Bauxite Supply Chain - Executive Summary
Bauxite
Rw Material
ai2h2o4
(solid)
Source of Raw Material:
Naturally occurring ore
Derivative Water Treatment Chemicals:
Aluminum-based coagulants
% of Total Domestic Consumption
Attributed to Water Sector:
Less than 1%
Understanding Chemical Supply Chains
Product Family:
Aluminum
CAS No.: 1318-16-7
2 Shelf Life:
60+ Months
— RISK OF SUPPLY DISRUPTION (Assessed in 2022)
RISK RATING: Moderate-Low
te-L°w Modera,^
RISK DRIVERS
Alumina production is the
leading domestic use of baux-
ite. Increases or decreases in
demand for alumina deriva-
tives; primarily aluminum, pe-
riodically impact the availabil-
ity and price. Fluctuations in
availability from leading
worldwide producers also may
impact availability.
RISK PARAMETERS
Criticality: High. Essential for production
of water treatment chemicals.
Likelihood: Low. No history of a bauxite
supply disruptions between 2000 and
2022.
Vulnerability: Moderate-High. The U.S. is
entirely reliant on imports of bauxite for
alumina production. The U.S. has multiple
sources of imports, which may provide
some resilience to supply disruptions.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
Water Treatment Applications
Mining
Bauxite
Water treatment chemical production
Other Applications
Input End Use
• Alumina
• Abrasive
• Proppant in hydraulic fracturing
• Flux in steel production
DOMESTIC PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION, AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Domestic Production Locations (2019):
5 mining locations for non-metallurgical
(non-alumina) use.
(^) International Trade (2019)
Primary Trading Partner (Imports): Jamaica
Primary Trading Partner (Exports): Canada
Domestic Consumption (2019):
5,100 M kg
Domestic Production (negligible; not reported)
¦ Imports for Consumption (5,100 M kg)
¦ Export of Domestic Production (15 M kg)
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Bauxite Supply Chain - Full Profile
Product Description
Bauxite (AI2H2O4), a widely occurring natural ore and primary source of alumina, is not used directly in water
treatment. Alumina is the most significant raw material for manufacturing aluminum, and bauxite is a primary
raw material in the production of aluminum hydroxide, which is used to produce most aluminum-based
coagulants. The U.S. imports nearly all bauxite required for alumina manufacturing.
Use in Water Treatment
None.
Use as a Precursor to Other Water Treatment Chemicals
Bauxite is used to manufacture aluminum hydroxide, which in turn is used to make aluminum-based coagulants.
Other Applications
Bauxite is widely used in a range of applications. All applications of bauxite require processing and refining of the
ore. The leading use of bauxite is to produce alumina, which accounts for nearly 90% of worldwide use. Bauxite
is also used as an abrasive, as a proppant in hydraulic fracturing, and as a flux in steel production. Alumina is
primarily used to manufacture aluminum, but may also be used in metallic paints, glass manufacturing, and
metal refineries (NCBI, 2022; USGS, 2022).
Primary Industrial Consumers
In 2018, approximately 82% of bauxite consumed in the U.S. was used in the production of alumina. Of the
alumina produced, 64% was consumed in metal production at aluminum smelters. The remaining bauxite was
consumed in production of nonmetallurgical products including abrasives, ceramics, chemicals, and refractories
(USGS 2022).
Manufacturing, Transport, & Storage
Manufacturing Process
Deposits of bauxite are found throughout the world, and are primarily extracted by surface mining techniques.
Depending on the bauxite composition, mined bauxite may simply be crushed and dried before further
processing or require beneficiation including removal of clay and silica, and drying in rotary kilns. Though
aluminum can be extracted from clays and other minerals, bauxite is the most common and economical source
(The Bauxite Index, n.d.; USGS, 2022).
Crushed and dried bauxite is predominantly further processed to extract alumina. The alumina may be used for
chemical production as alumina hydrate or smelted to produce aluminum (The Bauxite Index, n.d.). In 2019,
there were two operating domestic alumina refineries which produced alumina from imported bauxite, both
located in Louisiana (USGS, 2022).
