Pathways to Net-Zero Alumina: Integrating Low-Emission Technologies and Policy Reform in Australia

Australia’s alumina industry is among the world’s largest industrial emitters, driven by fossil fuel-based refining processes. As decarbonisation pressures intensify, this review synthesises the technological and policy landscape shaping low-emission alumina production. It evaluates the readiness, integration feasibility, and deployment barriers of five key technologies – mechanical vapour recompression, electric boilers, electric and hydrogen calcination, and carbon capture, utilisation and storage – within the evolving Australian policy context. Recent reforms including the Rewiring the Nation initiative and the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism are redefining the sector’s competitiveness. However, progress remains constrained by high capital intensity, hydrogen supply limitations, grid bottlenecks, and fragmented regulation. A barrier-to-policy matrix identifies actions to align concessional finance, infrastructure planning, and trade policy with technology deployment. The review concludes that coordinated governance is now as critical as technological readiness. Without immediate policy alignment, Australia risks losing access to emerging low-carbon markets. However, with targeted investment and integrated planning (e.g., policy harmonisation and regional infrastructure planning), Australia’s alumina sector can become a foundation for a globally competitive low-carbon aluminium supply chain.