Bauxite beneficiation process in Australia
Bauxite mining
Bauxite is mined by opencast methods using the most modern large scale earth-moving equipment. The present emphasis is on blending to produce a uniform grade ore, the use of lower grade bauxite, and the maximisation of reserves.
Mining is most commonly carried out using a benching method requiring power shovels and draglines. The ore is transported from the mine by a combination of rear-dump off-highway trucks, belt conveyors, aerial tramways and railways. Ore for export is dried in rotary kilns to reduce the moisture content, while that for local processing is used as mined. About a half of the bauxite mined is shipped unprocessed to the United States. The other half is processed on the island in the four alumina refineries which have a combined capacity of some 2.7 million tonnes a year. The alumina is exported mainly to Europe and North America.
Mining beneficiation process for bauxite
The processing flow:
Bauxite mine raw ores → Crushing → screening → desliming → jigging → concentrate. There are other processing methods: magnetic separation and flotation.
Bauxite Mining in Australia
Australia is the largest producer of bauxite worldwide, accounting for about one-third of global output. Its bauxite production is expected to be about 68 million tonnes in 2010-11, compared with 60.9 million tonnes in 2005-06. Most bauxite mined in Australia is processed into alumina locally, but 7.5 million tonnes, valued at about $171.9 million, is expected to be exported in 2010-11. Imports of bauxite are negligible.
The Bauxite Mining industry is expected to generate revenue of about $1.56 billion in 2010-11, compared with $1.66 billion in 2005-06. The size of the domestic market in 2010-11 is expected to be about $1.38 billion