Dash of red, abundance of green

Red mud is an industrial waste product and an inescapable reality of aluminium manufacturing. Also known as bauxite residue, red mud is generated in millions of tonnes every year in alumina refineries and stored on hundreds of acres of land. The disposal of red mud has been a legacy environmental challenge for the industry worldwide. 

Until Hindalco came up with a solution.

Hindalco looked at red mud for its intrinsic value. After all, it is high in minerals such as aluminium and iron oxides. Hindalco found that it could be used in road construction or brickmaking. However, these solutions were not scalable. What was needed was a scalable solution.

The Hindalco team was aware that the cement industry often uses bauxite in the manufacturing of cement. Moreover, there are significant similarities in the properties of bauxite and red mud.

The next step was convincing cement manufacturers that red mud was a good alternative to bauxite. Hindalco worked with the cement sector to find solutions to several technical and operational challenges. Issues with moisture content, alkalinity, flowability, and transportation were resolved one by one.

Hindalco also engaged with the Indian Railways and NITI Aayog for lower freight rates to transport higher volumes of red mud. The company partnered with top cement manufacturers in India to transport all the red mud produced at its plants in Renukoot, Muri, and Belagavi to dozens of cement plants across India.

This move is a stellar example of sustainability. It is a scalable business solution that also helps in achieving environmental goals. It blends circular economy principles with value maximisation, reduces business risk for aluminium manufacturers, and reduces the need to mine natural resources. The measure has boosted Hindalco’s international stature and brought it recognition as the World’s Most Sustainable Aluminium Company for three years in a row in S&P Dow Jones’ Sustainability Indices report.

This innovative solution from Hindalco to deal with a 130-year-old industry-wide challenge is one that is a win-win for society, the environment, and two large industrial sectors.