International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) has completed a project examining aluminium and bauxite supply chains to improve transparency and traceability in materials supporting the renewable energy transition. The project brought together wind energy company Siemens Gamesa, Dutch cable manufacturer TKF, Digital Product Passport (DPP) technology provider Minespider, and project partner Responsible Trade. The initiative mapped selected upstream aluminium and bauxite supply chains and tested secure DPPs to organise and present traceability and sustainability information across multiple supplier tiers. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price...
Mount Ridley Mines has reported 94.9 per cent gallium recovery from a third-party bauxite sample using its patent-pending Selectro process, alongside recoveries of 92 per cent aluminium and 97 per cent iron in a single low-temperature leach. The test also produced a silica-rich residue instead of conventional red mud, highlighting the technology’s potential to recover multiple metals from bauxite through one processing route. The sample was provided by Australian Silica Quartz Group from its Darling Range bauxite project in Western Australia. It comprised material collected from 16 vacuum drill samples across four holes at the Athena and Ceres prospects. Containing 80 parts per million of gallium, the sample yielded an extraction rate of 94.9 per cent into solution. Mount Ridley said this...
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A committee of India’s parliament has recently noted that India is still far behind from exploring 80 per cent of its bauxite reserves, pointing out land acquisition issues, environment clearance and forest clearance as some of the prime constraints in the development of new bauxite mines. Therefore, the committee has asked the Indian government’s ministry of mines to conduct timely environment and forest clearances, land acquisition and consent to avoid hindrance in developing mines. While talking about the challenges faced by domestic bauxite production companies, the committee has indicated that India’s most of the available resources have not been converted to proven reserves. The report presented by the committee reveals that only 17 per cent or 656 million tonnes of the total 3,896...
The Indian state-owned integrated aluminium company NALCO (National Aluminium Company Ltd) has been awarded as the national winner of the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ for its sustainability in commendation of its persistent concern on sustainable mining and environment-friendly executions. On 23rd March 2022, Sridhar Patra, the Chairman Cum-Managing Director of Nalco, received the award in a virtual session organised by the Institute of Directors (IOD). In 1991, initiated by the Institute of Directors (IOD), Golden Peacock Award are now regarded as a benchmark of Corporate Excellence worldwide. Mr Patra praised the employees for their relentless commitment towards sustainability drive and environment management practices. The CMD further added, "This award is testimony to the high standards...
The world’s largest producer of low-carbon aluminium, Rusal is redirecting bauxite consignments from Guinea to its Aughinish Alumina refinery in Ireland, while it was originally destined to Nikolaev alumina refinery in Ukraine, according to the revelation of shipping data. However, the cause of diversion is due to the present situation of Russia-Ukraine military conflict that has triggered the suspension of operation for the refinery. The company that aims to encourage a circular economy by leveraging reverse logistics, Rethink Logistics concerning the sanctions on Russia, stated that the sort of supply chain disarray now rippling through the interrelated global economy, gearing up the prices for various goods. The Russian billionaire and founder of Rusal oligarch Oleg Deripaska have been...
The local political leaders of the opposition party attended the meeting of workers at the Lohardaga Bauxite Dumping Yard in the Indian state of Jharkhand. The workers who were working in the dumping yard informed the attended political party under the leadership of Anil Oraon that the bauxite dumping yard is being shifted to Badki Champi. However, the statement delivered by another non-ruling political party leader, who is presently an MP of the upper house and former MLA of Lohardaga in this regard has also become public. In the name of providing jobs to the people there, cooperation is being sought in setting up a bauxite dumping yard. While workers said, “The leaders have been assuring us for 15 years in the name of INTUC Union that bauxite dumping yard will not be removed and they...
In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021, the United States imported 784,000 tonnes of crude and dried bauxite, a decrease of 97,000 tonnes or 11 per cent quarter-on-quarter from 881,000 tonnes. The imports in the third quarter, on the other hand, were 20.03 per cent higher than 734,000 tonnes in Q2. On a year-on-year calculation, the United States’ crude and dried bauxite imports in 4Q2021 registered an increase of 7,000 tonnes or 0.90 per cent from 777,000 tonnes. In the second half of 2021, the United States’ crude and dried bauxite imports totalled 1.665 million tonnes – 16.52 per cent more than 1.429 million tonnes in the first half of the year. In full-year, the imports came in at 3.09 million tonnes, reflecting a downfall of 2.83 per cent from 3.18 million tonnes in 2020. Jamaica...
