VITO signed a contract with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas. VITO will start up two studies for EGA, aiming at sustainable use of bauxite residue.
Bauxite is the most important resource for the production of aluminium. Worldwide there is around 150 million tons of bauxite residue due to the production of aluminium. Only 2 percent of that is recycled in a sustainable way. For EGA, VITO will study the feasibility of using bauxite residue in large volume construction materials. KU Leuven is also involved in this study.
In a first phase the researchers will test whether bauxite residues can replace sand in road construction. Though sand is in ready supply in the UAE, the vast majority of native sands are unsuitable for road construction.
In a second study VITO will research whether bauxite residue can be used to replace clay for the production of lightweight concrete and insulation blocks. If the results are positive, the UAE will be able to locally produce these construction materials.