Product Transport
Bauxite, most commonly sold as a ground solid, is routinely transported by ship, rail, and truck (USGS, 2022).
Storage and Shelf Life
Bauxite is stable and non-reactive over a wide range of temperatures, though when exposed to intense moisture
bauxite may be prone to liquefaction (Correia, 2018). When stored properly and kept dry, bauxite can have a
shelf life in excess of 60 months.
EPA 817-F-22-014 | December 2022
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Bauxite Supply Chain - Full Profile
Domestic Production & Consumption
Domestic Production
Production data was collected from USGS, while trade data was collected from the U.S. International Trade
Commission (USITC) Dataweb, as shown in Table 1. Both production and trade data are specific to bauxite.
Table 1. Bauxite Production and Trade Data Sources
Production and Trade Data
Category
Data Source
Identifier
Description
Domestic Production
U.S. Geological Survey
CAS No.: 1318-16-7
Bauxite
Imports and Exports
U.S. International Trade Commission
HS Code: 2606.00
Bauxite (Aluminum ores
and concentrates)
Total U.S. domestic production of bauxite is historically negligible, and on average accounts for less than 5% of
U.S. consumption needs for bauxite exclusively for nonmetallurgical uses. Bauxite and bauxite clays are
produced at five mining locations in Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia. Production amounts at these locations are
considered confidential business information and not reported by USGS. For all domestic production of alumina,
the U.S. is entirely dependent on imported bauxite (USGS, 2020; USGS, 2022).
Domestic Consumption
U.S. consumption of bauxite in 2019 is estimated at 5,100 million kg (M kg). This estimate includes negligible
production for nonmetallurgical uses (amount considered confidential business information and not reported),
import of 5,100 M kg, and export of 15 M kg (USGS, 2020), as shown in Figure 1.
• Domestic Consumption (2019):
5,100 M kg
¦ Domestic Production (negligible; not reported)
¦ Imports for Consumption (5,100 M kg)
¦ Export of Domestic Production (15 M kg)
Figure 1. Domestic Production and Consumption of Bauxite in 2019
Trade &Ta riffs
Worldwide Trade
Worldwide import and export data for bauxite are reported through the World Bank's World Integrated Trade
Solutions (WITS) software, as a category for aluminum ores and concentrates. In 2021, the U.S. ranked 19th
worldwide in total exports and seventh in total imports of aluminum ores and concentrates. In 2021, Australia
ranked first worldwide in total exports and China ranked first worldwide in total imports (WITS, 2022), as shown
in Table 2. The quantity of aluminum ores and concentrates exported by Brazil and Guinea, countries with
significant production, was not reported in 2021.
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Bauxite Supply Chain - Full Profile
Table 2. WITS Worldwide Export and Import of Aluminum Ores and Concentrates in 2021
2021 Worldwide Trade
Aluminum Ores and Concentrates (HS Code 2606.00)
Top 5 Worldwide Exporters
Top 5 Worldwide Importers
Australia
35,729 M kg
China
107,282 M kg
Indonesia
19,915 M kg
Ukraine
5,076 M kg
Turkey
1,844 M kg
United Arab Emirates
4,998 M kg
Guyana
518 M kg
Ireland
4,660 M kg
India
400 M kg
Spain
4,109 M kg
Domestic Imports and Exports
Domestic import and export data are reported by USITC in categories specific to bauxite. Figure 2 summarizes
imports for consumption1 and domestic exports2 of bauxite ores and concentrates between 2015 and 2020.
During this period, the overall quantity of imports diminished over the five-year period from a high in 2015. The
volume of exports, considerably smaller than the volume of imports, remained relatively steady. Over this five-
year period, Canada was the primary recipients of domestic exports while the primary source of imports were
Jamaica and Brazil (USITC, 2021).
