李小斌 博士，1962年生，中南大学二级教授，享受国务院政府特殊津贴专家。主要研究方向为碱法冶金、冶金过程界面作用、结晶过程、资源利用与环境保护。

他和他的团队在氧化铝生产过程强化、产品质量改善、阻垢、除杂，废渣全资源化铬盐清洁化生产、钴冶金低温除铁等10余项研究成果得到工业应用。此外，还提出了以物相转变与矿相重构的定向调控为核心的冶金过程对称性原理，由此成功开发了基于反应物料循环的钨、钼、钴、铬、钒等金属清洁提取系列新技术。目前主要从事铝酸钠溶液晶种分解强化、铝土矿溶出与铁矿物高效分离、高硫铝土矿及高硅铝土矿经济利用、冶金过程原位转型等方面的研究。

在International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials(IJRMHM), Hydrometallurgy, Minerals Engineering, Rare Metals, Journal of Cleaner Production, JOM,Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China等国内外权威/知名刊物上公开发表学术论文100多篇，获国家授权发明专利近50项。

曾获国家技术发明二等奖1项、国家科技进步一等奖1项、国家发明专利金奖1项、省部级科技奖4项、中国铝业公司首届科技合作奖。


Prof. Li received the B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees in nonferrous metallurgy from Central-South Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in 1983 and 1985 respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Metallurgical Physicochemistry from Northeastern University in 2000. In 1997, he was awarded the Royal Society Fellowship to do research at Birmingham University(U.K.) as a senior research fellow for one year. Presently, Li is professor and academic head of the Alkaline Process Metallurgy Research Center at Central South University. His research interests include the theory and technique of alkaline process metallurgy, crystallization process, interface properties, and comprehensive utilization of resources and environmental protection.

Li has been researching on alumina refinery since 1983 and made stellar achievements. He published approximately 200 scientific refereed papers in different journals (such as Hydrometallurgy, Minerals Engineering, International Journal of Mineral Processing, International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials, Safety and Environmental Protection, and Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China), and held nearly 50 Chinese invention patents. Directing his research team consisting of three professors, one associate professor, and about 30 postgraduates, he has accomplished more than 80 projects funded by the Chinese government, Chalco, Alcoa and other alumina refineries. Moreover, several innovative technologies (for instance, Intensified sintering process, Sandy alumina production technique for sintering process, Scale-retarding technique for Bayer liquor evaporation, Oxalate removal from Bayer liquor, atmospheric desilication of green liquor, high-whiteness ultrafine alumina trihydrate preparation, etc..) have been successfully applied in alumina refineries scattered in China, with remarkable energy saving and cost-effectiveness achieved over the last more than a decade. Additionally, several other innovative technologies, including calcium-free reductive Bayer digestion for diasporic bauxite, efficient and comprehensive utilization of high-iron/sulfur/silica bauxite, red mud (bauxite residue) discharge reduction, and intensified seeded precipitation, are awaiting or in the process of commercialization.

Based on the long-term deep research on alumina refinery, Li creatively proposed a metallurgical symmetric principle comprising orientated regulations of mineral transformation and mineralogical phase reconstruction.Consequently, his research fields have extended to other metals extracted by alkaline method such as tungsten, molybdenum and chromium. In recent years, according to the principle, Li and his colleagues have successively developed cleaner processes for producing sodium dichromate from chromite ore, ammonium paratungstate(APT) from scheelite/wolframite, and ammonium molybdates from molybdenite.
Recognized for his exceptional work, Prof Li has been honored with numerous awards including two National Awards by the State Council of China (Technological Invention award, Science and Technology Progress award), several scientific awards by the provincial government, Chinese Patent Gold Medal, and Science and Technology Cooperation Award by Chalco.

After more than 30 years of research on alumina refinery together with other alkaline metal compounds extraction, his enthusiasm and enjoyment continue to grow as he discovers more and more about the available complex and exciting opportunities to improve the economics and sustainability of the alkaline process metallurgy, and as he makes even more friends and colleagues in his research areas.