Established as Belgaum R&D Centre in 1979, Hindalco Innovation Centre for Alumina (HIC-A) began with a focus on optimising the Bayer process for indigenous bauxite. Over time, it evolved into a hub for cutting-edge research and process improvements.
Diversification and growth
Moving beyond its original mission, HIC-A expanded to develop high-value products like specialty alumina and specialty hydrates, strengthening Hindalco’s specialty alumina business and enhancing profitability.
Industry impact and innovation
Today, HIC-A continues to bridge history with the present by continuously developing new products and providing its application support to marketing teams and customers, ensuring innovative, industry-specific solutions that sustain Hindalco’s legacy of excellence.
Our expertise encompasses:
- Process development and process improvement
- New product development
- Application research and customer support
The focus areas of HIC-A include process development and process improvement, new product development, and application research.
Process development and process improvement
The R&D facilities in process development and process improvement are dedicated to driving advancements in the Bayer process, catering to both low- and high-temperature digestion systems. Primary areas of focus are improving the dissolution kinetics of bauxite to enhance extraction efficiency, optimising energy utilisation to reduce operational costs, and refining impurity management strategies to maximise alumina yield and product quality.
The team is currently supporting the refineries in the following areas:
- Improvement of the overall recovery for low- and high-temperature digestion refineries
- Technology development for oxalate and vanadium removal
- Reduction of organics in Bayer liquor
- Process conditions optimisation for different sources of bauxite
New product development
The New Product Development Vertical conducts cutting-edge research to create innovative products such as speciality alumina and hydrate for a diverse range of applications. These applications include refractories, industrial and technical ceramics, polishing compounds, activated alumina, and various fire-retardant filler applications for cables, solid surfaces, etc.
The team also actively collaborates with customers and external R&D organisations/institutions to co-develop specialised, tailor-made solutions designed to meet specific application requirements. Such partnerships drive innovation and ensure the delivery of high-performance, customised products that cater to evolving industry needs.
The team is currently working on developing the following new products:
- High purity alumina (99.9%) for battery separator applications
- Low soda boehmite for advanced ceramic applications
- Ultra low soda alumina for catalytic convertor applications
- Dispersing alumina for castable applications
- Precipitated superfine hydrate for cable applications
- Submicron hydrate for fire retardant applications
The team plans to develop the following products in the future:
- Ready-to-press alumina for ceramic applications
- Spherical alumina for thermal conductive polymer applications
- White fused alumina for abrasive and refractory applications
- Tabular alumina for refractory applications
