Romain Girbal is a seasoned entrepreneur and business developer with over two decades of experience across diverse industries. A graduate of HEC Paris specialising in Business Law and Management, he is recognised for his strategic vision and leadership. In 2013, he co-founded Alliance Minière Responsable (AMR), a French bauxite mining company in the Republic of Guinea, where he championed responsible and sustainable mining practices. Currently, as a board member of IB2, he continues to drive innovation and growth, leveraging his business development expertise.

In an interview for Aluminium China: 2025 & Beyond e-Magazine, Romain Girbal shared how IB2’s French technology helping China to utilise low-grade bauxite, cut import reliance and boost sustainability by reducing caustic soda use by 80 per cent, red mud by 67 per cent and CO₂ emissions by 40 per cent. He also discussed the Shanxi facility launch and IB2’s global market potential.

AL Circle: How does IB2 upgrade low-grade bauxite? 

Romain Girbal: The IB2 process upgrades low-grade bauxite by selectively removing silica from kaolinite while preserving alumina. Local ores with alumina-to-silica (Al/Si) ratios as low as 2.5 can be transformed to around 11, well above conventional industry thresholds. When starting from higher grades ratios of 2.8 to 3, IB2 can push the output to 13 or 14. 

Unlike conventional methods, IB2 integrates directly into existing refining infrastructure. This allows for rapid implementation, lower dependence on imported ore, and a meaningful reduction in transport-related emissions. “This is not just a technological breakthrough,” says Romain Girbal. “It’s a tool of industrial sovereignty. It enables China to produce smarter, cheaper, and closer to home.”

AL Circle: Can you please brief us about your first full-scale facility in Shanxi? 

Romain Girbal: The first full-scale IB2 facility is being completed in Shanxi province through a partnership with Liulin Senze Coal Aluminium. Production is set to begin this summer with an initial capacity of 600,000 tonnes per year, scaling up to 3 million tonnes annually with the same client. 

The process also offers strong environmental advantages: 80 percent less caustic soda, 67 percent less red mud, and 40 percent lower CO2 emissions. IB2 also produces tobermorite, a component used in low-carbon cement, aligning with China’s circular economy goals.

AL Circle: How is the China market responding to your technology? 

Romain Girbal: China’s adoption of IB2 highlights its industrial pragmatism and willingness to embrace strategic foreign innovation in pursuit of resource security. While the technology is also being considered in Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan and India, its most significant impact is now unfolding in China, where geopolitical necessity meets technical efficiency. 

Australia, too, presents a strong potential growth market for IB2, though it has remained under the radar until now. The next chapter in the global aluminium story may well begin here, powered by a French idea.

To explore the full interview and gain deeper insights into the sustainable bauxite mining strategies, click here.