Orbite awards alumina calcination contract to Outotec

Orbite Aluminae has awarded Outotec a contract to perform the basic engineering of its metallurgical grade alumina calcination process and its associated hydrochloric acid recovery.

Basic engineering will ensure hydrochloric acid recovery to produce suitable alumina for aluminum smelters. The basic engineering report is expected to be completed in the first half of 2012.

“Orbite’s extraction process has the potential to become an economically and ecologically viable substitute to the Bayer process, which has been the main industrial method of refining bauxite for the production of alumina for more than 100 years,” said Michael Missalla, Outotec vice-president light metals/fluidized beds.

“Outotec has the expertise, experience and cost-effective technologies to perform calcination and acid recovery of alumina from Orbite’s process.”