RUSAL's First Aluminium Smelter Fully Transitions to Modern Russian Gas Cleaning Systems

RUSAL's Irkutsk Aluminium Smelter (IrkAZ) has become the first aluminium plant in the industry to complete a full transition to modern Russian-designed gas cleaning systems. Developed entirely by RUSAL, the company's proprietary solution not only outperforms foreign alternatives but also delivers more than ten times the efficiency of previous-generation gas cleaning technologies.

The milestone was achieved with the commissioning of the sixth RUSAL Dry Gas Treatment Unit (DGTU) at the Irkutsk Aluminium Smelter, making the facility the first in the aluminium industry to operate exclusively with modern Russian gas purification technology. Both the technology and equipment for these units were developed in-house by RUSAL's Engineering Department.

RUSAL considers the modernization of dry gas treatment systems at its aluminium smelters to be one of its most significant environmental initiatives aimed at reducing the industry's environmental footprint. While the company previously relied on leading Western technologies for modernization projects, it launched the development of its own gas treatment solution in 2016. By 2018, RUSAL had begun supplying its proprietary DGTU systems to its aluminium smelters.

Compared with foreign alternatives, the new systems offer greater reliability and cost efficiency while delivering substantially higher environmental performance than previous-generation technologies.

Construction of the Russian-made gas treatment units at IrkAZ began in 2018. Total investment in six DGTU units, automated raw material handling systems, and the associated gas cleaning infrastructure reached approximately US$40 million. RUSAL is also continuing the installation of DGTU systems at its Bratsk and Novokuznetsk Aluminium Smelters.

The RUSAL DGTUs capture more than 99.5% of fluoride compounds, dust, and tar substances generated during the electrolysis process. By comparison, the electrostatic filters previously used at the plant were capable of removing up to 95% of these emissions. As a result, the new systems provide over ten times greater efficiency than the previous generation of gas cleaning technologies.

In addition to improving environmental performance, the new units recover captured fluoride—a valuable raw material for aluminium production—and recycle it back into the manufacturing process together with alumina, supporting both sustainability and resource efficiency.

RUSAL's proprietary next-generation equipment also offers significant engineering advantages over the best Western alternatives. Thanks to a 50% smaller installation footprint, 40% lower metal consumption, fewer equipment modules, and a range of technical optimizations, the new gas treatment systems reduce overall costs by 30% to 40% while maintaining superior operational performance.