Rio Tinto and UQAC renew their bauxite processing R&D partnership
Mike Edwards
News processing R&D
The Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region is an important hub for the Rio Tinto aluminium business, responsible for close to half of its global aluminium production. Operations in the area include an alumina refinery, four wholly owned smelters, six hydropower plants, our Arvida Research and Development Centre (ARDC), the Aluminium Operational Centre, a rail network and one port. The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) and Rio Tinto announced that they have renewed their partnership for the next three years. In concrete terms, the company is investing more than $2 million over three years to continue R&D in bauxite and tailings processing technologies.
This commitment marks the symbolic 25-year milestone of the partnership between the two organizations, specifically in bauxite and tailings treatment technologies and alumina manufacturing.
The scientific director of the partnership, researcher Guy Simard of the Centre Universitaire de Recherche sur l’Aluminium (CURAL), is very proud of this partnership that has been evolving over time.
“Tomorrow’s issues are the challenges of today’s students and researchers,” says Simard.
Guy Simard of of the Centre Universitaire de Recherche sur l’Aluminium: The close ties we have forged with Rio Tinto over the years have enabled us to work on research projects involving the reclamation of tailings, thus allowing us to immerse our students in the academic and industrial reality.
“The close ties we have forged with Rio Tinto over the years have enabled us to work on research projects involving the reclamation of tailings, thus allowing us to immerse our students in the academic and industrial reality, while ensuring that we train a highly qualified new generation of researchers, in support of tomorrow’s aluminium industry.”
Josette Ross, director of the Arvida Research and Development Centre for Rio Tinto, adds “We are very pleased to be renewing this exclusive R&D partnership with the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, which has been a source of great achievements for almost 25 years.
“The alumina manufacturing process and the reclamation of by-products are essential to the production of low-carbon aluminium in Quebec. Our partnership allows us both to continually improve our techniques and equipment used in this process, and to train the next generation of researchers.”
In addition to ensuring the continuity of its collaboration until 2023, this partnership allows UQAC to strengthen its position and that of the region among the world leaders in aluminium research and development.
According to Mohamed Bouazara, UQAC’s vice-rector, Research, Creation, and Innovation, “A partnership like this guarantees a certain stability in the development of our aluminium research and helps maintain cutting-edge research infrastructures and laboratories equipped with the latest technology.”
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