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Domestic Trade of Bauxite
HS Code 2606.00
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¦ Imports from Jamaica
¦ Exports to Canada
¦ Imports from Brazil
¦ Exports to China
¦ Imports from Other Countries
~ Exports to Other Countries
Figure 2. USITC Domestic Import and Export of Bauxite between 2015 and 2020
1 Imports for consumption are a subset of general imports, representing the total amount cleared through customs and entering
consumption channels, not anticipated to be reshipped to foreign points, but may include some reexports.
2 Domestic exports are a subset of total exports, representing export of domestic merchandise which are produced or manufactured in
the U.S. and commodities of foreign origin which have been changed in the U.S.
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Bauxite Supply Chain - Full Profile
Tariffs
There is no general duty or special duty for import of bauxite (USITC, 2022), as summarized in Table 3.
Table 3. 2022 Domestic Tariff Schedule for Bauxite
HS Code
General Duty
Additional Duty-China
(Section 301 Tariff List)
Special Duty
2606.00
None
None
None
Market History & Risk Evaluation
History of Shortages
The demand for bauxite is tightly tied to demand from downstream industries which utilize alumina and
aluminum, such as the automotive industry, and production interruptions in countries which dominate global
production: China, Guinea, and Indonesia. These factors have led to historic price spikes in the price for bauxite
during periods of fluctuation in demand for derivative products and interruption to international trade. Though
the U.S. is entirely dependent on bauxite imports for production of alumina and derivative chemicals, there
were no identified supply chain disruptions between 2000 and 2022.
Risk Evaluation
The complete risk assessment methodology is described in Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply
Chains and the Risk of Disruptions (EPA, 2022). The risk rating is calculated as the product of the following three
risk parameters:
Risk = Criticality x Likelihood x Vulnerability
Criticality Measure of the importance of a chemical to the water sector
Likelihood Measure of the probability that the chemical will experience a supply disruption in the
future, which is estimated based on past occurrence of supply disruptions
Vulnerability Measure of the market dynamics that make a chemical market more or less resilient to
supply disruptions
The individual parameter rating is based on evaluation of one or more attributes of the chemical or its supply
chain. The ratings and drivers for these three risk parameters are shown below in Table 4.
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Bauxite Supply Chain - Full Profile
Table 4. Supply Chain Risk Evaluation for Bauxite
Risk Parameter Ratings and Drivers
1
ICriticality High
1 Likelihood Low 1
(Vulnerability Moderate-High 1
Bauxite is essential to production of
all aluminum-based water treatment
chemicals.
There were no identified disruptions
in the supply of bauxite between 2000
and 2022.
The U.S. is entirely reliant on imports
of bauxite for production of alumina.
However the U.S. has multiple sources
of imports, which provides some
resilience to supply disruptions.
Risk Rating: Moderate-Low
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References
Correia, G., Ruggeri, H., Jeffrey, P., Evans, T. and Castello, R., 2018. Research into the behavior of bauxite
during shipping: an overview of the Global Bauxite Working Group (GBWG) findings. In 36th
International ICSOBA Conference, retrieved from
https://icsoba.org/assets/files/publications/2018/BX06S.pdf
EPA, 2022. Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply Chains and the Risk of Disruptions, retrieved
from https://www.epa.gov/waterutilityresponse/risk-disruptions-supplv-water-treatment-chemicals
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), 2022. PubChem Compound Summary for CID
91886302, Bauxite, retrieved from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Bauxite
The Bauxite Index, n.d. Bauxite 101, retrieved from https://thebauxiteindex.com/about/bauxite-101/
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2020. Mineral commodity Summaries for Bauxite and Alumina, retrieved from
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2020-bauxite-alumina.pdf
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2022. 2018 Minerals Yearbook: Bauxite, retrieved from
https://pubs.usgs.gov/mvb/voll/2018/mvbl-2018-bauxi.pdf
U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2012. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Search, retrieved from
https://hts.usitc.gov/
U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2022. USITC DataWeb, retrieved from
https://dataweb.usitc.gov/
World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS), 2022. Trade Statistics by Product (HS 6-digit), retrieved from
https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/countrv-bvhs6product.aspx?lang=en#void
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