Archive > Metal Asia > April 2011

Metal Asia April 2011 Issue

A Complete Metal Magazine

SPECIAL COVERAGE

Copper Industry- An Overview
The copper industry (both global and domestic) is showcasing a significant path of development and growth. As more and more sections such as electrochemical, automobiles, telecommunications and additional areas are showing their interest quotient regarding copper in their related applications, it can be said that this metal is here to stay.
However, there are reports from the industry which states that international copper will witness a picture of deficit in 2011-thanks to its soaring price and high end-use demand. Subsequently, alternative industry information is also stressing on the point of more production rates which will help in catering this deficit level. Overall, the mission statement opines that both global and Indian copper sector will pass through some rough stages but, the metal will shine its way through the end.

COMMENT

Strong growth rate projected for Non-ferrous Metals Industry
The non-ferrous metals industry constitutes an important part in the Indian economy. As we all know, the industry fulfills the requirements of a broad range of leading sectors like automobile and automotive parts, infrastructure, engineering, electronics, construction, packaging etc.

NATIONAL TRENDS

• Aditya Birla acquires Kanoria chemicals unit

  To boost output capacity, Aditya Birla Group has acquired the chloro-chemicals unit of Kanoria Chemicals & Industries for a cash consideration of Rs. 830 crore. The deal is scheduled to be completed by the end of next month.

• GVK to acquire Hancock Coal

  After months of intense negotiations and competitive bidding, Hyderabad-based GVK group has been shortlisted to acquire Hancock Coal. GVK and Hancock have entered into an “exclusive arrangement” for negotiations that would continue till the middle of next month.

• Coal India’s output growth possibly nil this fiscal

  A Navratna company, Coal India Limited (CIL) will not see any growth in coal production for the second year in a row in 2011-12, if environmental and forest clearances are not granted to its stranded projects, a coal ministry official said.

• Coal India decides to appoint 1,400 executive

  Coal India has decided to appoint around 1,400 executives by October this year to support its workforce, ahead of crucial expansion and other projects.

• CIL raises prices by 12pc

  State-run Coal India Limited (CIL) has raised prices by an average 12 per cent for some of its consumers, boosting its revenue by 6,000 crore a year and helping the state-run firm meet rising costs at a time when output is stagnant in the face of inefficiency and environmental laws.

• Hindalco raises loan for aluminium smelter project

  India's top aluminium maker Hindalco Industries has raised a $1.75 billion loan for its 359,000 tonnes per year aluminium smelter project in Mahan of Madhya Pradesh, central India.

INTERNATIONAL TRENDS

• Automatic Stub Repairl

  Damaged stubs are a routine occurence in all prebake aluminium smelters. Eroded stubs must be cut off and new ones welded onto the yoke assembly.

• Alcoa registered strong first-quarter results

  Aluminium producer Alcoa Inc. registered a strong firstquarter profit after a loss a year ago as the price of aluminium, its primary product, rose sharply with demand for the meta

• BHP Billiton to expand iron ore and coal mining assets

  According to the latest media report, BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company has decided to expand its Australian iron ore and coal mining operations, with a capital investment of $9.5 billion.

• China’s aluminium and copper output set for new record in April

  China’s aluminium and copper production are set for a new record month in April after a March surge, resulting from expanded capacity and rosy demand forecasts by producers.

• Dubal upgrades anode baking furnace

  According to recent news, Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (Dubal) has upgraded one of its four anode baking furnaces with Gouda Refractories’ next generation refractory bricks – the LP 50 S.

IN FOCUS

• The Realities and Myths of Industrial Pollution - The case of Aluminium Industry

  The primary Aluminium Industry, covering open cast mining of Bauxite to caustic soda leach Bayer’s Alumina refining process to the double fluoride fused salt electrolytic process of aluminium smelting, has been generally branded as one of the most polluting metallurgical industries on earth. Despite all this, aluminium has become the second most important metal of human utility after iron and steel. All indications are that with its unique combination of advantageous physical and chemical properties like high strength to weight ratio, high electrical and thermal conductivity, resistance to atmospheric corrosion, and much more, the importance of aluminium in human utility is bound to grow in the coming years.

