Opening of Facility Signals New Era in Sustainability for Smelter

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

FordComm provided event management services to Regain for the  official opening of a new facility to recycle waste materials generated by the aluminium smelting process into products utilised by other industries has signaled a new era in environmental sustainability.

The Hon Tony Burke, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, officially opened the Spent Potliner (SPL) Reprocessing Facility on-site at Hydro Aluminium Kurri Kurri on Wednesday 1 December 2010. Other guests included Cessnock City Council Mayor, Councillor Alison Davey, and Federal Member for the Hunter, the Hon Joel Fitzgibbon.

The facility is a joint initiative between mineral processing company Regain Services Pty Ltd and Hydro Aluminium Kurri Kurri.

Regain Director, Bernie Cooper, says the initiative represents a new era in environmental sustainability with gains for the environment, for end-users of products and for the aluminium industry.

“The approach is a major win for the environment, with 100% beneficial use of smelter by-products,” he said.

The management of Spent Potliner (SPL) waste is an important issue for the aluminium industry worldwide.

“Regain has developed world-leading technology to make SPL safe and recover minerals from it, which can then be used to make valuable products used in other industries such as brick, cement and steel making,” Mr Cooper said.

SPL Reprocessing is part of Hydro’s program to further improve environmental performance.

“The commitment to SPL Reprocessing is part of Hydro’s commitment to further improve environmental performance and achieve a zero waste smelter, at a time of significant financial challenges,” Hydro Technical Manager, Hubert Lehman, said.

In addition, the products made by Regain offer many environmental benefits for the cement and brick making industries, as they include properties that reduce emissions and save energy in the manufacturing process.

Following 10 years success within the Australian market strong demand for the product is now coming from Asia, with Regain recently obtaining approval to export to China.

“By expanding our customer base to Asia, Regain can continue to grow its operations in Australia, providing many environmental and economic benefits,” Mr Cooper said.