Samuel Juniper

1
Ajka Alumina Disaster

• Samuel Juniper
• Mark Tefula

2
Introduction

• MAS Hungarian Alumina
• Aluminium production/products
• Subsidies throughout Europe
• Alumina production in Ajka
• Reservoirs of waste product

3
Disaster

• 2m wave caustic mud
• October 4th 2010
• Reservoir no. 10 failed
• Approximately 1 million cubic metres
• Covering 40km²
• Flooding Kolontàr and Devecser

4
Aerial photographs showing the huge scale of
failure of the reservoir wall.
5
Immediate Effects

• Human
• 10 confirmed dead
• 120 injured
• Vehicles, houses, bridges destroyed

• Environmental
• Enters Torna River plaster to bind
• Joins Danube

6
Alumina Red Mud

• By-Product
• Bayer process refines bauxite into alumina

Metal oxide Percentage Notes
Fe2O3 (iron(III) oxide) 4045  Gives the red colour of the mud
Al2O3 (aluminium oxide) 1015  Unextracted aluminium oxide
SiO2 (silicon dioxide) 1015  Present as sodium- or calcium-alumino-silicate
CaO (calcium oxide)   610  Caustic, rare oxide mineral
TiO2 (titanium dioxide)   45  Impurity present in bauxite
Na2O (bound sodium oxide)   56  Responsible for the highly alkaline pH and the chemical burns

• Greenpeace found chromium, arsenic and mercury

7
Environmental Effects

• Due to the nature of the red mud it killed all
  life it encountered. This included
• Vegetation
• Small animals
• Marine life in the Marcal River
• High alkaline levels of up to PH 13 - bleach
• Red Mud travelled through the Marcal River and
  reached the Danube River this was very dangerous.

8
Environmental Effects

• Huge quantities of plaster and acetic acid were
  poured into Marcal and other affected waterways.
• Luckily by the time the red mud made into the
  Danube it was neutralised. Rigorous testing was
  carried out however due to the importance of the
  river

9
Land Remediation

• The clean up is estimated to take a year and cost
  tens of million of Euros.
• By October 12th secondary dam built to contain an
  expected over flow another section of the dam
  that was expected to collapse.

• The clean up
• Physical Removal of the sludge
• Storage in a Specially Engineered Landfill
• Solidification of sludge toxic air matter

10
Land Remediation

• How clean is clean enough?

• Top Soil
• Landfill 95
• Amelioration 5
• High pH
• Heavy metals mercury, arsenic
• Organic compounds hydrocarbons

• Treatments

Strong Alkaline Remedy
Organic Compound Carbon Dioxide
Basic Sodium Hydroxide Sulphates
Caustic Ammonia
Inorganic Compound Bio-Matrix Peat

• For Heavy Metals
• (Aerogels)
• Specifically Engineered
• Separate contaminate
• Time consuming
• Expensive on this scale

11
Thank you

• Bibliography
• http//www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2
  010/10/06/toxic_sludge_from_plant_floods_hungary_t
  owns/
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajka_alumina_plant_ac
  cident
• http//www.earthcurrent.com/2010/10/ajka-alumina-p
  lant-accident.html
• http//www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-10/clea
  ning-hungarys-miles-toxic-mess
• http//www.biomatrixusa.com/index.php?optioncom_c
  ontenttaskviewid12Itemid26
• http//www.courrierinternational.com/breve/2010/10
  /14/le-dudarit-produit-miracle-pour-assainir-les-s
  ols
• http//www. infoplease.com/atlas/country/hungary.h
  tml