• Smelting and Production of Ferro- Nickel from Nickeliferous Laterite Ores of Odisha

  Production of high-grade Ferro-Nickel from the Nickeliferous Lateritic ore is an established process which was first developed by ELKEM, Norway in 1953 and later adopted commercially in New Caledonia. The process was based on pre-heating of granierite ore and coke in rotary kiln and the hot charge was smelted in an electric furnace for reduction to ferro-nickel. Altogether 23 Elkern FeNi furnaces varying in sizes from 4,800 KVA to 40,000 KVA with a total capacity of 385,000 KVA are in operation throughout the world, utilizing Nickeliferous laterite ore as the feedstock for ferro-nickel production.

• Prospect of Vanadium Recovery from Vanadium-bearing Magnetite Ore of Odisha

  Vanadium has proved to be a strategic alloying element in the manufacture of several ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. There has been a marked increase in utilization of vanadium in recent years, thus, providing an added impetus for exploration and mining of vanadium-bearing minerals as well as for the recovery of vanadium metal.

COMPANY NEWS

Siemens VAI: Installation of second Corex C-3000 plant

At the end of March 2011, the Corex C-3000 Module 02, installed with a nominal production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes of hot metal per year, was started up at the steelworks of Shanghai Baosteel Pudong Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. (Baosteel) in Luojing, near Shanghai, China.

REFRACTORY

Effect of Cr (III) oxide addition on the densification and microstructural characteristics of Indian Magnesite

Indian Almora magnesite was used as the principal raw material. The magnesite was mixed with Cr (III) oxide powder and calcined to get active caustic magnesia. Three concentrations of chromium oxide and three sintering temperatures were selected for the study.

Effect of CaO doping on microstructure and properties of a- Alumina

In the present study, effect of CaO doping on microstructure and properties of a-alumina (a-Al2O3) has been investigated. The received a-Al2O3 and CaO doped a-Al2O3 powder compacts were sintered in a conventional furnace at 1700oC for 2h. The phase compositions of the sintered powder compacts were determined by X-ray diffractrometry (XRD). XRD identified a-Al2O3 phase in the sintered a-Al2O3 samples while a-Al2O3, CaO.2Al2O3, CaO.6Al2O3 and CaO phases were detected in the CaO doped a-Al2O3 samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed for the microstructural observations of the polished and thermally etched (1300oC, 1 hr) sintered compacts. SEM showed that the doping of different amount of CaO with a-Al2O3 resulted in formation of calcium aluminate-based glassy phases (1-5μm thickness) in the grain boundary region, which prevents the grain growth. The thickness of the glassy phases around the grain boundary enhanced with the increase of the CaO doping. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis was also performed at the grain and grain boundary regions of the samples. From EDX analysis, Ca, Al and O elements were detected at the triple junctions of the grain boundary, which confirmed the XRD results. The addition of CaO helped in the improvement of the properties of a-Al2O3.

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Integrated foil rolling plant -Interim result of an ambitious project by Constantia Teich GmbH

Around the middle of 2004, the Constantia Group (see background information at the end of this text) made a strategic investment decision.
It was clear that the existing foil rolling plant would not be able to keep pace with the increasing demand on the long term.

Engineering Simulation Solutions for Metal Industry

Each industry possesses its own exclusive and special range of disputes along with conditions and a general resolution might not suffice the required point. So, in order to deliver the right kind of solutions for the appropriate set of queries, a number of organizations rise up to cater as a helping hand. These organizations by means of their industrymeeting knowledge and paraphernalia used by varied sectors, deliver the required elasticity needed by the customers with engineered system and architecture being adjustable to the processes and design systems of preference. Thus, worldwide corporations are on their way to change their concept design into modern products and procedures which work.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Low-temperature Oxyfuel successful in aluminium re-melting

As a further development of conventional oxyfuel, the compelling and innovative Low-temperature Oxyfuel, based on the principles of flameless combustion has, today, become an established technology. Low-temperature Oxyfuel has been proven to deliver higher melt rates with reduced oxidation, lower fuel consumption and ultra-low NOX emissions.

METALS & MINING

Role of IT in Managing Sustainability Transformation in Metals and Mining Industries

Sustainability is increasingly becoming a top priority on most CEOs’ agenda across all industries. Customers, employees, governments, and shareholders are all pressuring organizations to develop, communicate and implement sustainability programs and strategies.

SEMINAR & CONFERENCE

2nd Minerals & Metals Summit-2011, Bhubaneswar

In the mineral map of India, the state of Odisha occupied an important place in terms of both deposit and production. India is abundantly rich in mineral resources and has a long history of mining, mineral production and mineral utilization. Odisha, the major state of India, is endowed with vast mineral resources and produces minerals, which includes nonmetallic, metallic and fuel minerals.