Emirates Global Aluminium, MIT join forces for industrial innovation

United Arab Emirates: Researchers from Emirates Global Aluminium and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are set to team up to research and develop new technologies that will further improve EGA’s aluminium smelting processes.

 

A similar programme last year between the UAE industrial giant and the pre-eminent American research university is expected to deliver millions of dirhams in performance improvements each year.

 

EGA has focused on continuous improvement through research and technology development for decades. EGA innovation has enabled the company to reach top quartile performance in the aluminium industry and UAE-developed EGA technology is now licensed internationally.

The collaboration will see graduate students from MIT’s School of Chemical Engineering Practice running six research projects at EGA’s smelter operations in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah focused on promoting greater efficiency in EGA’s processes.

 

Nine PhD and Masters students from MIT will be based at an MIT Practice Station at EGA’s facilities between October and December to work on the research projects.

Projects will focus on processes in the EGA power plant, reduction facilities, carbon area and in the technology development and transfer department. Last year’s program resulted in the development of new technologies that were implemented at EGA’s Jebel Ali smelter and power plant.

 

The initiative is being managed by EGA’s Centre of Excellence, which is part of the Technology Development and Transfer Department. The Centre selected the research topics in consultation with operational areas for their relevance to the MIT programme and potential value to EGA. EGA owns all intellectual property developed as a result of the programme’s research.  

 

“Continuous improvement through innovation is in our DNA at EGA,” says Dr Mohamed Mahmoud, Manager of Technology Improvements at the EGA Centre of Excellence. “We pursue technological advances that improve our efficiency, minimise our environmental impact, and maximise the quality of our products.  Collaborating with leading UAE and international universities like MIT is an important part of our work to develop UAE technology for our business.”

 

In 2015 nine MIT students ran projects aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the power plant at EGA’s Jebel Ali Operations. The solution identified by the students was implemented by a multi-disciplinary team within the plant this year, and EGA savings are expected to be more than AED4.41 million per year in energy costs, with no capital investment required. Two additional projects from last year are also currently in the process of being implemented.

 

MIT is the leading American research university. In 2016 alone, the school has so far filed 341 patents. EGA’s smelting innovations have made it one of the cleanest aluminium producers, producing aluminium with up to one quarter of the carbon footprint of its competitors. The company has made the UAE the world’s 4th largest aluminium producer, delivering quality aluminium to markets worldwide.