Uzbekistan intends to engage the South Korean company Sebine Technology in the revival of a project focused on extracting aluminum and alumina (aluminum oxide) from kaolin deposits in the Tashkent region, according to the press service of the Ministry of Mining and Geology.
Representatives from Sebine Technology recently visited subsidiary enterprises of the "Uzbeckugol" company to study the properties of kaolin raw material extracted from the Angren coal deposit in the Tashkent region.
"During the meeting, attended by officials from Uzbeckugol and representatives of the company, an agreement was reached to explore several projects related to aluminum and alumina extraction from Angren kaolin," the statement said.
Currently, Uzbekistan does not have primary aluminum production. Worldwide, bauxite (aluminum ore) is primarily used for alumina production, and it can only be imported from Africa, South America, and Australia. In the early 2000s, "Uzbeckugol" collaborated with the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan to develop technical regulations and set up an experimental alumina-cement production based on secondary kaolins from the Angren deposit.
According to experts, the proven and approved reserves of kaolin clays at the Angren deposit amount to 900 million tons, with approximately 450 million tons suitable for the production of alumina and aluminum.