Yarwun alumina refinery near Gladstone has reduced its raw water consumption by 30 per cent over the last five years.

Owner Rio Tinto said the refinery had reduced raw water consumption from 28,000 cubic metres to 20,000 cubic metres per day.  

General manager Mark Gilmore said the achievement was part of Yarwun’s ongoing work to operate in a way that was not only safe for employees, contractors and the community, but also better for the environment.

“Our operational teams were able to cut raw water consumption by one third by successfully completing a number of small-scale projects that, when combined, have led to this impressive result,” he said.

Some of the small projects that led to the reduction in water usage included quickly identifying and fixing leaks, improving the reliability of equipment using water, dropping steam temperatures in the refining process and recycling condensate from the steam for use as cooling or wash water.

Other water consumption reduction work involved improvements to materials handling design to reduce water in the operation’s bauxite transfer point.

The projects have reduced the use of fresh water and recycled the water generated within the process more effectively, meaning the system is more volume and energy efficient.

“We’re keenly aware that water is a precious resource not only in our region but across Australia,” Mr Gilmore said.

“We will continue to find innovative ways to further reduce our water use with new projects underway to achieve that.”