October 2012
Bauxite-Alumina Industry of India
Ashok Nandi, H. Mahadevan & T.R. Ramachandran
October 2012
Presentation Plan
• Bauxite Alumina Industry India - Overview
• Present and Projected Bauxite – alumina capacity
• New Refineries – Resources and Issues
• Availability of non-metallurgical grade bauxite in
India- quality and issues
• Status of bauxite beneficiation, new research
directions and implementation plans
1 - Gujarat - 135 Mil. Tonnes
2,3- Central India - 400 Mil. Tonnes
4 - Western Ghats - 290 Mil. Tonnes
5 - Eastern Ghats - 2170 Mil.Tonnes
6 - South India - 28 Mil. Tonnes
Bauxite Resources and Alumina Refineries of India
Belgaum
Damanjodi
Mettur
Renukoot
Muri
Korba
1
4
6
5
2
3
- Bauxite Deposits*:
- Alumina Refineries
VEDANTA Lanjigarh,
ANRAK, HINDALCO Utkal
& Aditya projects located
in this Bauxite belt
NALCO
Alumina
Project
India has over 3 Billion tonnes of
bauxite resources
East coast has vast reserves of
gibbisitic bauxite
1. 2,363 Mt of explored resources
2. 957 Mt probable mineral inventory
3. 80% of India’s proven bauxite
reserves.
These deposits have little overburden
which makes cost of production very
low.
Al2O3 : 42-44% ; Av. Alumina: 38-40%
SiO2 : 2-4% ; Rx. Silica: 1.8-3%
Fe2O3 : 22-26% & TiO2: 2-3%
Gibbsitic bauxite with low level of
impurities
Bhawanipatna
LANJIGARH
KISSANMALI
KARLAPAT
Bissamcuttack SIJIMALI
KUTRUMALI
Kentiguda BAPHLIMALI
SASABAHUMALI
Tikri Doragrha
RAYAGADA
Rupkona
Laxmipur
KODINGAMALI
PANCHPATMALI KARNAPADIKONDA
Parvatipuram Koraput MALIPARVAT
POTTANGI
Bobilli CHINTAMAGODNI
ANDHRA PRADESH Vizianagaram
Srikakulam
Kottavalsa
Eastern Ghats Bauxite
Deposits
EXISTING ALUMINA REFINERIES Present & Projected Capacity & Production in
thousand tons Refinery Capacity Production Bauxite Volume Temp.
2011 2020 2011 2020 2011 2020
BALCO,
Korba - 200 - 200 - 600 High
HINDALCO,
Belgaum 360 360 350 360 1,050 1,080 Low
HINDALCO,
Muri 440 450 440 450 1,320 1,350 Double
digestion
HINDALCO,
Renukoot 730 750 730 750 2,190 2,250 High
NALCO,
Damanjodi 1,950 2,800 1,550 2,325 4,650 6,975 Atmosph
eric
VEDANTA,
Lanjigarh 1,000 6,000 787 6,000 2,360 18,000 Low
Total 4,480 10,560 3,857 10,085 11,570 30,255
NEW ALUMINA REFINERIES Capacity in thousand tons
Refinery Capacity Bauxite Volume Comments
2016 2020 2016 2020
ANRAK 1,500 3,000 4,500 9,000 Low temp; 90% construction
over, likely to be operational by
2012 end
HINDALCO,
Utkal 1,500 3,000 4,500 9,000 Low temp.; Construction in
progress (70% completed)
HINDALCO,
Aditya 1,500
2,000 4,200 6,000 Low temp; Refinery work started
NALCO
Alumina
Refinery,
Gujarat
1,000 1,000 2,700 2,700
Low temp: Feasibility stage
Total 5,500 9,000 15,900 26,700 Long way to go
M
P
R
ANRAK Alumina Project Designated Mines - Jarrella ~ 240 Mt. Alumina Refinery - 1.5 million tpa Aluminium Smelter - 250,000 tpa
Ref. : HINDALCO communications
Ref. : HINDALCO communications
Forecast Alumina & Aluminium Production in
India
This alumina capacity looks
more realistic compared to 19
Million Tons projected earlier.
Indian Resources & Issues
• Good quality bauxite
resources
• Qualified manpower &
management
• Availability of technology &
funds
• Nearness to China and other
developing market
• Increasing production of
value added bauxite-alumina
by small & medium sized
companies
• Tough local environment
• Delays in land acquisition
& clearances
• Bureaucracy
• Conflicting interests
• Tribal issues
Indian High Grade Bauxite-Issues Small scattered bauxite deposit, mostly sandwiched
between metallurgical & cement grade materials.
