my country’s alumina production is growing rapidly and production raw materials are highly dependent on imports

The content of aluminum in the earth’s crust is second only to oxygen and silicon. It is the most abundant metal element in the earth’s crust, with a content of about 8%. It mainly exists in the form of bauxite, cryolite, and aluminosilicate ores. Aluminum oxide is an inorganic compound, a white crystalline powder, soluble in concentrated sulfuric acid, almost insoluble in non-polar organic solvents such as water, ethanol, ether, etc. It has high hardness (second only to diamond) and is easy to absorb moisture but does not deliquesce. , acid and alkali resistance, high melting point, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, good insulation and other characteristics.

The main chemical component of industrial alumina is Al2O3, which can be divided into three types according to its physical properties: sand type, intermediate type and powder type. The applications of alumina in my country can be divided into fine alumina applications and electrolytic aluminum applications, including catalysts, flame retardants, desiccants, cosmetics, electrical insulators, aluminum electronic foil, aluminum alloy doors and windows, refractory materials, artificial agate, electronic ceramics, high-tech Intensity lasers, infrared military devices, wear-resistant bearing fibers and other fields.

There are three main methods for producing alumina: Bayer process, Bayer-sinter combined process, and soda-lime sintering process. The Bayer process is often used to produce high-grade bauxite, and the Bayer-sinter combined process or soda-lime sintering process is often used to produce medium-low-grade bauxite. Among them, the Bayer process is currently the most important method for producing alumina, and the alumina produced by the Bayer process accounts for more than 90% of the world’s total alumina production.

According to the“Global Alumina Industry In-depth Market Research and Key Area Research Report 2023-2027” released by the Industrial Research Center, my country Bauxite resources are scarce, and the quality of the ore is not high and contains many impurities. From the perspective of geographical distribution, my country’s bauxite is mainly distributed in East China and North China, accounting for about 60% of my country’s bauxite resources. In 2022, my country’s bauxite output will decline significantly, with a year-on-year decrease of about 24% in 2021. In the same year, my country’s bauxite imports exceeded 125 million tons, a year-on-year increase of more than 16%, and import dependence increased. Among them, Guinea, Indonesia and Australia are the main importing countries of bauxite in my country.

Although bauxite, the raw material for alumina production, is scarce, my country has become the world’s largest alumina producer with its huge bauxite imports, accounting for about 56% of the world’s alumina production. In recent years, due to factors such as the continued increase in the volume of overseas bauxite and the gradual easing of supply, global bauxite supply has increased. Some Chinese companies have also participated in the development of overseas bauxite, and domestic alumina production has been on the rise.

Industrial analysts said that my country has a large number of alumina production companies and the industry competition is fierce. Chalco, Tianshan Aluminum, Jinma Group, Shengtun Mining, Guan Aluminum Co., Ltd., China National Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., CICC Lingnan, Xinjiang Zhonghe, ST Zhongfu, Jiaozuo Wanfang, etc. are the main alumina producers in my country. Alumina is a high-energy-consuming, high-pollution industry. As my country’s environmental protection supervision becomes more and more stringent, in the future, companies with advanced production technology and environmentally friendly production will be more competitive in the market.