Rio Tinto (New York Stock Exchange: RioIt said on Wednesday it would collaborate with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation to build a “first of its kind” hydrogen plant in Australia, as it aims to reduce carbon emissions from the alumina refining process at the Yaron facility.
Rio (Rio) said The program aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using hydrogen in the calcination process, in which hydrated alumina is heated to temperatures of up to 1,000°C.
The project includes the construction of a hydrogen plant at the Yaron refinery and the modification of the refinery’s processing equipment; If successful, the program could pave the way for adoption of the technology on a global scale.
The company expects the plant to produce the equivalent of approximately 6,000 metric tons/year of alumina while reducing Yarwun’s carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 3,000 metric tons/year.
The companies applied to the pilot program after receiving A$32 million in co-funding from the Australian Federal Renewable Energy Agency.
Construction of the plant will begin in 2024, and it is expected to be operational by 2025.
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