VietNamNet Bridge - The problem at Tan Rai bauxite pipeline lies in the technology and the low-quality of the pipeline. This is why it broke down four years after the factory opened, according to Nguyen Van Ban, former senior executive of the Vietnam Coal & Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin).

 

The workers of the alumina factory on February 13 discovered that the pipeline of the red sludge reservoir was cracked, causing the water to leak in some sections and flow out. 

This was residual water from the red sludge reservoir which contained weak sodium hydroxide with the higher-than-permitted pH reaching out to the environment.

Ban said red sludge is a mixture of substances such as iron, manganese and an amount of alkaline produced during the process of bauxite filtration and aluminum ore separation. This is a hazardous waste. 

The problem at Tan Rai bauxite pipeline lies in the technology and the low-quality of the pipeline.

Therefore, if it spills out into the environment outside the factory, it will cause serious consequences: the waste containing sodium will affect water resources for irrigation and daily use. It will also cause serious injuries and burns to skin.

Ban said that the pipeline broke down because of its low quality. 

In fact, a similar crack occurred in the rainy season in 2011, when the factory had not become operational. More than 4,000 square meters of fish ponds and tea fields were inundated with sludge. The land area has been left uncultivated because pollution treatment has not been done.  

Another accident occurred in 2014, raising big concern about the quality of the construction works, especially reservoirs, though the consequences caused by the accident were not too big.

However, as the water leaking into the environment this time contains weak sodium hydroxide, the consequences would be serious.

The accidents have raised big concerns about the life expectancy of the pipelines and the quality of the bauxite complex. 

The Lam Dong Aluminum Company Ltd, which is managing the bauxite-aluminum complex, promised to fix the problems, but accidents still occur.

“The Chinese design and the equipment used in the project really have low quality,” Ban commented.

“The technology utilized there requires too much water, while the required coal and alkaline levels are all higher than modern technologies,” he said.

“The factory has been operational for four years, but it still cannot run at full capacity. Because of this, we lose $40 million a year,” he said, adding that while the investment rate was high, the output is low and the production cost is high because of the need for high volumes of chemicals, electricity and workers. 

Ho Uy Liem from the Vietnam Union of Science & Technology Association (VUSTA) also thinks that the accidents occurred because of the bad quality of the pipeline.

Dat Viet