Process

Alumina Refining
Bauxite Stockpiles

Classification and Filtration

Bauxite is transported from the mine to the plant via an

Hydrate Classification separates the precipitation slurry into 3

overland conveyor system. It is stacked, blended and recovered

sizes as product, fine seed or coarse seed. Each hydrate

using rotating barrel reclaimers.

fraction is filtered to remove liquor, which is recycled to

Grinding and Digestion

Evaporation. The product hydrate is washed and filtered again

Bauxite is fed into a grinding mill together with caustic liquor

to remove any remaining caustic, then conveyed to Calcination.

recovered from the process to produce bauxite slurry. The

The fine and coarse seed is recycled back to Precipitation.

ground bauxite slurry is then mixed with hot recycled caustic

Calcination

liquor and passed through a series of digestors to extract

Hydrate is passed through kilns, where temperatures up to

alumina. The slurry then passes through a series of flash tanks

1100C drive off the chemically bound water to form alumina.

which reduces the temperature by allowing steam to flash off.

The alumina leaving the kilns is cooled and stored in silos prior

Heat is recovered from this steam to reheat the caustic liquor

to shipment.

fed into the digestors.

Evaporation

Mud Separation and Filtration

The Evaporation plant removes water from the recycled liquor

Undissolved impurities such as sand and iron oxide are

to produce strong caustic liquor suitable for re-use in Digestion

separated from the alumina rich caustic liquor in large settling

area. The water evaporated from the liquor is condensed and

tanks called thickeners. Polymer is added to assist the settling

re-used for washing in the process.

to produce an alumina rich over-flow called pregnant liquor. The

Mud Washing and Residue Disposal

pregnant liquor is pumped to Security Filtration where filters

remove any remaining fine red mud.

To recover caustic, red mud waste is washed using recycled

condensate in a counter-current washing process before the

Precipitation

high-density mud is pumped to the Residue Disposal Area. Red

Pregnant liquor is then cooled and seeded with alumina hydrate

mud waste is dry stacked, an efficient means of disposal

crystals to initiate the precipitation process. Hydrate crystals

requiring less area and improved rehabilitation, at the Residue

form in the precipitation tanks under carefully controlled

Disposal Area.

conditions.

Water Treatment Facility

Waters that have become contaminated at the refinery are
collected and neutralised with seawater before being
discharged into the ocean.

Ancillary Services
The refinery is supported by a best in class, efficient cogeneration power station that produces steam and electricity for
the process and supplies electricity to the mining operations,
Nhulunbuy town site and nearby communities. The water supply
for the refinery, mine and Nhulunbuy is sourced from bores
located at the mine area.

Port Facilities
The port facilities established by Nabalco in Melville Bay are
used for handling alumina, bauxite, aluminium hydroxide,
general cargo and bulk liquids. Oil, liquid caustic soda and
petroleum products are pumped from vessels at the tanker jetty
to their relevant storage tanks.

Precipitation tanks

Process Flow diagram

Bauxite Mining
Clearing
The bauxite deposit at Gove is found in approximately 3.5
metre thick upper layers of a plateau. Topsoil and overburden
are removed two years prior to mining and placed on previously
mined areas as part of the rehabilitation process.

lease are collected annually;

 seeds are sown with a single application of fertiliser

immediately prior to the wet season;

 rehabilitated areas develop naturally however care is taken

Mining
Bauxite is mined using conventional open-pit mining
techniques. On average 135 hectares is mined per year with a
similar area rehabilitated. The ore is ripped by large bulldozers
and then loaded by front-end loaders into dump trucks for
transport to the crushing plant.

Crushing and Screening

The crushing plant reduces the size of the ore to below 25 mm,
at a rate of 1600 tonnes per hour. Crushed ore is transported to
the plant via a 19-kilometre overland conveyor system.

Rehabilitation
The mine rehabilitation program has proved highly successful.
The steps include:

 timber clearing well in advance of mining, allowing

understorey species of plants to propagate;

 topsoil and overburden stripped from pre-mined areas is

immediately placed on the adjacent mine floor. The seed
rich topsoil leads to the regeneration of ground cover and
grasses;

 mined-out areas are ripped along natural contours to

promote drainage, aeration and root penetration;
Yirrkala Business Enterprises employee,
Bitika Wunungmurra, seed collecting at the mine.

 seed from native shrubs and trees indigenous to the mine

to avoid bushfires until the trees are well developed.