Creating a solution for
the global waste problem
Sustainability
Alumina production, critical to aluminum manufacturing, accounts for over 175 million tons of waste (bauxite residue) annually. Our processes recycle this manufacturing waste, extracting critical materials to create a valuable domestic supply chain while allowing the alumina refineries to continue to operate without running out of space.
Bauxite Residue
2:1
Two tons of waste are generated for every one ton of aluminum produced.
4B
The global inventory of Bauxite waste is four billion tons. This waste has been accumulating since 1888, when the Bayer process for alumina refining was established.
175M
Bauxite waste increases by 175 million tons per year, stored in holding ponds that will remain until our process removes them.
While most critical material production requires creating additional waste, ElementUSA flips this model on its head - producing critical materials that creates no additional waste and cleans up the waste of others.
Meeting Demand
The green transition will require 6.5B tons more raw materials between now and 2050 to meet decarbonization goals.
Traditional mining of these materials requires a 17 year lead time on average, while also using mining techniques that directly contradict the green objectives themselves. By comparison, our lead time is 3-5 years.
Global average lead times (years) from discovery to production
Our products provide the content to produce the worlds most important alternative energy. For example, inland wind turbines EcoIron™, alumina, and construction aggregate.
1200
Tons of concrete
335
Tons of steel
3
Tons of aluminum
2
Tons of rare earths
In addition to cleaning up over 40 million tons of “red mud” in the US, we expect to provide over 200 ongoing highly skilled green jobs and nearly 600 indirect jobs in Louisiana in the next decade.