Aluminium - Enriching A Billion Lives

Aluminium is used excessively in the modern world with extremely diverse due to its several unusual combinations of attributes. No other metallic element can be used in so many ways across such a variety of domains like in the home, in transport, on land, sea and in air, and in industry and commerce. Aluminium's usages are not always as obvious as they may seem, with sizeable proportions of manufactured aluminium and aluminium oxide going into other separate processes, like the manufacture of glass, rather than towards the common consumer products that we most readily associate Aluminium with.  Over 95% of the Alumina manufactured globally is derived from Bauxite by the Bayer process. The Bauxite residue primarily consists of iron oxides, silicon oxide, titanium oxide and undissolved alumina together with a wide range of other oxides. This depends on the place of extracted bauxite and during refinery process, it leaves behind a residue known as Red Mud. It is composed of a ...

‘Voices on ground’ brings together the changing outlook and demand of the villagers and tribals in Lanjigarh. For far too long, they had taken up a stance against industries propagated by the vested interest brigade. But now in Lanjigarh, where Vedanta’s Alumina Refinery is located, demonizing industrialization is no longer the dominant narrative. The demand for the right to live healthy and prosperous lives is starting to gain traction amongst the native people. For the first time, the demand for development has transcended the local villagers and percolated in tribal areas. They want their right to development and a better quality of life. They have come around the fact that industrialization is necessary for job creation and poverty alleviation. It is not by fighting against industrialization that this can be achieved but by partnering with the local industries and pushing for development. Health, education, roads and electricity are a priority in these times. It is the re...