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Bauxite and Alumina Statistics and Information

By National Minerals Information Center

Statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of the mineral commodities bauxite and alumina

Full view of Bauxite sample
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.
Mineral: BauxiteMineral Origin: Les Baux, France (Sample donated by Gary Kingston)Primary Commodity: Aluminum and GalliumPrimary Commodity Uses: Aluminum is one of the most used metals on the planet, finding roles in transportation, construction, packaging, electronics, and other consumer goods. Gallium is primarily used in integrated circuits and LEDs. The United States is currently 100% reliant on foreign sources for gallium used here.

Bauxite is a naturally occurring, heterogeneous material composed primarily of one or more aluminum hydroxide minerals, plus various mixtures of silica, iron oxide, titania, aluminosilicate, and other impurities in minor or trace amounts.  The principal aluminum hydroxide minerals found in varying proportions with bauxites are gibbsite and the polymorphs boehmite and diaspore.  Bauxites are typically classified according to their intended commercial application:  abrasive, cement, chemical, metallurgical, refractory, etc.  The bulk of world bauxite production (approximately 85%) is used as feed for the manufacture of alumina via a wet chemical caustic leach method commonly known as the Bayer process.   Subsequently, the majority of the resulting alumina produced from this refining process is in turn employed as the feedstock for the production of aluminum metal by the electrolytic reduction of alumina in a molten bath of natural or synthetic cryolite (Na3AlF6), the Hall-Héroult process.

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