Canyon's Makan and Ngaoundal bauxite research licences, which border the Minim-Martap Project in Central Cameroon, Africa, have been awarded two-year extensions. Camalco, a subsidiary of Canyon (ASX:CAY), is still waiting for an exploitation licence for the Minim-Martap research permit, but expects it to be granted soon, as does Camalco's and Cameroon's entrance into the Mining Convention for the project. On February 18, the Société Nationale des Mines (Sonamines) and China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group (CREC 5) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct research in the Makan and Ngaoundal research permits areas. However, Camalco was not a part of the agreement (MoU) and also unaware about the fact that Sonamines and CREC 5 were negotiating a research permit...
The Australia-based hi-technology and explorer-developer company, ABx Group Limited has signed a joint venture agreement with Alumin Pty Ltd (Alumin) towards the development of the Sunrise Bauxite Project, which comprises a bauxite mine at Binjour plateau and port operations at Bundaberg in Queensland. Binjour is located 115km inland of Bundaberg. Alumin Pty Ltd. is an Australian special purpose vehicle company correlated with ABx Group’s strategic marketing partner, Rawmin India, that have substantial experience in funding long term sustainable investments in the development of projects involving mining and bulk-shipping of metallurgical grade bauxite to end-users around the world. In accordance with the agreement, Alumin will finance up to A$18 million of the development costs. However,...
On 18 th February 2022, the national mining company of Cameroon, Sonamines through its Director-General Serge Boyogueno, signed a memorandum of understanding with China Railways No. 5 Engineering Group Co. (CREC 5), a subsidiary of China Railways Group Ltd., to support Sonamines in the development of bauxite deposits in Ngaoundal and Makan, Adamaoua. Serge Hervé Boyogueno exemplifies, “Cameroon has three world-class bauxite deposits in Adamaoua (Minim-Martap, Ngaoundal, and Makan). Currently, their combined resources are estimated at one billion tonnes.” In July 2018, Cameroon awarded three exploration permits covering those deposits to a mining operator, the Australian firm Canyon Resources for a 3-year, non-renewable period. The three permits expired on July 11, 2021, and the operator...
The Australian bauxite exploration and mining company Metro Mining (MMI) has accomplished loading the final vessels to settle its 2021 contractual commitments of 3.1 million wet metric tonnes (WMT). However, the Brisbane, Queensland headquartered company reported that tonnage loaded in January and February was about 300,000 WMT. Simon Wensley, the Managing Director and CEO of Metro Mining said, “The Company has learned a great deal about wet season operation in far north Queensland which it will factor into planning into the coming year.” “Metro made a deliberate decision to continue loading into the wet season to meet our customer commitments and expectations after earlier loading were impacted by weather, COVID-19 and supply chain issues,” said Wensley. “I want to pay tribute to the...
According to the recent data released by General Administration of Customs, China imported 8.73 million tonnes of bauxite in December 2021, which reflected a month-on-month increase of 13.32 per cent and a year-on-year hike of 16.4 per cent. From Australia, China imported 2.9 million tonnes of bauxite, up 9.39 per cent M-o-M and 44.14 per cent Y-o-Y. Guinea, being the leading supplier of bauxite to China, exported 3.56 million tonnes in December 2021, 10.25 per cent more than in November 2021 but 17.13 per cent less than in December 2020. Indonesia exported 2.26 million tonnes, which was 24.53 per cent up M-o-M and 132.17 per cent Y-o-Y. In the entire year of 2021, Guinea’s bauxite exports to China totalled 54.84 million tonnes, accounting for 51.1 per cent of China’s imports throughout...
Rusal, a leading global Russian aluminium producer, announced its operating results for the fourth quarter of 2021 and for the 12 months ending December 31, 2021, revealing bauxite production in Q4 at 3.602 million tonnes, a decrease of 5 per cent from 3.792 million tonnes in Q3 2021. The decrease is largely attributed to seasonal weather factor that affected the operational performance of Timan, where bauxite output plunged by 39.4 per cent Q-o-Q, and North Urals, with bauxite production decreased by 11.3 per cent. In 12 months, Rusal’s bauxite output came in at 15.031 million tonnes, up by 1.3 per cent from 14.838 million tonnes a year ago. Rusal’s bauxite mines in Guinea produced 1.953 million tonnes altogether in Q4 2021, compared to 1.694 million tonnes in Q3 2021. Mines in Russia...
