with exhaust gasses from the combustion of natural gas.Electric pressure calcination could potentially eliminate fossil fuels in the calcination process by using renewable electricity to heat the hydrate under pressure. Stage 1 will investigate the techno-economic feasibility of integrating electric calcination powered by renewable energy in Australian alumina refining processes and consider the commercialisation pathway under retrofit and growth scenarios. The Stage 1 Field Pilot will have the following characteristics: the capacity to calcine approximately 200 kg/h of alumina power demand of up to 140kW operate at a temperature range up to approximately 850\xb0C.Stage 2 involves the detailed design, procurement, construction, operation and performance testing of the Stage 2 Field Pilot at the Pinjarra Alumina Refinery in Western Australia. Improve understanding of the techno-economic feasibility of electric calcination powered by renewable energy as a low emissions technology under growth and retrofit scenarios in Australia. Demonstrate techno-economic performance of electric calcination powered by renewable energy at pilot scale within an operational alumina refinery to de-risk technology development.