Bhubaneswar, Aug 18: National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has strengthened its R&D initiatives through strategic collaborations with leading national research institutions for developing scalable and commercially viable solutions for industrial residue valorisation and critical mineral recovery.

As part of this endeavour, Brijendra Pratap Singh, NALCO CMD, today inaugurated a 1st of its kind indigenous pilot plant for processing bituminous coal fly ash for the recovery of multiple value-added products at the NALCO Research & Technology Centre (NRTC), Bhubaneswar.

Jagdish Arora, Director (Projects & Technical), Dr. Tapas Kumar Pattanayak, Director (HR), Anil Kumar Singh, Director (Commercial), NALCO, Dr Ramanuj Narayan, Director, CSIR-IMMT; Prof. Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty, Registrar, KIIT, along with senior officials from NALCO, CSIR-IMMT and KIIT, were notably present on the occasion.

The 50 kg per day capacity fly ash processing pilot plant has been designed and established by CSIR-IMMT and KIIT, with support from NALCO, CSIR and the Ministry of Mines, Government of India. The pilot facility is based on a jointly patented process developed by CSIR-IMMT and NALCO for the holistic utilisation of coal fly ash.

The process enables recovery of multiple value-added products, including alumina, calcium silicate for ceramic applications, quartz residue with potential applications in glassmaking, and an iron hydroxide residue enriched in rare earth elements (REE), including scandium.

On the occasion, a ground-breaking ceremony was also held for setting up a pilot plant for bauxite residue (red mud) valorisation. The proposed facility will focus on the recovery of ferro-titanium alloy, metallic iron and rare earth elements from red mud, thereby advancing efforts towards the productive utilisation of industrial residues.

It is worth mentioning that rare earth elements are critical inputs for a wide range of strategic and high-technology applications, including permanent magnets, electric mobility, renewable energy, electronics and defence. Alumina, meanwhile, is the principal feedstock for aluminium production and an important industrial raw material. Recovery of such materials from secondary resources can improve resource efficiency, supplement primary sources and unlock additional value from industrial residues.

The fly ash pilot plant is also expected to generate adequate quantities of REE concentrate for further research and development on mixed REE recovery and separation. This will support the development of downstream value-added products and contribute towards establishing integrated recovery pathways for critical minerals.

Speaking on the occasion, Brijendra Pratap Singh said that the company is committed to leveraging research, innovation and strategic partnerships to convert industrial residues into valuable resources.

He emphasised that pilot-scale validation of indigenous technologies is an important step towards developing commercially viable solutions that can strengthen resource efficiency, critical mineral security and the circular economy.