Embracing disruptive innovation in the pursuit of processes and products with 

bauxite residue: facts and figures from the past and prognostics for the near future

Yiannis PontikesKU Leuven

Introduction 1/2

• My name is Yiannis > no famous Yiannis, butthere is Yanni(s), Yanis, Ianis, Giannis and Yianis

Yiannis > tavern, bar, restaurantConsensus is difficult among Greeks…

Introduction 2/2

• Born in Crete, Greece, studied in Patras, Bologna, Alfred, London, now in Leuven, Belgium, senior researcher and group leader of “Secondary Resources for Engineered Materials” in KU Leuven.

• Raised in post‐modern surrealism (where obvious and common sense are debatable) ended up in pursue of rationale in the land that gave birth to René Magritte, “known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality”.

This is actually the topic of this presentation: what is reality when it comes to bauxite residue

Empire of Light, Musées Royaux des Beaux‐Arts de Belgique 

Dep. of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven

Example 1

Red mud can not be filter‐pressed to a cake

25 April 2006“A Success Story”. Aluminium de Grece (AdG) has installed a HighPressure Filter Press early this year, in order to progressivelycease sea disposal for Red Mud. The overall cost exceeded 2million euros. In the near future a second Filter Press is expectedto be installed and then the whole quantity of produced RedMud will be processed in this manner. The resulting semi‐dryproduct, is named “Ferro‐alumina” and there are concrete hopesfor its marketing.

Example 2

Red mud is a waste

From 2007 onwards, Ferroalumina is used in cement productionin Greece and the same applies for many other countries. Otherapplications are in heavy clay ceramics, filler in plastics, roads etc.Yes, indeed, the total volume is still low…

Example 3

Red mud cannot find high added value applications

High purity multi‐wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), diam. 20nm to 55nm were produced via Chemical Vapour Deposition at 700°C, in 30% C2H4/He.

Karachalios, T., Pontikes, Y., Kouravelou, K., Nitodas, S. Bayer’s process bauxite residue (“redmud”) as catalyst for the production of low cost carbon nanotubes. International Conference andExhibition of the European Ceramic Society. June 2009.

Alkaline & non‐magnetic, sodicity: 51.4 mg/g

Non‐alkaline & magnetic33 % carbon content, sodicity: 28.9 mg/g

Stabilized, non‐acidic high‐energy 

density oil

Pressure, temp

Pyrolysis bio‐oil from ligno‐cellulosic biomass

See work by Schlaf group at Guelph University, Canada

Example 4

Use of red mud cannot really go beyond laboratory scale

AoG pilot plant facility for pig iron production and mineral wool in Greece during the FP7 ENEXAL project. 

The above examples cover only a specific area and are not exhaustive. 

The message to take home is that there is work being done and that reality is region/plant specific.

Prognostics?  

1st step: communicate!

We underestimate serendipity, luck,coincidence and the likes…

(unexpected step)

• The accident at Ajka created asequence of events and brought inthe surface other accidents also.

• The Chinese put REE export quota >to be replaced by a resources tax (?)

We are building an open, inclusiveand respectful network ofknowledgeable individuals, theLinkedIn Coalition of the Willing :‐)

There are 335 members…

2nd step: find the like‐minded ones

A number of exceptional people work on bauxite residue andwe try collectively to mobilize more resources.

Meet Prof. K. Binnemans, Prof. B. Blanpain, Prof. T. Van Gerven,Dr. T. Jones (…) from KU Leuven; Prof. D. Panias, Prof. I.Paspaliaris, Prof. A. Xenidis, Prof. M. Ochsenkuehn, Dr. E.Balomenos (…) from NTUA, P. Gamaletsos and Prof. A.Godelitsas from Univ. of Athens, Prof. George Angelopoulosfrom Univ. of Patras, and many more.

