Rio Tinto has signed a five-year offtake agreement with Australian bioenergy company SuperChar Limited (SCL) for the supply of locally produced bio pellets for use at its alumina refineries in Gladstone, with deliveries targeted to commence in 2028.
The agreement follows Rio Tinto operational trials and a feasibility study and represents the next stage in assessing the use of bio pellets as one of several potential solutions the company is exploring to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in alumina refining.
The trials tested a range of bio pellet and coal blends and demonstrated that bio pellets, under trial conditions, could replace up to 30 per cent of the coal used to generate steam in the refinery boilers.
