the global distribution of bauxite

Global bauxite resources are extremely abundant, spread across more than 40 countries on five continents. According to estimates by the US Bureau of Mines, the total world bauxite resources (reserves plus sub-economic resources and inferred resources) amount to approximately 55–75 billion tonnes. The main distribution is: Africa 16–20 billion tonnes, Oceania 7–10 billion tonnes, South America 19–25 billion tonnes, Asia 8–13 billion tonnes, the Caribbean region 2–3 billion tonnes, and Europe 3–4 billion tonnes.

World bauxite reserves increased significantly after World War II, driven by the development of the aluminum industry and global bauxite exploration activities. According to statistics from the US Bureau of Mines, world bauxite reserves were about 1 billion tonnes in 1945, increased to 3 billion tonnes in 1955, reached 6 billion tonnes in 1965, and saw the largest increase in the 1970s, reaching as high as 21 billion tonnes by 1985. In the past decade, however, due to slower growth in the world aluminum industry and reduced bauxite exploration activities, reserve growth has slowed markedly. During the five-year period from 1992 to 1996, world bauxite reserves stagnated at around 23 billion tonnes. As of the end of 1996, world bauxite reserves and their distribution are shown in Table 6-1. From a geographical perspective, the reserves of Guinea and Australia together account for 49% of the world’s total; the reserves of Brazil, Jamaica, Guyana, and Suriname in the Western Hemisphere account for 26% of the world’s total. It is noteworthy that over the past decade or so, Asia’s share of world bauxite reserves has increased from 10% in 1985 to the current 20%. However, the statistics of the US Bureau of Mines do not reflect the actual bauxite reserves of certain Asian countries such as China and Vietnam. According to a 1992 report on Vietnam’s bauxite resources by the Shandong Aluminum Plant, Vietnam’s proven bauxite reserves are 2.03 billion tonnes, which would rank fifth in the world, while China has even more reserves than Vietnam and should rank fourth in the world.

It should be pointed out that the combined annual aluminum consumption of the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Germany accounts for 50% of the world’s total primary aluminum production, yet their bauxite resources amount to only about 2% of the world’s total reserves. Over the years, these countries have actively conducted experimental research on extracting alumina from bauxite with low alumina content and from non-bauxitic aluminum-bearing raw materials, as an effective way to expand their bauxite resources. The former Soviet Union once used nepheline concentrate from urtite and nepheline syenite to compensate for its shortage of alumina raw materials. The US Bureau of Mines began a research program in 1973 on recovering aluminum from non-bauxitic resources. The world’s aluminum resources in non-bauxitic materials are enormous. These include naturally abundant aluminum-rich minerals such as labradorite, andalusite, leucite, sodium alunite, dawsonite, anorthite, nepheline, kaolinite, etc., which are also important potential sources of aluminum. They provide extensive alternative resources for the aluminum industries of major consumer countries that are deficient in bauxite resources.