International group scientists has found a way to recycle hazardous waste from the aluminum industry – red mud – into valuable magnetic materials. This innovation can reduce environmental damage and provide raw materials for the production of electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Every year, aluminum production produces over 200 million tons of red mud. This waste contains alkalis, heavy metals and radioactive elements, but only 10% is recycled. The rest accumulates in storage facilities, polluting the environment.
Specialists from Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Australia have developed carbothermic reduction technology. It allows the conversion of red mud into soft magnetic alloys based on iron and silicon. Such materials are used in electric motors, transformers and other devices.
“We tested ten different mixtures and obtained alloys with properties similar to industrial soft magnetic materials,” explained Yuri Konyukhov, Doctor of Technical Sciences at NUST MISIS.
The method not only solves the problem of hazardous waste disposal, but also creates new raw materials for electrical engineering. In the future, scientists plan to adapt the technology for the production of ferroalloys used in the diamond industry.
This development is an important step towards a green economy, reducing harmful emissions and saving natural resources. The introduction of technology into industry may begin in the coming years.
The material was prepared with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science as part of the Decade of Science and Technology
Source: minobrnauki.gov.ru
