Orbite partners with Veolia in red-mud recycling

Orbite Aluminae Inc have inked a deal with Veolia Environmental Services on setting up a plant to recycle red mud generated by industrial alumina production using the Orbite's patented process.

"Demand for alumina continues to grow on a global scale," said Richard Boudreault, president and CEO of Orbite, "Worldwide stocks of untreated red mud are estimated at nearly 3 billion metric tons. By partnering together, Orbite and Veolia become the global leader in the treatment and recycling of red mud, which is one of the main environmental challenges for the aluminum industry."

Red mud is a caustic waste that is difficult to treat because existing purification processes are complicated, costly, and ineffective.

The Orbite process is a proven ecofriendly technology for treating Bayer process tailings; it recovers their entire commercial value and can extend the lifespan of Bayer plants.

Orbite is a Canadian company whose green technologies are setting new standards for the aluminum industry. These technologies allow for the extraction of smelter-grade alumina and high-purity alumina, as well as other products such as rare earths and rare metals, from various feedstocks including aluminous clay and bauxite, all without producing red mud.

Pascal Decary, senior executive vice-president of Veolia, said: "Our unmatched presence in the waste value chain serves a long-term vision that drives us to build sustainable partnerships such as the one drawn up with Orbite. They are the key to best mining practice and guaranteeing supply that Veolia Environmental Services can bring to meet rising industry demand which is a major environmental challenge."

Veolia is a worldwide integrated operator covering the entire value chain of waste management including collection, sanitation, treatment and recovery.