With over two decades of pioneering research in the field of bauxite residue management, Professor Courtney has led ground-breaking initiatives focused on rehabilitation through transforming residue to soil, application of constructed wetlands for treating alkaline leachate waters, and valorisation approaches including critical element recovery. Prof. Courtney’s has collaborated with leading alumina industry stakeholders, such as Rusal Aughinish, Rio Tinto, and the International Aluminium Institute. He has also secured research funding from prestigious organizations including Science Foundation Ireland, the Irish Research Council, and the Environmental Protection Agency. His research outcomes have been integrated into EPA licensing conditions and recognized internationally as best practices for environmental risk management in the metals and mining industry, with collaborative projects in Brazil, Europe, and Australia.

He is mainly engaged in the research of renewable resources industry and the comprehensive utilisation of Bauxite Residue. He has been involved in a number of industrial policy research and development work in the fields of recycled metals, comprehensive utilisation of resources, cleaner production and energy saving and carbon reduction.

Peter is a passionate advocate for responsible mining practices and creating a positive environmental and social legacy. He leads Rio Tinto's global Closure team, ensuring sustainability is considered throughout a mine's lifecycle, from design and construction to operation, closure, and transition. He joined Rio Tinto in 1998 as a consultant and has since held various positions across Exploration, Health, Safety, Environment & Communities (HSEC), Projects, and the former Energy & Minerals Product Group. Prior to Rio Tinto, Peter established and managed companies across diverse sectors including oil & gas, military, remote travel, and exploration, demonstrating his entrepreneurial spirit. He has lived and worked in the UK, Canada, and Botswana, offering a valuable global perspective. Peter holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Southampton University, UK, and a Master of Science in Occupational Psychology from the University of Leicester, UK. This unique combination of qualifications positions him to effectively manage closure projects, balancing environmental responsibility with employee well-being. Peter leverages his extensive network within Rio Tinto and his passion for people and positive impact to create successful closure solutions.

Xu Feng, male, Senior Engineer, Master of Engineering, Deputy General Manager of Chalco. Previous roles include Deputy general manager of CHINALCO Ningxia Energy group Co., Ltd, General Manager of CHINALCO Shanxi Huarun Co., Ltd, Chairman of Yunnan Whenshan Aluminium Co., Ltd and so on.

Ron joined China Hongqiao Group in January 2020, following 11 years as Secretary General of the International Aluminium Institute (London). Previous roles include Executive Director of the Australian Aluminium Council (2002 to 2008), Chief Executive of the World Coal Institute London (1997 to 2001) and senior positions with the Minerals Council of Australia (1987 to 1996). Prior to these appointments, Ron was an economist with the Australian Government (1976 to 1987).

His research focuses on the reuse of solid wastes, new ecological building materials. He has been engaged in the research and application of Metallurgy and other industrial solid/hazardous waste resource utilization, Eco-friendly material preparation，Extraction of Valuable Elements from Solid Waste. He has been responsible for or participate in more than 70 government research projects and enterprise projects. He has published more than 150 papers in Journal of Hazardous Materials, Journal of Cleaner Production, Chemical Engineering Journal, etc. Additionally, He has applied over 30 Chinese national invention patents.

Marcelo Montini has 18 years of experience in the bauxite and alumina sector. He is a Senior Chemical Consultant of the Technology Area at Hydro, with responsibility for the bauxite residue utilization program. Marcelo holds a Master’s degree and PhD in Materials Science (use of bauxite residue in cement - clinker and as supplementary cementitious materials) as well as a Sandwich doctorate in the Construction Material Laboratory (LMC) at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).

Dr. Thymis Balomenos studied Mining and Metallurgical engineering at National Technical University of Athens and received his PhD degree in Thermodynamics in the same school in 2006. Since 2008 he has been working in the Laboratory of Metallurgy as a postdoc researcher focusing on sustainable process development, CO2mitigation strategies, exergy analysis and resource utilization efficiency. He became an Assistant Professor in the Laboratory of Metallurgy, School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens in September 2024. Thymis is involved in the research management and coordination of several collaborative large scale EU research projects (such as ENEXAL, RemovAl, and ReActiv) most of which focus on Bauxite Residue valorisation or alumina production. He has more than 80 research publications in journals and conference proceeding with more than 1,000 citations and an h-index of 19. Since 2015, he cooperates with Metlen Energy & Metals as a senior consultant in R&D projects.

Zhongping Chen, Doctor of Engineering, Distinguished Professor and Doctoral advisor at Shenzhen University. He has been engaged in the research of green and low-carbon environmental geotechnical materials and geotechnical functional materials. He has made a series of fundamental, original and systematic innovations in the fields of red mud and manganese slag and high-temperature smelting slag collaborative utilization, ecological lightweight materials etc. He has been granted 163 authorized invention patents, all of which have been industrialized, producing significant comprehensive benefits.

Pipat Termkhajornkit is a specialist of Low CO2 cement at Holcim, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions. With over 15 years of international experience in developing value-added construction materials, he has expertise in alternative binders for cement and low CO2 cement, encompassing from laboratory R&D to industrial transfer. He has a doctoral degree focused on Environment and resource Engineering from Hokkaido University.

Jianyang Gao, Doctor of chemical engineering, senior engineer, chief engineer of CHINALCO, has researched in the field of green utilisation of red mud for 30 years, presided over 12 key projects at national and provincial ministerial level. He found the existence and transformation mechanism of sodium silica slag in red mud, the distribution of red mud elements and its regulation law, separated the magnetic powder and quartz sand and so on. The cumulative effect of using red mud reached 200 million. He has been granted 29 authorized invention patents

Glenn Beersaerts is a geologist with a PhD in materials science and currently a research manager at KU Leuven, Belgium, dedicated to developing solutions for industry and society. With expertise in the valorisation of non-ferrous metallurgy slags, bauxite residue, and construction waste, he focuses on transforming these materials into building products. In his PhD, Glenn developed alkali-activated binders for self-levelling and 3D printing construction applications. Currently, his research targets processing inorganic residues into supplementary cementitious materials. Alongside project management, he coordinates KU Leuven’s upscaling facility, where, in collaboration with industry, residue valorisation processes are demonstrated at Technology Readiness Level 6.

Yang Yongliang graduated from Kunming University of Science and Technology majoring in mineral processing engineering, is currently the technical director of Yunnan Hao Cheng Environmental Protection Technology Group Co., Ltd. He has long been engaged in the research of difficult mineral separation, and has made a number of achievements in iron beneficiation of red mud, its comprehensive development and utilisation, and the research and development of exclusive equipment.

Qi Lijuan, PhD, full senior engineer, deputy General Manager of Chalco Zhengzhou Nonferrous Metals Research Institute Limited. She researches on the efficient use of strategic mineral resources bauxite, green and low-carbon alumina production, extraction of valuable metals associated with bauxite, comprehensive utilisation of red mud and other technical problems. She has undertaken more than 40 major projects at national, provincial and ministerial levels, published more than 30 papers, authorised more than 30 invention patents, and participated in the writing of 4 monographs.

Diego Rosani Graduated in Chemistry at University of Trieste, Italy. He was a Member of the Technical Staff at Ecodeco SpA in by-products recycling and treatment for 3 years and has held Various positions in Quality, Product Development, Technical Marketing, Industrial trials in plants and technical centres of Holcim and Heidelberg Cement for 37 years. He has been an independent Consultant for the past 6years.