Now Bhubaneswar to house NALCO's R&D centre

The National Aluminium Company (NALCO) has inaugurated a research and technology centre in  Bhubaneswar. The centre will undertake research activities like development of new products and alloys. NALCO has already registered 29 patents of which five have been commercialised. 

The new research and technology centre would further increase its efforts to meet the R & D requirements in future. The waste utilisation, maximising productivity, reduction of specific consumption and development of new products and alloys are the key research areas that will complement the new business plan being put together by the company.

To ensure sustainability, the company has taken various R & D initiatives. It has entered into an R & D co-operation agreement with Rio Tinto Alcan for development of technology which aims to reduce energy consumption at the smelter by about 5 per cent.

An R  &D agreement was also signed with Chalieco, China for separation of iron concentrate from Red Mud. A MoU with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre that will work on the projects for Gallium recovery from Bayer’s liquor; extraction of rare earths from red mud and other areas of mutual interest.