Detailed plans related to new technologies in metallurgy were announced during the international conference.

The international conference “Mining and Metallurgical complex on the threshold of the Third Industrial Revolution” was held yesterday at the Intercontinental Hotel in Almaty. Technological projects that could potentially become very significant for the Kazakh metallurgical industry were discussed at the meeting.

One of the key suppliers of ideas and technologies for the sector remains the National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials (NC KPMS), which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary these days. Opening the conference, its CEO Abdurasul ZHARMENOV recalled that the center was established 20 years ago by decree of President Nazarbayev along with other national centers, and its impact on the technological renewal of related industries looks obvious. Mr. Zharmenov noted that until recently Kazakhstan was proud of the acquisition of Italian pasta production lines or German construction panels. Now there are fundamentally different reasons for pride related to the demand for Kazakhstani technologies from global metallurgical companies. NC KPMS expects that 40-50% of consumers of its scientific and technical solutions will be representatives of foreign markets.

The most impressive example of such a technology, which, as is already obvious, can be in demand in the global metallurgy industry as a whole, is the promotion of industrial production of the Kazakhstansky alloy. According to Hein JUERGEN, one of the heads of ICMD Holding, the ferrosilicon aluminum alloy is of great interest in various markets. And during the annual conference held by the Mettal Bulletin, everyone was wondering when it would finally appear on the market as an affordable product. ICMD experts predict that this will happen early next year. Such a well-known group in the global steel industry as Thyssen Krupp is engaged in the promotion of Kazakhstansky. Japanese metallurgists are ready to invest up to $500 million in Kazakhstansky, and Japan is expected to become one of the most attractive markets for the new alloy.

During the main plenary session, Mr. Zharmenov, introducing the speakers, noted that one of the key Kazakhstani partners of NC KPMS is ENRC Corporation. According to him, the center's specialists once helped design the SSGPO, as well as the Aksu and Aktobe ferroalloy plants, which are now part of this mining and metallurgical group, and it is absolutely natural that the relationship remains very close.

According to representatives of the corporation, it aims to apply new technologies in all industries in order to reduce the cost of marketable products, improve worker safety and reduce environmental impact. The ENRC Research and Engineering Center (IIC) was established here last year to develop and implement new technologies that improve production, technical and economic performance.

As you know, the government sets the MMC the task of significantly reducing, and ideally completely disposing of industrial waste from enterprises. Agibai SABITOV, head of the IIC, noted that a significant part of industrial waste (overburden, slag, sludge, waste rock, etc.) can become raw materials for the extraction of valuable components and the production of building materials. For example, ENRC introduced technologies for extracting metal concentrates from high-carbon ferrochrome slags, which allowed, along with increasing the degree of chromium extraction and reducing the volume of industrial waste, to ensure the release of construction rubble.

- The processing of medium- and low-carbon ferrochrome slags is on the agenda. This task can be mutually linked with the global task of greenhouse gas utilization, which will make it possible to solve two problems of modern ecology simultaneously," Mr. Sabitov emphasized.

The main conclusion of the conference can be considered the improvement of interaction and exchange of information and ideas between the scientific community and a number of large companies in the sector, as well as the noticeable internationalization of consumers of competitive Kazakhstani technologies.

Nikolay DROZD

Source: panoramakz.com