Lafarge Canada joined subsidiary Geocycle Canada and mining group Rio Tinto to reuse waste from the aluminum smelting process to make cement. In this circular economy initiative, the trio will reduce the need to extract other raw materials and create value from waste.
Geocycle Canada and Rio Tinto have developed a new product called Alextra, which is made from used potlining as part of the aluminum electrolysis process that would otherwise go to a landfill.
Lafarge Canada will produce on average 1 million tonnes of cement a year at its facilities in Bath, Ontario, using Alextra as an alternative to raw materials such as alumina and silica. The companies will also explore options to further expand the supply of Alextra from Rio Tinto’s Potlining Treatment Plant in Saguenay-Lac-St Jean to Lafarge Canada’s network of cement plants.
Travis Smith, Geocycle Canada senior manager, said, “As a global leader in building materials, we are committed to living up to the responsibility of helping to create a zero-waste future. In order to achieve this goal, we need progressive partners such as Rio Tinto, and we look forward to what the future holds as we work to reduce our demand on virgin materials and deliver sustainable products.”
