BAUXITE AND ALUMINUM
BY J. M. HILL
USES OF BAUXITE AND ALUMINUM
Bauxite, aluminum oxide, besides being the chief ore of aluminum,
has an important use in the manufacture of artificial abrasives
which are of wide application in all metal-fabricating industries.
Bauxite is also the basis of an extensive chemical industry, being the
crude material from which alum, aluminum sulphate, and several other
chemicals used for water purification, dyeing, and tanning are made. A
rapidly growing use for bauxite is in the manufacture of bauxite brick
for furnace linings. The more essential uses of bauxite are for the
manufacture of aluminum and abrasives, though it seems doubtful whether
the utilization of bauxite for chemicals could be much restricted. The
use of bauxite for refractories is relatively small. In 1917 nearly 65
per cent. of the domestic output of bauxite went into aluminum, nearly
13 per cent. was taken by manufactures of aluminum salts, 19 per cent.
was consumed in the manufacture of bauxite abrasives, and 3 per cent.
was used by makers of bauxite refractories.
The uses of aluminum are myriad, chief among them are in the
manufacture of parts of internal-combustion engines, and the
fabrication of industrial and household utensils.
CHANGES IN PRACTICE OF ALUMINUM MANUFACTURE
Heretofore bauxites low in silica (2 to 5 per cent. SiO₂) have been
used for the preparation of alumina for the manufacture of aluminum.
Many experimenters have endeavored to utilize low-grade (high-silica)
bauxites, or aluminum silicates for the recovery of alumina. These
experiments show that it is chemically possible to produce low-silica
alumina from many aluminous materials, but not on a commercially
profitable basis. It seems reasonably certain that one or more of the
methods of handling low-grade bauxite or even aluminous silicates will
be developed to the commercial stage, even under ordinary conditions,
in the near future. That event should tend to revolutionize the
aluminum industry, as clays and shales carrying from 25 to 35 per cent.
Al₂O₃ are of widespread occurrence. Whether it would materially lower
the price of aluminum is more doubtful, for the costs of manufacture
would be raised by the increased cost of treating the low-grade crude
material.
GEOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION
The European bauxite deposits are in folded sedimentary rocks, mainly
of Cretaceous age. In the United States bauxite deposits are surficial
and have resulted from the alteration of either sedimentary kaolin
(aluminum silicate) or kaolin derived from the weathering of syenite or
of dolomitic limestones. In the tropical fields, which have as yet been
little exploited and are in fact little known, the bauxites seemingly
are surficial deposits derived from the alteration of feldspathic rocks.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
The chief bauxite deposits of _Europe_ are in the provinces of Var
and Herault, in southern France, though other deposits are known in
Bouches du Rhone and several other southern provinces. In central Italy
bauxite has been mined for some years. In Germany low-grade bauxite
has been mined in the Vogelsberg Mountains, Hesse, near Königswinter,
in the lower Rhine country, and is known in Hanover. In the former
Empire of Austria-Hungary there are extensive bauxite deposits in the
Bihar Mountains and in the provinces of Istria, Croatia, and Dalmatia.
Bauxite is also known in northwestern Russia, about 200 miles southeast
of Petrograd. Bauxite has been mined for a number of years from beds in
northwestern Ireland.
In the _United States_, bauxite has been mined for years in central
Arkansas, northwestern Georgia, northeastern Alabama, and southeastern
Tennessee, and more recently from the central Georgia field, which is
being extended into west-central Georgia.
In _South America_, extensive deposits of good bauxite have been
found in British and Dutch Guiana, and it is reported that there are
evidences of bauxite in eastern Venezuela, western French Guiana, and
northeastern Brazil.
In _Africa_, bauxite of good quality is reported to have been developed
near the coast of French Guinea and to have been found in a number of
inland localities in that colony. Vague rumors are current of large
areas of bauxitic laterite[146] at many places in equatorial Africa.
[146] Laterite is the general name for rock of any kind that is in
a thoroughly softened and decomposed state, due to alteration or
weathering at the surface.
In the literature of the geology of _India_ there are many references
to bauxitic laterites, and it is reported that recently some of the
Deccan bauxite deposits are being exploited.
In southwestern and eastern _Australia_ some of the laterites are
reported to be bauxitic, though so far as known no bauxite has been
developed.
There is a persistent rumor, without confirmation, that bauxite has
been discovered recently in _China_. As to this deposit no information
is available.
The table below shows the world’s production of bauxite for a number
of years. Although the figures give an idea of the relative importance
of the deposits with respect to consuming centers, it is not believed
that they represent relative importance with regard to the future. It
seems unavoidable to conclude that the tropical countries hold immense
reserves of bauxite and that some day the aluminum industry will be
nearer the tropics than it is at present.
