Rusal announced the completion of its patented EcoSoderberg technology upgrade to its Krasnoyarsk Aluminium (KrAZ) Smelter on Friday.
The company said in a press release that the project of retrofitting the KrAZ smelter with 1,954 reduction cells cost the company $74mn and is the first upgrade under the Russian firm’s plans to modernize equipment at Rusal’s six aluminum smelters. The company will fit 400 cells across each of the smelters.
The new process uses an improved design for exhaust fume removal, which ensures a higher hermetic sealing and optimized anode pastе composition, the company noted. This results in a significant reduction of emissions and an increase in the efficiency of operations.
The project is part of the company’s green aluminum initiatives to produce low-carbon products using hydropower and inert anode cells.