Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced it has entered into a Master Research Agreement with Emirates Aluminium Company Ltd (EMAL), a joint venture between Mubadala Development Company and Dubai Aluminium Company (DUBAL).

The agreement was signed in Abu Dhabi in the presence of H.E. Mohammed Ahmed Al Bawardi, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO and Managing Director of Mubadala Development Company, and Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar. It was signed by Saeed Fadhel Al Mazrooei, President and CEO of EMAL, and Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute. Others present on the occasion included the senior management teams from Masdar Institute and EMAL.

Saeed Fadhel Al Mazrooei, President and CEO of EMAL, said: “As one of the leading economic diversification projects of the Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision, EMAL is committed to achieving excellence in all that we do for the benefit of this nation. One of the ways in which we achieve this is by actively refining our current technologies and operations to ensure EMAL stays on the leading edge of clean, efficient aluminium production. The research collaboration agreement with Masdar Institute reflects this, as we firmly believe that this research-focused academic institution can help provide vital insights into refining some of our production techniques.”

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute, said: “The agreement with EMAL illustrates our status as an institution dedicated to providing real-world solutions to issues of industrial importance. We focus on supporting economic diversification by nurturing highly-skilled human capital through partnerships with industry leaders such as EMAL. It is our firm conviction that the research projects led by Masdar Institute’s faculty will generate considerable value for EMAL, the aluminium industry and Abu Dhabi.”

Along with the ‘Master Research Agreement’, four research projects that are of mutual interest to both Masdar Institute and EMAL have been signed. The projects include ‘Efficient cooling for shut down pot in aluminium smelters’. Masdar’s research team will work with EMAL’s research and development team to reduce the pot turnaround and early start-up time through finding an alternative and efficient cooling technique that significantly reduces the cooling delay and increases the plant productivity.

The second project is titled ‘Exploring activation water treatment to limit the growth of green algae and other pathogens that promote their growth’. The goal of the research is to design a system that produces on-site electrochemically biocidal liquids which are temporary collected in a storage-container, where they can be dosed into power plant water to disinfect surfaces, air and water lines.

The project on ‘Onsite assessments of a reverberatory aluminum melting furnaces’ is expected to increase the ‘reverberatory’ furnaces’ efficiency in order to reduce the energy consumed per unit mass of the produced aluminum.

Research on ‘Voltage drop study across the anode-rod connection’ will be conducted to find the reasons and mitigation options for the voltage drop by studying the composition of the materials and the geometric orientation of the components.

The Master Research Agreement provides sponsorship terms, while details for individual projects such as scope of work, funding level, principal investigator, and tenure of the project are established through individual agreements.

EMAL continuously invests in the best sustainable technologies and emission controls to insure that its impact on the environment is kept to a minimum. These include steps to curb CO2 output by 70 per cent compared to fossil-fuel powered smelters, an environment-monitoring programme to assess air and local conditions, deploying DX Reduction Cell technology which saves energy, a waste reduction strategy to maximize recycling, re-settlement of local wildlife to suitable habitats, and encouraging contractors to use appropriate materials.

Established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, while working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change.
 

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