Gujarat white bauxite is contaminated with CaO
/CaCO3.
High grade bauxite of western & central India has
high titania and iron content, however, free from
CaO.
Large metallurgical grade bauxite deposits of
Eastern Ghats has high iron content, however, they
are free from any other contaminations and also has
low titania content.
Const. I (Gujarat) II (Katni) III (Bastar) IV (Lohard) V (Netar’t)
Al2O3 56-58 58-60 58-61 55 min 58 min
Fe2O3 3 max 3-4 2.5-3.0 4.5 max 3 max
TiO2 3 max 5-6 3-5 11 max 9 max
CaO 1.5 max - 0.8-1.0 1 max 1 max
LOI 34 min 25 min 24-30 26 min 28 min
In Gujarat State the laterite-bauxite
belt extends for about 250 kms with
width varying from 100 m. to about 6
kms.
These bauxite deposits are located at
a close proximity of 50 to 100 km to
all-weather deep water ports
Porbandar, Okha, Bedi (Rozi), Mundra,
Kandla. Mines and ports are well
connected by roads.
Bauxite Resources in Gujarat State:
1 – Kutch
Area:
2 – Jamnagar
Area:
Total: 135 mln. tonnes
1
2
P
P
P P
P P - bauxite ports
100 mln.
tonnes
Bauxite deposits of Gujarat State
High grade
white bauxites
(Al2O3 58-65%,
Fe2O3 5%)
Metallurgical grade bauxites
(Al2O3 ~ 46-48%, SiO2 ~ 3-4%,
Fe2O3 ~ 10-15%)
Due to the fact that the bauxites have
developed on a mixture of brecciated
basalts and traps , the bauxites are
represented by two varieties:
high grade white bauxites
suitable for
calcination and
metallurgical
grade red
bauxites.
Reddish brown bauxite suitable for
metallurgical industry.
Bauxite deposits of Gujarat State
Indian Calcined Bauxite Producers Existing Units Annual
Capacity (tons)
Bombay Minerals Pvt. Ltd. (Ashapura Minechem) 66,000
Nataraj Ceramics Pvt. Ltd. (Captive) 33,000
Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) 45,000
Orient Abrasives Ltd. (Captive) 33,000
Carborandum Universal Ltd. (Captive) 50,000
Navnagar Minerals Pvt. Ltd. 33,000
Krishnamayee Minerals Industries Pvt. Ltd. 33,000
Other producers: Meena Agency (30,000), SCABAL (24,000),
Kishan Minerals / Madhu Refractories (18000), Gjanan
Refractories (12,000) & Sarvesh Refractories (9600) etc.
100,000
Total 393,000
Demand for calcined bauxite for the refractory and
abrasive industry in India is estimated at 400,000 tpa;
shortfall is presently met by imports, mostly from China.
Calcined Bauxite Gujarat
Refractory Grade Calcined
Bauxite Other Grades
Parameters General
Grade Low Ferric BFA Grade
Proppants
Grade
Road
Surfacing
Grade Al2O3 MIN 84% 86.00% 85-88% 80-82% 83-84% Fe2O3 MAX 4.0%max 2.8% 2.5-4% 5-7% 4.5%max S1O2 Max 5.0%max 5.0% 3-6% 4-8% 6.0%max TiO2 Max 4.5%max 4.0% 2-4% 3.5-4% 4.5%max CaO MAX 2.5%max 2.0% 0.8-1.5% 0.8-1.2% 2.0-2.5%max
LOI MAX 0.50%max 0.50% 0.5-1 0.7-2.5% 0.5-
3.1%GM/CC B + D 3.1 GM/CC 3.15 GM/CC
*Note: Particle size can be customized as per requirement.
Ref :- Ashapura Communications
Non-metallurgical Bauxite Uses
Bauxite Beneficiation Processes
for Production of High Grade
Can absorb higher cost processes
unlike alumina refinery
The main objective is to bring down
iron content in Indian bauxite.
The other important impurities are
TiO2 & SiO
2 .
In case of Gujarat, along with above
it would be necessary to bring down
CaO in bauxite.
It is found easier to remove iron
compared to multi-elements.
Bauxite Beneficiation Processes for
Production of High Grade (contd.)
