Spotlight on Dr Alessio Scarsella: HiTeMP-3 chair on emerging technologies
The Centre for Energy Technology at the University of Adelaide are excited to welcome alumnus, Dr Alessio Scarsella, to chair session 10: Emerging processes and technologies at the third international forum on high temperature minerals processing (HiTeMP-3), which is being held at the National Wine Centre, Adelaide from September 26-28, 2022 and online.
Dr Alessio Scarsella is the Director of Metso Outotec’s Bauxite and Alumina Technology and has 20 years of experience in the Coal, Bauxite and Alumina industries.
Metso Outotec is a global company based in Europe, which offers products, technologies and services to the aggregates, minerals processing and metals refining industries, aiming to improve efficiency, productivity and to reduce environmental and economic risks.
Alessio joined Outotec in 2010 as a process engineer, moving to the role of Head of the Alumina Refinery, from 2012 – 2015 and then as Vice President Alumina from 2015 – 2020. In this role, Alessio was responsible for Outotec’s global bauxite and alumina technology business.
As a result of the merger between Metso and Outotec, Alessio became the Director of Light Metals, Metso Outotec in 2020. The role has additional accountability including responsibility for pyro-battery metal products.
Alessio has been accountable for delivering projects and technology, which produce more than 4 million metric tonnes per annum of alumina and more than 10 million tonnes per annum of red mud in locations such as India, Brazil, Europe, the Middle East and Australia having a cumulative plant value of more than 1 billion Euro.
He has a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Adelaide (completed in 2006) and a Master of Business Administration from Deakin University (completed in 2009).
For his PhD Alessio worked with University of Adelaide under the supervision of Associate Professor Peter Mullinger at the CRC for Clean Power from Lignite, on the combustion program. He credits Peter as pivotal to his successful career, as a mentor with deep industry credibility, who always encouraged his students to make their own decisions and find their own pathway in industry.
After leaving the CRC, it was not long before Alessio was working in senior roles for Rio Tinto and Queensland Alumina Ltd (QAL). It was at QAL that Alessio first encountered Outotec, when he implemented a successful design solution, which saved a costly upgrade to a project that had been failing.
“Twelve months later I was requested by Outotec to attend their head office in Frankfurt, Germany and they asked me to join their Bauxite and Alumina team, where I have been in global roles in the light metals industry ever since,” he said.
Dr Scarsella has been working with the HiTeMP Forum International Steering committee since 2019. He has worked closely with CET Director Professor Gus Nathan to help shape the session he will chair on Wednesday September 28 at HiTeMP-3. This session will focus on emerging processes and technologies to decarbonise heavy industry. Alessio will be joined by keynote speakers: Professor Jacques Eksteen, Chair of Extractive Metallurgy, from Curtin University and Research Director and COO at the Future Battery Industries (FBI) CRC; Dr Phil Mackey, President of PJ Mackey Technologies Inc.; and Professor Mario Ragwitz, Director of Frauenhofer Intitute for Energy Infrastructures and Geothermal Energy (IEG), who will respectively address the topics of: pathways to decarbonise lithium as a new energy material; pathways to net-zero copper; and the hydrogen transition of infrastructure perquisites for industrial decarbonisation.
The group will be joined by panellists Professor Eric Kennedy from the University of Newcastle, who will discuss the potential for mineral carbonisation to contribute to the closing balance for heavy industry and Mr Ben Hogg, Senior Metallurgist at Glencore Technology, who will discuss Towards Net Zero Pyrometallurgical Processing with the ISASMELT™ and ISACYCLE™. The session will conclude with Alessio coordinating a half hour discussion between the keynote speakers and panellists, taking questions from the audience, in person and online for those attending virtually.
The Centre for Energy Technology would like to thank Dr Scarsella for his expertise and dedication to the HiTeMP Forum.
To find out more about HiTeMP-3 and to register your attendance go to ua.edu.au/hitemp. Early bird registration discounts will close at 11:59pm on Thursday August 4, 2022, Australian Central Standard time.