Project Details
This Alumina refinery produces more than three million tonnes of alumina per year, which are exported to customers in Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific region. The Refinery includes two Caustic Bladders (No.1 and No.2) near the Fisherman’s Landing wharf. In 2018 refinery management made a decision to replace Caustic Bladder No.1 due to being near the end of it’s life.
These caustic bladder storage facilities needed a high-performance lining system that was able to resist the extreme high percentage of caustic solution.
Solution
Atarfil R&D department created a specific Atarfil HD geomembrane with an antioxidant package that allowed the geomembrane to be exposed to very high pH, providing a superior geomembrane endurance properties. Rio Tinto carried out an accelerated performance testing program, by the external accredited laboratory ExcelPlas, to make a decision on the relative behavior of ATARFIL geomembrane samples in a concentrated caustic environment. Based on the results in this study, Atarfil geomembrane was the chosen product providing a membrane with maximum durability. It exceeded the minimum required project service life in the caustic containment bladder application.
