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October 9, 2009
Alcoa unloads first bauxite shipment from Juruti in the Alumar refinery, in São Luís-MA
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Shipping 43,000 tons of ore from the Juruti-PA Mine to the Maranhão capital, a cargo vessel sailed 1,600 kilometers in 80 hours.
Alcoa started on October 8 to unload the first bauxite shipment from the Juruti Mine, in Western Pará, in the Alumar refinery, managed by the Company, in São Luís. To transport the ore to the capital of Maranhão State, the 43 thousand ton-, 199.9 meter-long and 30 meter-wide MV Norsul Camocim sailed 1,600 kilometers in 80 hours.
"This is the fulfillment of yet another dream and an important stage for the History of Alcoa in Brazil. We are very pleased with this moment and certain that we are contributing to the sustainable development of both the Juruti and São Luis communities ", said Franklin L. Feder, president of Alcoa Latin America and Caribbean.
In this initial stage of operations of the Juruti Mine, which will last through the end of November, another four shipments of bauxite will be sent to São Luís. From December onwards shipments will take place weekly, complying with the initial planning of the Company, of mining and shipping 2.6 million tons per year from the Juruti reserve. The Mine is structured and prepared to produce up to 12 million tons per year of the ore. At the current level of geological knowledge the Juruti mineral reserves are expected to last for at least 70 years.
In order to absorb all the Juruti production, in January 2007 the expansion of the Alumar Refinery was started. This expansion will allow alumina production to increase from 1.5 to 3.5 million tons per year - the largest expansion project of an alumina refinery ever implemented in the world.
High quality
With known deposits of almost 700 million tons, Juruti has one of the world´s largest reserves of high quality bauxite, with approximately 49% of alumina content, trailing only the bauxite found in Africa, which has a concentration of about 50%.
The ore located in the Amazon also has other important features which place it among the best on the planet, such as a small amount of sand and chemical elements, in general.
Reclamation of mined-out areas
Bauxite mining in Juruti is planned in an environment-friendly system. The vegetal coverage is carefully removed before mining, to be replaced after the extraction of bauxite.
In the reclamation operation the earth distribution is uniform to create the conditions required to re-vitalize the biological activity and the natural cycle of nutrients of the mined area. The flora is re-established in the ecosystem and monitored by the Company so that it is reconstituted in a manner as close as possible to the original.
Reforestation of the areas will occur simultaneously with the advance of the mining operation. It is estimated that, within at most two years after mining, each area will be reforested, with the plantations already executed.
Juruti is an undertaking which protects the environment. All the built-up areas are duly recovered, through modern re-vegetation techniques - hydroseeding and bio-blankets - besides the planting of 80,000 seedlings of native trees of the region, produced in the Company´s own and community nurseries, for re-vegetation of the mined-out areas. Thanks to strategies such as these, in 1990 Alcoa was included in the Global 500 Roll of Honor of the United Nations´ Environment Program - the only mining company to be named - for its performance in Australia. The same type of work, implemented for decades in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais State, preceded the related Brazilian legislation and is considered a model in Brazil and around the world.
Juruti Mine
Approximately 28 million cubic meters of earth were moved, 55,000 cubic meters of structural concrete poured, 26,000 tons of metallic structures erected and 7,000 tons of rails nailed. These are some of the figures involved in the Juruti Mine implementation, which started in July 2006 and was inaugurated last September 15.
Mining
The mining operation is conducted in the open air, in strips or bands.
Beneficiation
After the mining stage, bauxite is taken to the beneficiation area, where it undergoes several processes: grinding, homogenizing, washing, sifting and stocking. The industrial installations of the bauxite beneficiation area, situated about 60 kilometers from the town of Juruti, were erected near the Capiranga plateau, the first to be mined.
Railroad/Road
After stocking and preparation for shipment, bauxite is transported by front-end loaders to the freight wagons, on its way to the port. The railroad is 55 kilometer-long and operates with 40 80-ton freight trucks. Long stretches of railroad were built parallel to the State Highways PA-192, PA-257 e PA-260, which have also been improved by being asphalted and gaining cycle tracks, in the parts which go through inhabited areas. Two diesel-electric train engines have been acquired, with 3,300 HP of gross power and 3,000 HP of drawing power, to pull the freight cars carrying bauxite.
Port
Upon arriving at the Port Terminal, the bauxite is distributed in mining yards, where it is dried and waits to be shipped to Alumar, in São Luís, in the neighboring Maranhão State. The Juruti Mine Port Terminal can handle 75 thousand ton ships and is located two kilometers from the Juruti town center.
From bauxite to aluminum
Learn about bauxite´s full route, from its removal in Juruti until the refining of alumina, and aluminum production in São Luís:
Mine of Juruti-PA
The process includes the following stages: removal of the vegetation cover and cleaning of the area; stocking of the organic soil (for re-use in the area recovery); stripping; preliminary ore de-structuring; excavation and loading; ore transportation; grinding to reduce the size; ore washing and transportation from the plant to the Port; stocking; and ship loading. This process does not involve any chemical transformation of the ore, i.e., the concentrate is composed of the same minerals (hydrated aluminum oxides, aluminum silicates, silica etc.) found in the subsoil. From Juruti the ore goes directly to the capital of Maranhão State.
Alumar-MA
Alumina is extracted from bauxite, and then, through the smelting process, is transformed into aluminum. The Bayer alumina production process is composed of a series of chemical reactions. Bauxite is ground and then a solution of caustic soda is added, which turns it into a paste. Heated under pressure and receiving new quantities of caustic soda, this mass dissolves and forms a solution which undergoes sedimentation and filtering processes. At this stage all impurities are eliminated and the remaining solution is ready for alumina extraction.
In equipments called precipitators, the alumina contained in the solution is precipitated by the process of "seed crystallization ". The resulting crystals are then dried and calcined. Thus, the first stage of aluminum production is obtained: alumina, a white, refined powder, which looks like sugar.
Through an electrolytic process, alumina is then smelted to become aluminum metal.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world leader in the production and management of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina combined, through its active and growing participation in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components including flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, Alcoa also markets Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems. The Company has been named one of the top most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for seven consecutive years. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.
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