DUSHANBE, July 25, 2016, Asia-Plus – The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) is expected to introduce three large industrial enterprises into operation in the Yovon district next month.
According to TALCO, the plant for production of aluminum fluoride with annual capacity of 18,000 tons, the plant for production of cryolite with annual capacity of 12,000 tons and the plant for production of sulfuric acid with annual capacity of 130,000 tons will be introduced into operation in August this year.
The plants are being constructed in the framework of a five-year program for Tajik aluminum smelter’s shift to domestic raw materials.
Construction of these three industrial enterprises began in 2008 and a total cost of these three projects is 126 million U.S. dollars, including 88.5 million U.S dollars provided by China Exim Bank and more than 37 million U.S. dollars invested in the projects by Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO).
Aluminum fluoride is an inorganic compound used primarily in the production of aluminum. This colorless solid can be prepared synthetically but also occurs in nature. Aluminum fluoride is an important additive for the production of aluminum by electrolysis. Together with cryolite lowers the melting point to below 1000 °C and increases the conductivity of the solution.
Cryolite was historically used as an ore of aluminum and later in the electrolytic processing of the aluminum-rich oxide ore bauxite. The difficulty of separating aluminum from oxygen in the oxide ores was overcome by the use of cryolite as a flux to dissolve the oxide minerals. Pure cryolite itself melts at 1012 °C), and it can dissolve the aluminum oxides sufficiently well to allow easy extraction of the aluminum by electrolysis. Substantial energy is still needed for both heating the materials and the electrolysis, but it is much more energy-efficient than melting the oxides themselves. Now, as natural cryolite is too rare to be used for this purpose, synthetic sodium aluminum fluoride is produced from the common mineral fluorite.
Sulfuric acid has a wide range of applications including domestic acidic drain cleaner, electrolyte in lead-acid batteries and various cleaning agents. It is also a central substance in the chemical industry. Principal uses include mineral processing, fertilizer manufacturing, oil refining, wastewater processing, and chemical synthesis. It is widely produced with different methods, such as contact process, wet sulfuric acid process and some other methods.
In June 2014, TALCO reportedly signed a contract with China National Heavy Machinery Corporation on completion of work on introducing these plants into operation.
China National Heavy Machinery Corporation operates as a diversified operation enterprise. The Company provides engineering contracting, financial operation, and trading services. China National Heavy Machinery Corporation also offers technology consulting services.