Beneficiation processes, which can be
successfully applied depending on
chemico-mineralogical characteristics are:
High Intensity wet magnetic separation
Reduction roasting followed by magnetic
separation
Chemical Leaching
Transform bauxite impurities into high
temperature phases
Convert iron-titania into Ilmenite phase
and separate this by simple magnetic
method
High Intensity Wet Magnetic
Separation - Eastern Ghats Bxt
SiO2
%
Al2O3
%
Fe2O3
%
TiO2%
HEAD 2.8 42.6 29.9 2.5
NON-MAG 2.6 56.5 11.2 0.8
Crushing, grinding, screening,
slurrying, removing superfines
followed by high gradient wet
magnetic separation
Bauxite reduction roasting
followed by magnetic separation
(China)
RESULTS OF EASTERN GHATS
BAUXITE LEACHING TESTS
BAUXITE
Al2O3- 44.3%
Fe2O3- 26.7%
SiO2- 1.90%
TiO2- 2.70%
BENEFICIATED BAUXITE-I
Al2O3- 60.84%
Fe2O3- 2.61%
SiO2- 1.40%
TiO2- 1.00%
Recovery - 62%
BENEFICIATED BAUXITE II
Al2O3- 59.29%
Fe2O3- 5.21%
SiO2- 1.72%
TiO2- 1.65%
Recovery - 76%
New Research Directions
Transform Impurities to high temperature phases
Fe2O3, TiO2 and CaO in Bauxite develop low melting
phases during calcination, degrading refractory
property.
CSIR-CGCRI (Research Institute) has developed value
added aggregates from Indian bauxite by transforming
impurities to high temperature phases.
High alumina refractories developed from these
aggregates exhibit excellent hot properties.
Details of this process will be presented in Bauxite,
Alumina & Aluminium symposium to be held in India
during December 3-5, 2012 (IBAAS-2012).
Further R&D work is in progress to transform Fe2O3
&TiO2 into Ilmenite phase and remove this by simple
magnetic separator.
Special Alumina Production in India
Belgaum Alumina Refinery of HINDALCO in India is
a leader-Produces about 150,000 tons of special alumina
products per annum
NALCO Damanjodi Refinery has pilot plant of 600 MTPA &
main plant capacity is 26,400 MTPA
Several small to medium sized refractories, castables and
alumina cement producers in India. Important players are
Calderys India Refractories Ltd., TRL Krosaki Refractories, S
P Refractories, Shanark Refractories, Sarvesh Refractories,
Flaminco Refractories, Grindwell Norton and Castwell etc.
Many types of Zeolites are also manufactured in India from
bauxite & fly ash.
Alumina Ceramics
Extensive R&D work is in progress in India on new
applications of alumina ceramics in improving cooling
efficiency, super-hydrophobic insulation, medical
prosthesis etc.
Leading R&D organizations working in this field are
CGCRI, Ceramic Technological Institute, Bharat Heavy
Electrical Limited, IFGL Bio ceramics, Carborundum Universal, TRL Krosaki Refractories etc.
India has also started production of proppants (sintered
bauxite) and presently a commercial pilot plant in Pune
is producing bauxite based proppants.
In the International Bauxite, alumina and aluminium
symposium of India, two special sessions are being
organised on latest developments of alumina
ceramics.
CONCLUSIONS
Eastern Ghats in the states of Orissa & Andhra Pradesh
are most prolific bauxite bearing region in India and 80%
country’s resources are confined here.
The present installed alumina capacity in the country is in
the order of 5.28 Million Tons per annum, however, only
3.86 MT is produced during 2011.
The projected alumina capacity in 2020 is predicted to be
about 19 MT, which looks very optimistic, keeping in view
the problems being faced by new refineries in mining
bauxite at present
India produces about 400,000 tons of calcined bauxite per
annum mainly for refractory & abrasive industries.
Intensive R&D work is going on to bring down iron and
titania contents in Indian bauxite.
CONCLUSIONS (Contd.)
Transforming iron and titania into high temperature
phases is new direction of R&D work for developing
calcined bauxite suitable for refractory industry.
HINDALCO Belgaum refinery is a leader in the production
of special alumina products followed by several small to
medium sized enterpreneurs.
Many R&D centres and companies are involved in
developing alumina based ceramics in India.
Extensive interaction with Special Alumina & Bauxite
producers is being organised at IBAAS-2012 at Nagpur,
India during 3rd – 5th , December, 2012. Visit website
http://www.ibaas.info/
Contact Details:
Dr. Ashok Nandi, Director
Mineral Information & Development Centre
E-mails: [email protected]
Cell No. +91 9823015772