Navratna NALCO Collaborates With Research Institutes To Advance Industrial Residue Valorisation

Bhubaneswar: Central Navratna public sector unit National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has strengthened its R&D initiatives through collaborations with leading national research institutions to develop scalable and commercially viable solutions for industrial residue valorisation and critical mineral recovery.

NALCO CMD Brijendra Pratap Singh on Tuesday inaugurated an indigenous pilot plant at the NALCO Research & Technology Centre (NRTC), Bhubaneswar, for processing bituminous coal fly ash and recovering multiple value-added products.

The 50-kg-per-day pilot plant has been designed and established by CSIR-IMMT and KIIT with support from NALCO, CSIR and the Union ministry of mines. It is based on a jointly patented process developed by CSIR-IMMT and NALCO for holistic utilisation of coal fly ash.

The process enables recovery of alumina, calcium silicate for ceramic applications, quartz residue with potential use in glassmaking, and iron hydroxide residue enriched in rare earth elements (REE), including scandium.

Jagdish Arora, Director (Projects & Technical), Dr Tapas Kumar Pattanayak, Director (HR), Anil Kumar Singh, Director (Commercial), Dr Ramanuj Narayan, Director, CSIR-IMMT, and Prof Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty, Registrar, KIIT, besides senior officials from the institutions, were present.

A ground-breaking ceremony was also held for a pilot plant for bauxite residue (red mud) valorisation. The proposed facility will focus on recovering ferro-titanium alloy, metallic iron and rare earth elements from red mud.

Rare earth elements are critical for strategic and high-technology applications, including permanent magnets, electric mobility, renewable energy, electronics and defence. Recovery from secondary resources can improve resource efficiency and supplement primary sources.

The fly ash plant is also expected to generate REE concentrate for further research on mixed REE recovery and separation, supporting development of downstream value-added products.

Speaking on the occasion, Singh said NALCO was committed to leveraging research, innovation and strategic partnerships to convert industrial residues into valuable resources. He emphasised that pilot-scale validation of indigenous technologies was an important step towards commercially viable solutions that could strengthen resource efficiency, critical mineral security and the circular economy.