Gulf Fluor to Provide Aluminum Fluoride to Middle East

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In the near future, the Middle East is projected to become a hub for heavy industries and aluminum smelting. Several companies, such as Qatar Aluminum Company Limited (Qantalum) (Doha, Qatar), a joint venture of Quatar Petroleum (Doha) and Norsk Hydro ASA (OSE:NHY) (Hydro) (Oslo, Norway), have plans to expand production at existing aluminum smelters. Aluminum production is expected to exceed 5 million metric tons per year by the end of 2011, up almost 4 million metric tons per year from this year.

Gulf Fluor LLC (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), in association with Buss ChemTech AG (Prattln, Switzerland) and Simon Carves Limited (Chesire, England), is planning to build a chemical complex in Abu Dhabi to cater to the Middle East's growing demand for aluminum fluoride for the production of aluminum. Memoranda of understanding were signed between Gulf Fluor and Buss ChemTech and Simon Carves in 2006, and British Sulfur Consultants, a division of CRU Group (London, England), completed a feasibility study in 2007. Gulf Fluor, created specifically to construct and operate the new chemical complex, began construction in October of this year.

Buss ChemTech is providing technologies for the aluminum fluoride unit and a hydrofluoric acid unit. Hydrofluoric acid is used in the production of fluorocarbons as well as for cooling and refrigeration, fluorinated polymers, steel pickling and glass etching. Gulf Fluor is planning to begin operations with an initial capacity of 60,000 of aluminum fluoride and 10,000 metric tons per year of hydrofluoric acid. Simon Carves will be responsible for the technologies to be used in the oleum and sulfuric acid units. The oleum unit will serve as a feedstock supply for the sulfuric acid unit, which will start with an initial capacity of 140,500 metric tons per year. Sulfuric acid produced at the Gulf Fluor complex will go on to produce calcium sulfate, which has a variety of applications in industry.

Between 20 and 30 kilograms of aluminum fluoride is used to produce 1 metric ton of aluminum using the Hall-Héroult process, which utilizes electrolysis to convert alumina to aluminum. If the Middle East's aluminum production capacity rises to its projected highs next year, companies using the process will require between 100,000 and 150,000 metric tons per year of aluminum fluoride to meet demands. Gulf Fluor's $500 million chemical complex will be the first of its kind in the Middle East when completed in 2012.

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