A group of senior cycle Chemistry and Biology students from Nenagh College, recently visited the Aughinish Alumina plant located on the Shannon estuary near Foynes, Co. Limerick, Europe’s largest Bauxite refinery.
The facility extracts Aluminium Oxide (Alumina) from the raw material Bauxite. Alumina provides the basic raw material from which Aluminium metal is manufactured. The raw material is shipped in from a diversity of global locations, ranging from Guinea, on the west coast of Africa to Brazil and China.
Interestingly, the by-product from the process (spent Bauxite) is compacted on nearby lands where a selection of flora is grown, providing a designated wildlife sanctuary that is inhabited by many species of plants and animals.
Catriona Hanley a member of staff at the facility, provided the students an extensive history of the plant, which has been in operation for over thirty years. The students were then given a comprehensive tour of the refinery; ranging from the deep water jetty where Bauxite arrives and is offloaded via cargo ship, to the final stage of the processing where the Alumina is exported to be refined into Aluminium metal.
The tour provided students with a practical understanding of the theoretical concepts which they study and also an excellent insight into what is an absolutely fascinating production facility.
