INTERNATIONAL ALUMINIUM INSTITUTE

Their core work

The International Aluminium Institute is the global trade association for the primary aluminium industry, representing producers across the world. In EU research, they function as an industry bridge — bringing real-world production data, sector-wide dissemination channels, and direct connections to aluminium plants that generate the waste streams being studied. Their specific technical focus in H2020 projects has been on transforming two major aluminium production waste streams: bauxite residue (red mud) from alumina refining, and spent pot lining (SPL) from smelting. They connect laboratory research to industrial implementation by providing both the problem definition (what the industry actually wastes at scale) and the validation pathway (credible routes to industry adoption).

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IAI's early H2020 work (RemovAL, 2018) took a broad, exploratory approach to aluminium waste: treating bauxite residue as a simultaneous source of multiple valuable outputs — gallium, rare earth elements, iron-silicon alloys, and construction aggregates. By 2020, their focus in ReActiv had narrowed sharply to a single, commercially specific application: using bauxite residue and alumina as supplementary cementitious materials to substitute clinker in low-CO2 cement. This convergence suggests the aluminium industry has concluded that cement is the most scalable and policy-aligned destination for bauxite residue, shifting from exploratory multi-stream recovery toward a defined decarbonization application with a clear industrial buyer.

IAI is repositioning bauxite residue from an environmental liability into a climate solution for the construction sector — a shift that aligns with both EU Green Deal priorities and the cement industry's urgent need for clinker alternatives.

How they like to work

IAI participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as project coordinator — which is consistent with a trade association's role as an industry convener rather than a research driver. Across only two projects they have engaged 40 distinct partners across 16 countries, indicating they join large, multi-stakeholder Innovation Actions where their value lies in connecting the research to actual industry practice. This pattern makes them an attractive consortium member for any project that needs credible industry validation or sector-wide dissemination, but they are unlikely to lead technical workpackages.

IAI has worked with 40 distinct partners across 16 countries through just two projects — an unusually high partner density that reflects both the large consortium structure of Innovation Actions and IAI's role as a sector gateway that draws global aluminium producers into research orbits. Their network is inherently international, mirroring the global footprint of the aluminium industry itself.

What sets them apart

IAI is the only global aluminium industry trade body active in H2020 research, which gives them something no university or research institute can replicate: direct access to primary aluminium producers worldwide and the ability to disseminate findings across the entire industry. For any consortium working on bauxite residue, SPL, or aluminium production byproducts, IAI provides the critical link between what is technically possible and what the industry will actually adopt. Their participation also signals to reviewers that the project has genuine industrial backing — a meaningful advantage in competitive calls.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RemovAL
  The first EU Innovation Action to address the full waste portfolio of primary aluminium production in a single project, spanning bauxite residue, spent pot lining, and critical mineral recovery across a five-year timeline.
• ReActiv
  Targets clinker substitution in cement using aluminium residues — bridging two major emitting industries (aluminium and construction) in a single decarbonization pathway, with IAI providing the sector-wide credibility for industry uptake.