1
Compiled by Dr. Joe Herbertson
June 2001
Sustainable Resource
Processing
Australian
Case Studies: Minerals Processing
The updated
Environment Australia’s Eco-efficiency and Cleaner Production Case Studies Database will
include for the first time a number of minerals and metals processing examples, such as:
Ref:.
www.environment.gov.au/epg/environet/eecp/industry; update in July
Tiwest: Kwinana pigment plant
(WA)
•ongoing process
performance improvements through de-bottlenecking
•co-generation facility
established with Western Power Corporation
•wash water reuse (water
consumption reduced from 60 to 30 kl/ton pigment)
•substitution of LPG as
auxiliary fuel with toluene to enhance recovery of chlorine
•synthetic rutile
recovery plant reduces solid waste generation by > 10,000 ton p.a.
Alcoa: Pinjarra Alumina Refinery
(WA)
•secondary overburden removal -
improved bauxite quality and thereby processing costs and environmental burden
at the refinery
•total waste management -
worm farm for organic waste
•oxalate is being
recovered from Bayer liquor for reuse in vanadium production
•in situ caustic cleaning
of precipitators; availability up 8 %, solid waste stream eliminated