Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Group and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) renewed their longstanding partnership for an additional three years this week in order to continue research and development of methods for processing bauxite and bauxite tailings.
The partnership began 25 years ago and has seen Rio Tinto invest over US$2 million into research and development at UQAC.
The Centre Universitaire de Recherche sur l’Aluminium’s (CURAL) research director Guy Simard expressed his pride in the partnership in a related press release.
“Tomorrow’s issues are the challenges of today’s students and researchers. 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.”
“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,” noted Josette Ross, Rio Tinto’s Director of the Arvida Research and Development Centre. “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.”
“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,” noted Mohamed Bouazara, UQAC’s Vice-Rector, Research, Creation, and Innovation.
Rio Tinto notes that the extended collaboration also aids UQAC in enhancing its status as world leader in research and development.