MYTILINEOS: Innovative initiatives for a sustainable industry

As part of the sustainable development strategy, MYTILINEOS has set waste management as priority, by participating in innovative research programs with the aim of zeroing and ultimately transforming waste into a source of useful raw materials. The SCALE project of Horizon 2020 of the European Union is such a program aimed at extracting rare earth elements, and in particular compounds of scandium and aluminium – scandium alloys from European metallurgical residues, such as bauxite residues. The program involves the National Technical University and a total of 17 partners from 8 European countries (companies such as II-VI, KBM Affilips and Less Common Metals, the Universities of Aachen, Stockholm and Basel, and others).

Scandium is one of the Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and is on the list of critical raw materials in the European Union. The Greek bauxite processed by MYTILINEOS is proportionally ‘rich’ in scandium, producing correspondingly bauxite residues rich in scandium. It is also noted that the supply of Rare Earth sources is the first priority of the newly established European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA), that MYTILINEOS also participates in.

The pilot plant for extracting scandium under the SCALE project started its operation a year ago at the ‘Aluminium of Greece’ plant in the Metallurgy Business Unit. With the innovative method used, the concentration of scandium from bauxite residues is increased by 2.500 times.

The ultra valuable scandium is essential for many and critical technologies:

• state-of-the-art and high-performance power generation plants.
• ultra-efficient lasers.
• extremely durable & lightweight aluminum alloys for aerospace applications.

From the link below you can watch a video regarding the SCALE project:

Full version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6HvURw2qEU

Cut version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu0p01uYb-A

At the same time, MYTILINEOS, through its Metallurgy Business Unit, is also participating in the ReActiv program, co-ordinated by LafargeHolcim, specializing in building solutions, in collaboration with 20 partners in 12 European countries, including companies such as ALCOA, HYDRO, Rio Tinto and international academic institutions, for the recycling of bauxite residues. Through ReActiv, bauxite residues are treated in such a way that they can be converted into an active ingredient for cement production with low environmental footprint.

MYTILINEOS’ Metallurgy Business Unit is participating in 23 research programs, funded by the European Union through Horizon2020, ΕΙΤ Raw Materials, ΕRAMIN-2 and the NSRF, researching inter alia:

• the recovery of bauxite residues for the production of scandium, iron, alumina, cement additives and construction products.
• the production of alumina from alternative (secondary) sources.
• heat recovery – use of R.E.S in alumina production.
• new training tools and
• new aluminum recycling technologies
• The total funding for these 23 programs exceeds EUR 95 million, of which EUR 6.9 million is earmarked for MYTILINEOS’ Metallurgy Business Unit financing.

By participating in these initiatives, MYTILINEOS demonstrates its commitment to a sustainable and competitive industry, in line with European requirements and the European Green Agreement for zero emissions and economic growth decoupled from resources’ use. The Company will continue to invest in environmentally friendly technologies and support innovation in the industrial sector.