In every step of our production process and value chain, from raw material sourcing and movement of wastes and end by-products, Qatalum always seek to avoid, if not, as much possible minimize its impact on the environment. The Qatalum Production System has core principles of eliminating waste and improving of efficiency. Our deployment of new technology is aimed to reduce our energy consumption and GHG emissions per unit of production.
Aspects and Impacts
Qatalum’s HSE Management system details Qatalum’s approach to Environmental Management, identifying sources of environmental aspects and impacts from raw material supply and movement, water and energy consumption, material balance, biodiversity, effluent and waste management, and how the identified impacts are to be managed.
A major focus of our Environmental Management is air quality and emission from our facilities. Qatalum monitors and trends our air pollutant emissions and utilizes the best available technologies that remove much of the environmentally harmful matter from our emissions before they are released into the atmosphere.
All of the above are closely monitored and evaluated against our consent-to-operate (CTO) standard and limits with mechanism of check and balance with our various production units being part of their performance evaluation.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission
GHG emission form the Power Plant accounts the majority of our GHG emissions, with other emissions coming directly from our smelting operations. Qatalum strives to improve the efficiency of our operations by stabilizing Al reduction process to reduce perfluorocarbons and reducing the amount of natural gas consumed per ton of aluminium produced.
Water Management
Freshwater and seawater are used at various stages in the production process. Qatalum implements a number of techniques for more efficient water use including regular treatment and reuse of water on-site and implementation of conservation measures and technologies.
Biodiversity
Qatalum has put in place environmental management practices to minimize our impact on the environment. During inception, Qatalum commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project to see whether there will be adverse impact specifically on biodiversity and how are these impacts going to be avoided, if not, how the biodiversity loss will be mitigated or compensated.
Our management process is designed to control potential impacts identified in the study; in particular we closely monitor and control our fluoride emissions to ensure that they are within the acceptable levels and will have no negative impact on local plants and wildlife. Qatalum water discharge into the sea is closely monitored to ensure no adverse impact on marine life.
Waste and By Product Management
Qatalum maintains a robust waste management policies and practices for the handling, storage and disposal of its waste, residuals and by-products. We have begun a number of new initiatives that have allowed us to further reduce the environmental impact and cost of managing our waste material and byproducts. Our recycling program has been extended to become a tie-up and partnership with downstream industries like local cement plants to reduce the amount of material sent to landfill.
