BRAZILIAN ALUMINUM - solutions for sustainable living

BRAZILIAN ALUMINUM SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING 55 THE INDUSTRY’S ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE 5.5.3 - Notes and Comments  The figures shown in the tables above include hazardous (class I) and non-hazardous waste (class II).  Clay is the scrap free of chemical additive that results from bauxite washing tailings. For its volume and operating features that make it hard to standardize estimates or measure volume, it has not been included in the above data. It is pumped into reservoirs where it is compacted; part of its reclaimed water is then reused in the process. It is worth noting that those tanks are in full compliance with the regulations provided for in the National Security Policy for Dams.  The Refining-resulted bauxite residues are not part of the total figures above, having reached a total of 9,147,000 tons in 2015. Those residues are sent to Bauxite Residue Disposal Areas (BRDAs) that are licensed by environmental agencies, designed and built to meet the best safety standards in the industry. In such case, after successive washing and filtering in Refinery facilities, that water stored in the Bauxite Residue Disposal Areas (BRDAs) and still showing traces of alkalinity is returned to the process.  Refineries and Smelters respectively account for 45.5% and 18.6%, of the total residues generated in the aluminum production chain.  The aluminum primary production is the one showing the highest residue generation rate at 136.5 kg/ton, and then the aluminum secondary production at 122 kg/ton.