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Products ‣ Bauxite

Introduction

Bauxite "An off-white, grayish, brown, yellow, or reddish-brown rock composed of a mixture of various amorphous or crystalline hydrous aluminum oxides and aluminum hydroxides (principally gibbsite, some boehmite and diaspore), along with free silica, silt, iron hydroxides, and esp. clay minerals;…It is a common residual or transported constituent of clay deposits in tropical and subtropical regions, and occurs in concretionary, compact, earthy, pisolitic, or oolitic forms. Bauxite is the principal commercial source of aluminum.



History

Bauxite was first discovered by a French chemist, P. Berthier, in 1821 while investigating specimens found near Les Baux in southern France. The rock name bauxite was not used until many years later.


Properties

Color
White, gray, sometimes stained yellow, orange, red, pink, or brown by iron or included iron minerals
Streak
Usually white, but iron stain can discolor
Luster
Dull, earthy
Diaphaneity
Opaque
Cleavage
None
Mohs Hardness
1 to 3
Specific Gravity
2 to 2.5
Diagnostic Properties
Soft, low specific gravity, color. Often exhibits pisolitic habit.
Chemical Composition
Variable but always rich in aluminum oxides and aluminum hydroxides



Application

» For producing the metal, aluminum.
» In the manufacture of abrasives and refractory materials.
» In various processes and products in the chemical industry.
» As a fluxing agent in the steel industry.
» For the manufacture of high-alumina cements.