The document summarizes the objectives and activities of the BRAVO EIP project, which aims to boost innovation in the aluminum value chain to increase recovery of secondary raw materials. The project will foster cooperation among 40 organizations in mining, refining, recycling and other areas. It seeks to develop new value chains for recovered materials and test solutions through pilot actions. Key challenges addressed include managing bauxite residue and improving European competitiveness. The project involves several technology development modules focusing on optimizing residue, extracting valuable materials from it, using bulk residue in construction, and increasing awareness and skills. Partner organizations are mapped by technology readiness levels. Examples of innovative residue management technologies are provided.

1. Dr. Lisa O’Donoghue – Coordinator

2. EIP
Raw Materials Commitment

4. Value Chain
Mining
Refining &
smelting
Recycling and
recovery
ConstructionGov. Agency
Research
Environmental

5. Objectives
• To boost the innovation capacity of the aluminium
value chain with respect to secondary raw materials
recovery
• To foster international co-operation among 40 key
players across the aluminium value chain
• The creation of new value chains for the recovered
raw materials from by-products
• To test the viability of solutions via pilot actions
• To mobilise a significant part of the aluminium value
chain to increase the impact of research
• To promote socially acceptable, environmentally
responsible and economically viable technologies

6. Challenges

7. Industry Challenges
• Process: Bauxite - alumina - aluminium
• 140 millions tonnes of bauxite residue produced 2014*
(K.Evans)
o Landfilled
o Sea or river disposal
• Highly alkaline
• Contains heavy metals & traces radioactive substances
• Variation in composition depending on the ore
• EU: Cost, transportation and legislation challenges for
both management and reuse

8. *European
Aluminium
Association

9. Industry Challenges
• In spite of increasing global demand, since 2003 it was
reported that plants closing in EU
• Costs/ Safe environmental management (Ajka Alumina plant
accident, Hungary)
• “Restoring the aluminium industry to competitiveness is an
urgent issue” Commissioner Tajani
• European competitiveness in this sector is imperative to:
o both stabilise and reduce EU dependence on imports,
o promote production and
o protect jobs

10. From problem to
opportunity
Drivers:
• Environmental drive
• Management costs
• Safety and Best practices
• IAI Technology Roadmap
• Residue Strategic Goal
o Develop sustainable storage
without the need for ongoing
management;
o Remediate all residue using
various means including process-
generated
o Utilise 20% of residue by 2025;
o Reduce soda trapped in mud
sent to residue storage.

11. Addressing Challenges
Research
Innovation
BRAVO
Activities
Cooperation

12. Al-Ore
Al-Source
Al-Build
Al-Chain
Al-Aware
BRAVO Modules

13. Al-Ore
• Optimisation to reduce waste residues, increase their
subsequent processabilty and reduce their environmental
impact.
• Evaluated at process level such statistical techniques ;
VMEA
• Explore optimised and alternative processing techniques
• Input from BRAVO partners along the value chain will be
key to the success of such tests, specifically as the output
of one step is the input to the another step in the chain.
• Effect of materials composition variations per plant.
• Pilot output data will include BR volume per alumina
tonne, composition, pH and grain size.

14. Al-Source
• Al-source focuses on using the bauxite residue as a source of critical raw
materials including gallium, titanium, selium, germanium, dysprosium and
cerium.
• The residue contains high value metals in small fractions combined with a low
grade bulk component composed of iron oxides.
• Al-Source will assist partners developing a holistic and optimised n integrated
metallurgical system (including pyro-, hydro-, bio-, electro-chemistry) for the
metal recovery by-products.
• The effect of varying composition due to differing sources of materials
(composition and grain size) and processing parameters will also be quantified.
• This will be done via the expertise of the BRAVO commitment (involving
academia, industry and technology suppliers) in metallurgy.

15. Al-Build
• Innovations is the use of the bulk
material w for the construction sector.
• Assist partners with technologies for a
series of complex and integrated
solutions to convert residue wastes to
raw materials and products.
• Al-build will focus on the remaining bulk
low grade residue, exploring
techniques and processes from
alternative industries including the
construction sector.

16. Al-Chain
• The Al-Chain project focuses on both policy, co-operation across
the aluminium value chain and the creation of innovation across the
chain.
• Al-Chain focuses on the Innovation and Commercialisation
activities of the BRAVO commitment and support the co-operation
activities including the following:
• Policy development/ Best practices/ Dissemination days
• Knowledge exchange

17. Al-Aware
Al-Aware focuses on both :
o public awareness ;
o skills, educations and knowledge within the
European aluminium value chain and
internationally.
• Al-Aware will pre-dominantly undertake the
cooperation activities of the BRAVO commitment
previously detailed.

18. Technology Templates

19. Technology Mapping
Al-Ore
•Partner 1 (TRL4)
•Partner 2 (TRL2)
•Partner 3 (TRL5)
Al-Source
•Partner 1 (TRL3)
•Partner 2 (TRL4)
•Partner 3 (TRL1)
•Partner 4 (TRL2-3)
•Partner 5 (TRL3)
•Partner 6 (TRL4)
•Partner 7 (TRL1)
•Partner 8 (TRL2-6)
•Partner 9 (TRL2)
Al-Build
•Partner 1 (TRL1)
•Partner 2 (TRL5)
•Partner 3 (TRL2)
•Partner 4 (TRL4)
•Partner 5 (TRL5-6)
•Partner 6 (TRL 1)
•Partner 7 (TRL4)
•Partner 8 (TRL4)

20. Sharing Best Practices
• Best practices regarding Residue Management available
• State of art technologies innovation to utilise the residue
and achieve targets
• Present 3 partner innovations that are under
development;
o Zaak Technologies and Rio Tinto
o Rusal - Aughinish Alumina
o Fraunhofer Institute IWKS

21. Bauxite Residue
Oil & Gas
Building & Construction
Others
Red Mud Slurry Additives Slurry
No drying of red mud slurry
Bauxite Residue to Smart Spheres – The Approach
Smart Spheres
Patent pending technology, proven by outsourcing sub-process to
vendors
Zaak Technologies

22. Construction material
Tech. Mortar
Plaster/Rende
r
Concrete
Other applications
Horticulture Moulding
Key
USPs
Price
Thermal
insulation
Lightweight
Purity
Performance
Oil &
Gas
Proppants Paints
Sintered Spheres - Applications

23. AVAR

24. The advancement in state of the art in this project is to develop a combined process for the
removal on vanadium in tandem with gallium recovery at a purity of 6N. There is currently
no industrial process which removes vanadium and gallium in a single step process at this
level of purity. This project will for the first time combine vanadium and gallium recovery
processes in one single industrial system.
The ground breaking nature of AVAR is three-fold: a) the development of a novel Ga and V
recovery process from Bayer liquors for the first time including the hand to hand
development of specialized equipment b) recovery of high value 6 N purity gallium and
vanadium c) overall process integration and optimization with the main Bayer production
process

25. Bildquellen: © Fraunhofer ISC; © flickr
Innovative Separation-Technologies

26. Development of physical, chemical and biological methods
for the recovery of materials
Selective recovery of materials by gas phase reactions
Source: © Fraunhofer ISC
Opened System
Deposition
Condensation
A(s), e. g. Powder, contaminated
T1
A(s) + B(g) C(g)
B(g)
T2
C(g)

27. Thank You
• If you are interested in any of these technologies or
projects, or the activates of the BRAVO EIP, please
contact us.
www.BRAVOEIP.eu
Dr. Lisa O’Donoghue
Design & Manufacturing Technology,
University of Limerick
Ireland
Lisa.odonoghue@ul.ie