NALCO Sets Up Pilot Plants in Odisha to Extract Rare Earth Elements from Fly Ash and Red Mud
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Union Ministry of Mines, has supported the establishment of pilot facilities in Odisha designed to transform major industrial residues into valuable materials, specifically targeting the recovery of rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal fly ash and bauxite residue.
What Happened
NALCO Chairman and Managing Director Brijendra Pratap Singh inaugurated an indigenous pilot plant dedicated to processing bituminous coal fly ash at the NALCO Research and Technology Centre (NRTC) in Bhubaneswar. The facility operates on a 50 kg per day processing capacity and was created through a partnership involving the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT) and Bhubaneswar-based KIIT, with backing from NALCO, CSIR, and the Union Ministry of Mines.
Alongside this inauguration, a ground-breaking ceremony was conducted to establish an additional pilot plant dedicated to the valorisation of bauxite residue, commonly known as red mud.
Key Highlights
- Patented Technology: The operational fly ash unit utilises a jointly patented process developed by CSIR-IMMT and NALCO to achieve holistic utilisation of bituminous coal fly ash.
- Recoverable Products from Fly Ash: The pilot plant is designed to recover alumina, calcium silicate for ceramic applications, quartz residue suitable for glassmaking, and an iron hydroxide residue enriched with rare earth elements, including scandium.
- Red Mud Processing Facility: The proposed bauxite residue pilot plant will focus on recovering metallic iron, ferro-titanium alloy, and rare earth elements from red mud.
- Operational Capacity: The newly inaugurated fly ash plant is built to process 50 kg of residue per day at the Bhubaneswar facility.
Why This Matters
Industrial residues such as fly ash and red mud present significant disposal and environmental challenges in industrial regions like Odisha. According to NALCO, recovering critical minerals from secondary resources enhances resource efficiency and supplements primary raw material supplies.
Rare earth elements serve as essential inputs for strategic and modern technological sectors, including renewable energy systems, permanent magnets, electric mobility, defence, and electronics. Additionally, alumina recovered from these processes represents the primary feedstock necessary for aluminium manufacturing. NALCO CMD Brijendra Pratap Singh noted that pilot-scale validation of indigenous processes is a necessary step toward commercial solutions that support critical mineral security and a circular economy.
What to Watch Next
The fly ash pilot plant is slated to generate sufficient volumes of rare earth element concentrate to facilitate ongoing research and development into mixed rare earth element recovery and separation. Furthermore, progress will continue on constructing and commissioning the proposed bauxite residue valorisation facility to validate the extraction of ferro-titanium alloy, metallic iron, and critical minerals at pilot scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the new fly ash pilot plant located?
The plant has been established at the NALCO Research and Technology Centre (NRTC) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
What valuable materials can be extracted from the fly ash facility?
The facility is designed to recover alumina, calcium silicate for ceramics, quartz residue for glassmaking, and iron hydroxide residue enriched in rare earth elements such as scandium.
Which organisations developed the 50 kg per day fly ash pilot plant?
The plant was designed and set up by CSIR-IMMT and KIIT, supported by NALCO, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and the Union Ministry of Mines.
Source: Based on reporting from The Hindu.