TABLE 63.--WORLD’S OUTPUT OF BAUXITE, 1910-1916
(Output in tons)
------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
Country | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 |
------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
United States |148,932|155,618|159,865|210,241|
France |192,913|250,818|254,851|304,407|
United Kingdom (Ireland)| 3,792| 6,007| 5,790| 6,055|
Italy | 4,524| 5,600| 6,596| 6,843|
India | 66| 12| 950 | 1,184|
+-------+-------+-------+-------+
Total |350,277|418,055|428,052|528,730|
------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
------------------------+-------+-------+-------
Country | 1914 | 1915 | 1916
------------------------+-------+-------+-------
United States |219,318|297,041|425,100
France |([147])|([147])|([147])
United Kingdom (Ireland)| 8,286| 11,723| 10,329
Italy | 3,844| 6,504| 8,746
India | 514| 400| 750
+-------+-------+-------
Total | | |
------------------------+-------+-------+-------
[147] No statistics available.
The production of bauxite in the United States in 1917 was 568,690 long
tons.
POLITICAL CONTROL
France and the United States hold within their boundaries the largest
deposits of bauxite that have been worked in the past. England
controls, through her colonial possessions, a large share of the
equatorial areas that probably contain much of the undeveloped bauxite.
France and Holland each have possessions in the tropics in which
bauxite is known, and it seems probable that bauxite may be found
in the colonies of Portugal and of Belgium and in those formerly
controlled by Germany.
It is reported that England has placed certain restrictions on the
acquisition of bauxite deposits in India and Guiana by foreign
individuals or corporations. It is known that she has restricted
the destination of bauxite exported from British Guiana. The Dutch
government is understood to have examined recently the bauxite deposits
of Dutch Guiana, probably with a view to restricting acquisition of
property not already acquired. Evidently there is some understanding
between the British, French, and Italian governments which permits
the sending of French bauxite to the aluminum works of both Italy and
England.
The aluminum works of the world are largely under the political
domination of the United States, England, France, Germany,
Switzerland, Italy and Norway. The producing capacity of the various
countries has been estimated as follows:[148]
PRODUCING CAPACITY OF ALUMINUM WORKS
Short tons
United States and Canada 87,500
France 20,000
Switzerland, Germany and Austria 20,000
Norway 16,000
England 12,000
Italy 7,000
Japan 250
-------
Total 162,750
[148] HILL, J. M., “Bauxite and Aluminum in 1916;” United States
Geological Survey; “Mineral Resources of the United States,” Part I,
1917, p. 167.
The actual output of the plants included in the above table does not
represent full capacity, and it seems more reasonable to assume that
the production at present is probably nearer 150,000 tons a year than
the total given. There is little question that the United States and
Canadian plants are producing over half of the world’s supply of
aluminum. It is reported that during 1917 and 1918 extensions of the
British and Italian works brought their output nearly to the rated
plant capacity.
COMMERCIAL CONTROL
It is safe to say that the aluminum industries of the various
countries control to a large extent the bauxite deposits of the world.
The principal aluminum companies are as follows: Aluminum Company
of America, British Aluminum Co., L’Aluminium Française, Aluminum
Industries A. G.
It is commonly known that before the war agreements between these four
companies stabilized the prices of aluminum throughout the world. At
present (1919) the outlook is that the Aluminum Company of America
should be in position to dominate the aluminum industry of the world
for some years through the expansion of its electrical plants and its
initiative in acquiring newly discovered deposits of exceptionally pure
bauxite in South America. It seems quite conceivable that the British
and French and possibly the German interests may seek to adjust their
relations so that they can offset the American dominance.
_United States and Canada._--The great bulk of the bauxite deposits of
the United States seems controlled by the Aluminum Company of America,
through its subsidiaries, the American Bauxite Co. and the Republic
Mining & Manufacturing Co. There are small holdings of bauxite lands
controlled by the National Bauxite Co., a subsidiary of the E. I. du
Pont de Nemours Co., and by the Norton Co., of Worcester, Mass.,
makers of artificial abrasives. Aside from these more important
holders, there are a few independent operators of bauxite mines, but
their combined output is so small that it can be disregarded.
All of the aluminum works of the United States and Canada are
controlled by the Aluminum Company of America, which is dominated by
the Mellen banking interests, of Pittsburgh, Pa.
