DUSHANBE, July 18, 2011, Asia-Plus – Issues related to Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO)’s shift to domestic raw materials were discussed at a workshop entitled “Role of Science in Industry of Tajikistan that was arranged by TALCO on July 15.
The workshop was conducted by specialists from the Research Institute for Metallurgy. Established in 2009, the institute is mostly engaged in applied researches aimed at promoting TALCO’s shift to domestic raw materials, modernization of equipment, as well as study and improvement of the environmental situation in the area.
According to the institute director deputy Bozorali Azizov, “one of the main missions of the institute is in retrieving useful components from “black mountain” and slime space. “A special attention must be paid to seeking solution to the environmental problems,” said Azizov, “Storage of such a quantity of wastes (some 200,000 tons) that are decaying under the effect of various conditions poses a certain environmental risk. That is why, out institute, first of, set to slime processing.”
Specialists note that use of industrial wastes as raw materials for production of aluminum gives good economic results. Processing of some 200,000 tons of stored slime will give 100,000-120,000 tons of cryolite-alumina concentrate. According to them, the so-called “black mountain” now contain 1.5 million tons of wastes and use of cryolite-alumina concentrate those wastes contain would allow us getting commodity output for 482,000 U.S. dollars.
We will recall that construction of the Tajik aluminum plant (TadAZ) began in 1972, and the first pouring of aluminum took place on March 31, 1975. On April 3, 2007, TadAZ was officially renamed to TALCO – Tajik Aluminum Company.
TALCO is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world and provides up to 70% of the country’s foreign currency earnings, consuming 40% of the country’s electrical power. TALCO is wholly owned by the Tajik government. Tajikistan does not mine alumina but imports the raw material through tolling arrangements.
