166 Common Nonferrous Metals

Table 3.3. Mineralogy and chemistry of bauxite

Oxide Chemical composition (/wt.%) Mineralogy
Alumina (Al2O3) 35 to 65 Gibbsite, boehmite, diaspore
Silica (SiO2) 0.5 to 10 Quartz, chalcedony, kaolinite
Iron oxide (Fe2O3) 2 to 30 Goethite, hematite, siderite
Titania (TiO2) 0.5 to 8 Rutile, anatase
Calcia (CaO) 0 to 5.5 Calcite, magnesite, dolomite

Table 3.3. They are called gibbsitic, boehmitic, or diasporic bauxite. Gibbsitic bauxite is
predominant. It is geologically the youngest and located in tropical or subtropical regions
very close to the ground surface (i.e., laterites). The oldest deposits, which are found mainly
in Europe (e.g., Gardanne in France and Patras in Greece) and in Asia, mainly contain
boehmite and diaspore. They are usually underground deposits.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), world bauxite resources are estimated to
be 55 to 75 billion tonnes, located mainly in South America (33%), Africa (27%), Asia (17%),
Oceania (13%), and elsewhere (10%). Today, Australia supplies 35% of the world demand for
bauxite, South America 25%, and Africa 15%. It is estimated that the current reserves will be
able to supply worldwide demand for more than two centuries. Note that about 95% of baux-
ite is of metallurgical grade and hence used for the production of primary aluminum metal.

3.2.4 Processing and Industrial Preparation

Aluminum metal production from bauxite ore is a three-step process.

(i) Pure anhydrous alumina preparation. First the alumina is extracted from bauxite ore
concentrate usually using the Bayer Process.
(ii) Aluminum electrowinning/scrap recycling. Pure and anhydrous alumina previously
obtained from the Bayer process is then reduced to aluminum metal usually using the
Hall–Heroult process, while aluminum scrap is remelted.
(iii) Alloying and refining. The molten aluminum can be further electrorefined or purified,
or is mixed with the desired alloying elements to obtain the required mechanical char-
acteristics, and cast into ingots.

3.2.4.1 The Bayer Process

Because bauxite exhibits a high alumina content and its worldwide reserves are sufficient to
satisfy demand for at least two centuries, it is the best feedstock for producing alumina and
then aluminum. Actually, today more than 95% of alumina worldwide is extracted from
bauxite using the Bayer process, which was invented in 1887, just one year after the inven-
tion of the Hall–Heroult electrolytic process. The Bayer process was implemented for the
first time in 1893, in Gardanne, France. However, the conditions for implementing the proc-
ess strongly depend on the type of bauxitic ore used. For instance, the refractory type of
bauxite, known as diasporic bauxite, must be digested at a higher temperature than gibbsitic
bauxite. Therefore, the selection of the type of bauxite to be used is a critical factor affecting
the design of the alumina plant. A brief description of the Bayer process is given below.
Comminution. First, the bauxite run-of-mine ore is crushed using a jaw-crusher to pro-
duce coarse particles less than 30 mm in diameter. It is then washed with water to remove