GLOBALISATION OF ANALYSIS OF SMELTER GRADE ALUMINA

Only a quarter of the annual world smelter-grade alumina production is used within vertically integrated aluminium companies, with the rest being exchanged or traded on national and international markets. Although common analytical techniques within the industry are a pre-requisite to assure conformity to contractual specifications, most ISO methods for the characterisation of alumina have not been revised since the mid-seventies. The more recent Standards Australia MN/9 Committee methods correspond well to the modern techniques widely used within the industry but international consensus had not been sought during their development. The major alumina producers met informally in 1995 and annually since then, as an "International Smelter Grade Alumina International Standards Group" to identify the critical parameters and prioritise efforts towards establishing common analytical protocols.

This communication reports on the efforts we have made since as an ISO Working Group to organise international round-robins, to consider direct adoption or modification of MN/9 Committee standards for recommendation as ISO methods and our progress towards the production of common certified reference materials. It seeks contributions from a wider community to accelerate the standardisation of methods for the physical and chemical characterisation of alumina.