The International Committee for Study of Bauxite, Alumina, and Aluminium (ICSOBA) hosted its 42nd International Conference and Exhibition in Lyon, France, from October 27 to 31, 2024, at the Lyon Convention Centre and the adjacent Marriott Hotel. Once again, the forum demonstrated that ICSOBA offers a unique platform for exchanging information on the latest innovations, making a significant contribution to knowledge dissemination in the industry.
With its rich history and cultural heritage, Lyon served as the ideal setting for this year’s ICSOBA gathering. The region holds a special place in the history of aluminum — bauxite was first discovered nearby at Les Baux-de-Provence by Pierre Berthier, and pioneering contributions from Paul Héroult further propelled the industry. It was here that the foundations of the aluminum sector were laid, and France has remained a leading force in its development ever since.
Conference Background
Established in 1963 in Zagreb, ICSOBA proudly counts France as one of its six founding members. Since its founding, ICSOBA has organized 42 international events in different places of the world, with 2023 marking its 60th anniversary. Over the years, the organizers of ICSOBA have made substantial efforts to enhance this forum, ensuring both its growth and quality.
Originally focused on bauxite, the conference gradually expanded to include alumina, and later, electrolysis. In 2013, a major session dedicated to carbon and electrodes materials in electrolysis was introduced for the first time. Now in 2024, the conference broadened its scope even further to encompass the rapidly growing field of casting operations.
Proceedings & Activities
ICSOBA participants enjoyed a rich experience in a dynamic environment, engaging with top-tier speakers and presentations. The conference welcomed 570 participants on site and 160 speakers — the highest in the event’s history. In addition, the organization provided a live broadcast through the Whova platform, enabling onsite and online participants to interact and enhancing accessibility and engagement. An exhibition of the latest technologies, equipment and services was also held with 18 participants.
The conference is increasingly becoming a “gathering hub” for the global aluminum community, with ICSOBA’s partners organizing dedicated meetings alongside the main event. This year, the European Aluminium Association (EAA) hosted a ReActiv project workshop, while the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) once again held its Bauxite & Alumina Committee (BAC) meeting on the conference’s opening day.
The last day of the conference (October 31), was devoted to field visits to Trimet France in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (one of the oldest aluminum smelters in the world still in operation), Aluminium Dunkerque in Loon-Plage (the last major aluminium plant project to be developed in France), and the Alteo Gardanne Alumina Refinery and Rio Tinto’s Mange Garri BRDA (a historic bauxite residue storage center).
ICSOBA also offered additional educational opportunities, including two short courses that took place before the event on October 24-26. This included the Bayer Process Course (organized for the first time), which provided participants with an essential understanding of bauxites, methods, and equipment for their mining; a theoretical overview of the Bayer process; a look at current technology and equipment to produce alumina; and practical aspects of alumina production from leading experts of the industry. The course included 23 participants from 9 countries.
The Aluminium Electrolysis Course (organized for the second time) provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of the electrolysis process and an overview of the state-of- the-art of aluminum production. It was attended by 38 participants from 14 countries.
The Comprehensive Use of Red Mud (CURM) workshop was held on on Friday, November 1, following the close of the conference. Sponsored by Chinalco and Rio Tinto, organized by the Chinese Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA), and supported by IAI, the workshop brought together experts to explore advancements in this field.
As always, all papers published in TRAVAUX Book Volume No. 53, along with the presentations, will be accessible on the ICSOBA website.
Best Paper Awards
Nine Best Paper awards were presented to outstanding authors across the Bauxite, Alumina, Bauxite Residue, Electrodes, Aluminium, and Casting sessions. Among the criteria taken into consideration for the selection were the degree of novelty and innovation, the applicability in the industry, the quality of writing and the quality of technical content or scientific methodology. The awarded papers are as follows:
- Bauxite: “Enhancing Efficiency in Mining Operations through Closed-loop Real-time Ore Control System (CROCS)” by Fei Fei Wang, Emet Arya, and Ke Shi, Rio Tinto
- Alumina: “Agglomeration Process Optimization” by Jefferson Klister, Cleto Azevedo, Taynara Valentim, and Pedro Costa, Hydro Bauxite & Alumina, and Alok Batra, Bhanu Prakash, and Narayana Khadri, Atomiton
- Alumina: Optimization of Aluminum Hydroxide Seeded Crystallization Using Predictive Model” by Vladimir Golubev and Tatyana Litvinova, RUSAL Engineering and Technology Center, and Ilya Blednykh, Saint-Petersburg Mining University
- Bauxite Residue: “Technical and Engineering Insights into Green Iron Production from Bauxite Residue: A Microwave Plant Assembly Process” by Marcelo Montini, Darllan Rosario Pinheiro, and Raphael Vieira da Costa, Norsk Hydro Alunorte, and Luis Rodolfo Mariani Bittencourt, Lucas Arantes Araújo, and Amaury Jose Leone Negrao, New Wave
- Electrodes: “A case study for emissions free CPC production” by Les Charles Edwards, Main Hunt, and Matthew Childers, Rain Carbon
- Aluminium Electrolysis: “Ma’aden Reduction Potlines Partial Failure Incident and Recovery” by Subah Al-Shammari, Kishor Pant, Abdulrahman H. Al-Shammari, Brent M. Pekoba, and Mohammed Al Hunaini, Ma’aden Aluminium Company
- Aluminium Electrolysis: “Decoding Alumina Dissolution by Navigating the Dynamic Interplay of Bath Composition” by Jonathan Alarie and Jean-François Bilodeau, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, and Martin Truchon, László Kiss, Lukas Dion, and Sébastien Guérard, Rio Tinto
- Aluminium Electrolysis: “Reduction of Net Carbon Consumption – Different Avenues Tested” by Sylvain Delenclos, Stephane Mermet-Guyenet, Johan Mizzi, Guillaume Branly, and Olivier Forato, Aluminium Dunkerque
- Casthouse Operation: “Batscan: the Coming of Age of a New Tool for Inclusion Detection in Liquid Aluminium” by Jean-Louis Achard, Pierre Le Brun, Marc Bertherat, and Pierre-Yves Menet, Constellium, and Nicolas Bauret and Vincent Milani, STAS
In addition, one Special Mention paper for each of the sessions for the first time, which can be viewed here. ICSOBA also sponsored the participation of eight students, supporting the next generation of industry professionals.
Conclusion
Four major players in primary aluminium production in France — Alteo, Aluminium Dunkerque, Rio Tinto, and Trimet France — served as Host Sponsors for the event. Additional support came from an impressive lineup of sponsors: Fives and Reel at the Diamond level; Alba, Bechtel, EGA, Hatch, Hydro, Simonsen, and Tokai Cobex at the Gold level; Nalco Water, SNF, and Syensqo at the Silver level; and CAETE Engenharia, Found Energy, Metlen, Rain Carbon, Sohar Aluminium, and Techmo at the Bronze level. With the backing of 45 corporate members, ICSOBA is honored by this remarkable show of industry support.
The ICSOBA organizers offered their thanks to everyone who contributed at every stage of this significant industry event, extending their deepest gratitude to the sponsors, exhibitors, corporate members, organizers, and volunteers, whose dedication and hard work made this event possible.
In addition, the organizers invite aluminum industry to take part in ICSOBA 2025 (dates and location to be announced) — a premier conference that is “by the Aluminium Industry, for the Aluminium Industry!”