3rd step: find the partners 

4th step: build critical mass

“EURARE: Development of a sustainable exploitation

scheme for Europe’s REE ore deposits”

NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENHANCED ENERGY AND EXERGY EFFICIENCIES IN PRIMARY ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION INDUSTRY

2 x DBOF scholarships

15 PhD thesis all over Europe

4th step: build critical mass

15 PhD thesis all over EuropePartners: KU Leuven, UHelsinki, RWTH Aachen, KTH, NTUA, UTartu, MEAB, Aluminium of Greece, TitanPartner Organisations: UPatras, UAveiro, Bay Zoltan, Tasman MetalsFunding: 3,7 M EURO

5th step: set principles…

Mud2Metal H2020 proposal

Building materials industry

Zero‐waste 

Industrial symbiosis

6th step: produce results

Borra, C., Pontikes, Y., Binnemans, K., Van Gerven, T. (2015). Leaching of rare earths from bauxite residue (red mud). Minerals Engineering

Nuccetelli, C., Pontikes, Y., Leonardi, F., Trevisi, R. (2015). Newperspectives and issues arising from the introduction of (NORM)residues in building materials: a critical assessment on theradiological behaviour. Construction & Building Materials.

Country(25 MS)

4 brick walls +concrete (f+c) in standard room (nGy h‐1)*RM%=0 *RM%=10 *RM%=20 *RM%=30

Austria 73 101 129 157Belgium 77 106 134 162Bulgaria 94 122 150 178Cyprus 17 49 81 113Czech Rep. 104 132 159 187Denmark 142 172 202 232Estonia 58 88 119 149Finland 130 157 185 212France 88 117 146 175Germany 134 162 190 218Greece 79 107 135 163Hungary 91 118 146 173Ireland 71 100 129 158Italy 78 106 135 164Lithuania 92 120 148 176Luxembourg 211 233 256 278Netherlands 90 119 147 176Poland 152 182 212 242Portugal 155 181 208 234Romania 135 163 191 219Slovakia 104 132 159 187Slovenia 160 185 209 234Spain 105 132 159 185Sweden 267 291 316 340UK 112 141 169 198

Gamma dose rate in EU-MS assuming different bauxite residue addition to the mixture of bricks; * RM average activity concentrations

6th step: produce results

Borra, C., Blanpain, B., Pontikes, Y., Binnemans, K., Van Gerven, T.,Smelting reduction of iron oxides from bauxite residue in view ofimproved rare earths leaching, Slag Valorisation Symposium 2015

Reduced BR (mixed with 20 wt.% wollastonite, 5 wt.% graphite, 1500 °C).

Effect of acid concentration on leaching of REEs and iron (HCl, T: 90 °C, t: 1 h, L/S: 50) 

In the paper of Gamaletsos et al., the crystal that hosts Th is identified for the first time ever; 

to come in 2015

Th

Ca

TiO

Instead of conclusions

• Reality is a convention, a photograph in time.• We have moved within few years only, from sea disposal

creating an azoic zone, to filter‐presses and valorisation of afraction of BR.

• Most likely a general solution does not exist but actionstargeting zero waste processes in an industrial symbiosiscontext have chances of becoming a reality.

The timing is favorable for more processes and products with BR. 

Stewardship from industrial partners would accelerate the transition

A wild guess

• Small production of Fe and mineral wool and/or slag, accompanied by Al and Sc recovery. It will happen in a location with disposal problem and/or strict legislation. Marginally financially viable at the beginning.

• The process scale ups and gets refined. Bauxite refineries become the seed for industrial symbiosis, other plans are build around.

• There is mentality shift in society also. Sustainability goes higher in the agenda, customers influence industries, access to the market of products has to demonstrate green certificates.

• The process becomes financially viable. Small profit margins but holistic and near zero‐waste has an advantage over land disposal. 

• Disruptive innovation took place. A new market and value network was created for products not used today (widespread use of mineral wool, introduction of geopolymers from the slag and new types of Fe‐rich binders, Sc‐Al alloys…)

• An outdate mentality considering linear process of raw materials leading to products and wastes has been just displaced and people re‐discover the beauty of surrealism...

Thank you!

Work on bauxite residue has been supported by: