A €100 million investment in advanced technological development potential to change the face of alumina production

IB2, a trailblazer in the aluminium industry, has secured a remarkable €100 million investment secured from a group of financial and industrial investors . This significant funding will be used to pioneer sustainable alumina technology, further solidifying IB2's leading role in the industry.

The business has announced that the investment will be utilised to develop and deploy its groundbreaking process further to produce more sustainable alumina. This substantial funding, attained over the past 12 months from financial and industrial investors, including Glencore, marks a pivotal juncture in the company's mission to transform the traditionally energy-intensive aluminium sector.

Robin Scheiner, Head of Glencore's aluminium business, expressed sanguinity about the investment, stating, "As the demand for bauxite and alumina continues to grow, we believe IB2's technology has the potential to play a role in meeting the aluminium industry needs in a sustainable way." This endorsement from a global commodities manufacturing business highlights the prospect of IB2's technology to address rising environmental concerns while meeting ever-increasing markets.

The funding emphasises the significance of sustainable approaches in heavy industries and places IB2 at the forefront of this shift. Co-founded by Yves Occello and Romain Girbal, IB2 has developed a technological innovation that addresses fundamental environmental concerns in alumina production, offering a solution that could reshape the industry's future.

Over five decades, IB2 has been the first to innovate such a significant procedure in the alumina sector. It converts low-grade bauxite into high-grade ore, significantly optimising alumina production while drastically reducing the environmental impact. The technology's impressive environmental credentials, such as reducing red mud production by 67 per cent and cutting water and caustic soda usage by more than 80 per cent, along with its environmentally friendly by-product, tobermorite, used in the production of green cement, underscore IB2's unwavering commitment to sustainability.

For Romain Girbal, the €100 million received enables the firm to accelerate and bolster IB2's market ranking. The French co-founder added, "Having Glencore on our side will also allow us to accelerate the deployment of our technology on a global scale."

The importance of this development is likely to spread past the aluminium industry. By establishing that significant environmental refinements are achievable in heavy industries, IB2's triumph could inspire similar inventions in other sectors. This could eventually lead to a ripple effect of optimistic environmental changes across various industrial operations.