The official survey towards the activities for confirmation of commercial deposit of bauxite in the Nyinahin-Mpasaaso range in the Ashanti region commences. Rock shore Mining International with its partner company, Sahara Mining Consultants have processed to the site and started drilling the hills for ore of the mineral resource for laboratory analysis. Felix Aziz Thompson, the supervising geologist of Sahara Mining Consultants, who is in charge of the testing of the samples stated, “From my initial technical assessment, the range is endowed with commercial quantities of bauxite deposits and is thus upbeat about the fortunes for Ghana.” This has emerged following the CEO of the Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation and some officials paid for an official tour of the site....
The Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited (JBM) will create a multimillion-dollar commercial and industrial park near Lydford, St Ann, where the company's principal operations are based. Minister of Mining Audley Shaw stated that the project will begin this year, adding that the proposed commercial and industrial parks will have state-of-the-art buildings suited to handle BPO, manufacturing, retail stores, and small and big warehouses, among other things. “I'm very pleased about that because it will create more jobs for the people in St Ann and adjoining areas,” said Audley Shaw. Shaw was speaking after a visit of JBM's operational locations in the parish with State Minister J.C. Hutchinson on Friday (February 4). Shaw praised the company's "outside-the-box" thinking, saying, "It's really...
The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative has reportedly certified Mineração Rio do Norte – MRN against the Performance Standard certification for bauxite mining operations and power generation at Porto Trombetas facility in State of Pará, Brazil. Their activities include the planning, mining, transport, processing, and river shipment of bauxite and power generation. Mineração Rio do Norte is the largest Brazilian bauxite producer and exporter, with an annual production of over 12 million tonnes per annum. Upon receiving the certification, Guido Germani, CEO of MRN, said: “The ASI (Aluminum Stewardship Initiative) certification is an important achievement for MRN, therefore, we show the market and society our commitment to a sustainable production of bauxite. We are in the middle of the...
On Wednesday, February 2, Rio Tinto announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 report, revealing the bauxite output in Q4 at 13.1 million tonnes, down by 6 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 2 per cent year-on-year. In the entire year, the company’s bauxite production came in at 54.3 million tonnes, 3 per cent less than in 2020, due to severe wet weather in the first quarter impacting system stability throughout the year, equipment reliability issues and overruns on planned shutdowns at our Pacific operations. Rio Tinto also declared that its aluminium output in 4Q2021 stood at 757,000 tonnes, 2 per cent less than in 3Q2021 and 7 per cent than in 4Q2020. Full-year production was 3.151 million tonnes, slightly down by 1 per cent than in the previous year. Reduced capacity at Rio’s...
Bauxite is known as a rock made up of laterite soil and it is the primary raw material used in the production of alumina and aluminium metal. Generally, it is found in tropical regions, where intense decomposition aids in its generation. Bauxite is found in a thin layer, commonly 2–5 meters close to the surface. According to the USGS, as of January 2015, the global bauxite reserves were 28.1 billion tonnes (Bnt). The West African nation Guinea has the largest reserves of bauxite with 7.4Bnt or we can around 26% of global reserves, followed by Australia with 6.5Bnt. The bauxite deposits at Weipa in Queensland and Gove in the Northern Territory of Australia are amongst the world's highest-grade deposits. Brazil with reserves at 2.6Bnt ranked third with key deposits in Trombetas while...
The developer of the world-class Minim Martap bauxite project in Cameroon, Canyon Resources Limited has appointed Nfon (Traditional Chief) Ekoko Mukete as a Non-Executive Director of Canyon’s wholly-owned subsidiary company Camalco Cameroon S.A. Nfon Ekoko Mukete is the ‘Paramount Ruler’ of the Bafaw tribe in the southwest region of Cameroon. Furthermore to Nfon Mukete’s tribal position, he is also an experienced and successful businessman in Cameroon with exposure across various industries and sectors. The Nfon has a B. A (Hons), Development Economics (University of East Anglia, Norwich U.K). The family of Ekoko Mukete has also made valuable private investments in Cameroon, including interests in MTN Cameroon, the nation’s largest mobile phone network provider. Mukete, as a former Group...
The Prime Minister of Guinea, Mohamed Béavogui revealed the shocking information on the mining sector of the nation by saying, “If we trust the figures of the International Monetary Fund on Guinea, the last moments of Alpha Condé's management were catastrophic in the mining sector.” “During the year 2020, the production capacity of bauxite had increased considerably, only the revenues evaporated”, the Prime Minister added. “In 2020, Guinea released the equivalent of more than 3 billion 800 million dollars of bauxite which was sold. What went into the state coffers? Barely $200 million and believe me of that $200 million, 100% didn't go into the treasury coffers.” Mohamed Béavogui, the Prime Minister of the bauxite Kingdom claims to have found "totally empty boxes". “The money went out of...
