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Bauxite

Bauxite is a sedimentary rock and the primary ore from which aluminium is extracted. It consists mainly of aluminium hydroxide minerals, including gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore, mixed with iron oxides, clays and other impurities that give it a characteristic reddish-brown colour. The ore forms through the weathering of aluminium-rich rocks in tropical and subtropical climates over millions of years. Bauxite is mined using openpit methods in countries across Africa, South America, Asia and Australia, with Guinea, Australia, China, Brazil and India among the world's largest producers. The ore is processed through the Bayer process to produce alumina (aluminium oxide), which is then smelted using electrolysis to yield metallic aluminium. Bauxite mining and alumina refining are energy-intensive operations that require substantial infrastructure, including rail and port facilities for export. The aluminium derived from bauxite is used extensively in transport, construction, packaging, electrical transmission and consumer goods due to its light weight, strength and corrosion resistance. Global demand for bauxite is driven by aluminium consumption in automotive, aerospace and renewable-energy sectors. Major bauxite deposits in Africa include those in Guinea, Ghana, Mozambique and Cameroon, where projects are at various stages of development and production. The commodity is typically priced on a cost-plus basis linked to alumina and aluminium prices on international markets.

Bauxite News


A shipping container made to look like a keyring with the shape of Africa as part of it
Shipping company promotes mineral exports from Cameroon port
17th July 2026

Following its January announcement that it would strengthen its long-established intermodal capabilities, global container shipping company Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced in May... 


South32 COO Africa Noel Pillay.
Alcoa is well positioned to operate South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium, says Pillay
17th July 2026 By: Martin Creamer

As a global producer of materials across the aluminium value chain, Alcoa Corporation is well positioned to operate South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium business into the future, South32 COO Africa... 


Gallium
Alcoa greenlights Australia gallium plant with US, Japan and domestic backing
15th July 2026 By: Reuters

Bauxite and aluminium producer Alcoa Corporation said on Tuesday it has reached a final investment decision to set up a gallium plant at its Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia, with... 


Ore in truck
China expands strategic mineral toolkit with new investment firm
13th July 2026 By: Bloomberg

A new, Beijing-backed mining investment vehicle is aimed at bolstering China’s grip on overseas resources, as the country pushes back against US and European efforts to curb its dominance of the... 


Location map of the Minim Martap
Minim Martap bauxite project, Cameroon – update
3rd July 2026 By: Sheila Barradas

The project’s locomotives have been delivered. 


South Africa's Hillside Aluminium in KwaZulu-Natal.
South32 deal enabling Alcoa to surpass Rio as world’s biggest bauxite miner
2nd July 2026 By: Martin Creamer

With the acquisition of South32’s aluminium assets, Alcoa will surpass Rio Tinto to become the world's largest bauxite mining company on an equity-attributable production basis, with global share... 


Alcoa President and CEO Bill Oplinger.
Alcoa sees South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium being 'cash flow accretive immediately'
2nd July 2026 By: Martin Creamer

This asset adds scale to our smelting portfolio in a way that is expected to be cash flow accretive immediately, Alcoa Corporation President and CEO William (Bill) F Oplinger said of South Africa’s... 


South32 COO Africa Noel Pillay.
Alcoa is well positioned to operate South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium, says Pillay
1st July 2026 By: Martin Creamer

As a global producer of materials across the aluminium value chain, Alcoa Corporation is well positioned to operate South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium business into the future, South32 COO Africa... 


VBX's Wuudagu project location relative to other points of interest
Emerging bauxite producer VBX secures term sheet for offtake, prepayment facility
1st July 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

ASX-listed emerging bauxite producer VBX has secured an indicative term sheet for a A$10-million prepayment and offtake facility with materials distribution and supply chain service provider... 


Guinea Mines Minister Bouna Sylla
Guinea plans regional gold refining hub as West African race intensifies
29th June 2026 By: Reuters

Guinea aims to become a regional gold refining hub, its mines minister said, joining a broader push by West African producers to process bullion locally rather than exporting it to the Middle East... 


ERG's vertical bauxite mining
Eurasian Resources Group, BAUER launches world's first vertical bauxite mining project
26th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

The Krasno-Oktyabrskoye Bauxite Mining Unit (KBRU) of Aluminium of Kazakhstan, owned by Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), a leading global metals and mining company, has officially launched a project... 


Canyon receives locomotives for Minim Martap project, trial mining to start in Q3
Canyon receives locomotives for Minim Martap project, trial mining to start in Q3
26th June 2026 By: Sabrina Jardim

ASX-listed Canyon Resources reports that locomotives were successfully delivered to its subsidiary, Camalco Cameroon, in June, marking a milestone in the development of the company’s mine-to-port... 


Century Aluminium product
US metal producers Brimstone, Century ink MoU to strengthen primary aluminium production
25th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

US-based alumina and other industrial materials company Brimstone has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the largest American primary aluminium producer, Century Aluminium, to... 


Petronas signage
Petronas reports new major gas find at Suriname offshore block
24th June 2026 By: Reuters

Malaysia's State-controlled energy producer Petronas has made another gas discovery at offshore Block 52 in Suriname, the South American country's President Jennifer Simons said on Tuesday, while a... 


Alcoa refinery
Alcoa flags lower Australian alumina shipments after cyclone
11th June 2026 By: Reuters

US-based bauxite, alumina, and aluminum producer Alcoa Corporation expects shipments from its Pinjarra alumina refinery in Australia to fall by around 120 000t in the second quarter compared to the... 


Alumina 'red mud' tailings site in Louisiana
Colorado School of Mines, ElementUSA awarded US gov funding to recover rare earths from alumina tailings
3rd June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Research university Colorado School of Mines and mid-stream minerals processing company ElementUSA have been awarded $67-million in funding from the US Department of Energy (DoE) to build a plant... 


The Simandou iron-ore operation in Guinea
Guinea’s Simandou iron exports surge six months after first ore
3rd June 2026 By: Bloomberg

Exports from Guinea’s Simandou iron-ore project surged in May, six months after the first shipment to China, marking a milestone in the ramp-up of the high-grade mine that has the potential to... 


Two Gentlemen in suits shaking hands at the 2025 WAMPEX
WAMPEX growth leads to new venue, more visitors
29th May 2026 By: Halima Frost

This year’s West African Mining & Power Expo (WAMPEX), which is endorsed by the Ghanaian Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, will convene over 6 000 mining professionals while celebrating its... 


Copper cathode produced in the DRC
China’s Jinchuan says $145m missing in Congo mine probe
26th May 2026 By: Bloomberg

Jinchuan Group International Resources Co said an independent probe found that nearly $145-million was siphoned from its copper and cobalt operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo through... 


A bauxite mine in Guinea
Chalco agrees to build alumina plant in Guinea for $1bn
22nd May 2026 By: Bloomberg

Aluminum Corp of China, the country’s largest State-owned producer of the lightweight metal, has agreed to invest $1-billion in an alumina plant in Guinea to tap local bauxite resources. Chalco, as... 


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