_The Guianas._--It is reported that the Aluminum Company of America
controls about 2,030,000 acres of bauxite land in the British and Dutch
colonies. In British Guiana the ownership is seemingly in the Canadian
Bauxite Co. Associated with the Aluminum Company of America in the
British Guiana holdings is the Merrimac Chemical Co., of Boston. It is
also reported that the Norton Co., of Worcester, Mass., has acquired
in Dutch Guiana small holdings of bauxite lands. There are no works
utilizing bauxite in Dutch Guiana.
_France._--Prior to the war, some of the large deposits of high-grade
bauxite in the Province of Var were controlled by the “Bauxites de
France,” a German enterprise, but this control was naturally suspended
at the beginning of hostilities, and it will probably not be resumed.
The French bauxite industry is largely in the hands of the French
producers of aluminum mentioned below, though some deposits are said to
be controlled by the British Aluminum Co. through its control of the
Union des Bauxites company.
The French aluminum industry is centralized under one selling
agency, L’Aluminium Française, in which the following five companies
participate:
Compagnie des Produits Chemiques d’Alais et de la Camargue, Société
Electro-Metallurgique Française, Société d’Electro-Chemie, Société des
Forces Motrices de l’Arve, Société Electro-Metallurgique de Pyrenees.
It is said that the stock of the selling company is owned by
participating companies in proportion to their output of aluminum,
which would indicate that the control of l’Aluminium Française rests
with the first two companies above.
_Great Britain._--The bauxite deposits in County Antrim, Ireland, are
seemingly controlled exclusively by the British Aluminium Co. The
British Aluminium Co. is the sole producer of the metal in England,
operating plants at Foyers and Loch Leven, in the British Isles, and
plants in Norway.
_Norway._--All the bauxite used by the aluminum works in Norway is
of French or British origin. There are no deposits of bauxite in the
country. The British Aluminium Co. controls the aluminum plants at
Higeland and Strangfiord through the Anglo-Norwegian Co. The Compagnie
des Produits Chemiques d’Alais et de la Camargue (French) largely
controls the Société Norvegienne des Nitrures, which operates aluminum
works at Arendal and Tyssedal. A Norwegian company, the Norske Aluminum
Co., has been recently organized to make aluminum.
_Italy._--There is little information concerning the ownership of the
Italian bauxite deposits, but presumably they are controlled by the
producers of aluminum. The principal aluminum manufacturer is the
Societa Italiana per la Fabricazione dell’Alluminio, which is under
Italian-French control.
The new aluminum company, L’Allumino Italiano, recently organized in
Italy, if reports are true, may be in part controlled by German and
Swiss interests. As the company was organized during the war, it does
not seem reasonable to suppose that German participation would be
permitted.
_Central Powers._--Apparently most of the aluminum industry of these
countries is controlled by a German-Swiss company, Société Swisse
pour l’Industrie de l’Aluminium, or Aluminum Industrie, A. G., which
operates plants at Neuhausen, Chippes, Navisance, and Borgne, in
Switzerland; at Rheinfelden, Germany, and at Lend and Rauris, in
Austria. A small quantity of aluminum is also made by the German firm,
Gebrüder Guilini, at its plant at Martigny. It is reported that the
Aluminum Fabrik-Martigny, A. G., has recently been formed with G.
Guilini at its head, which is possibly a reorganization of the former
concern.
SUMMARY
By far the largest and most important use of bauxite is for the
extraction of aluminum, a metal used mainly in the manufacture of
parts for internal-combustion engines and of industrial and household
utensils. Bauxite is also used in the manufacture of artificial
abrasives, as a source of certain aluminum salts, and in the
manufacture of refractory bricks. The first two uses, the manufacture
of aluminum and abrasives, are the most essential, though it would
be difficult to restrict to any great extent the use in the chemical
industry.
The principal bauxite deposits of the world are in the provinces of Var
and Herault, southern France; in the former empire of Austria-Hungary;
in Arkansas, Georgia, and Alabama; in British and Dutch Guiana; and in
northwestern Ireland. Minor deposits are located in Germany, Russia,
Venezuela, French Guiana, Brazil, Africa, Australia, and probably
China. It is believed that the tropical countries hold immense reserves
of bauxite.
Experiments have shown that it is chemically possible to manufacture
aluminum from the low-grade (high-silicate) bauxite ores. No commercial
process has been perfected, but it seems certain that one or more
methods will be developed to the commercial stage in the near future.
A reduction in the price of aluminum is not to be expected as a
result of this change in practice, however, for the use of low-grade
materials will undoubtedly increase the manufacturing costs.
The largest producing bauxite deposits are controlled politically by
the United States and France. Great Britain controls a large share of
the equatorial regions that probably contain most of the undeveloped
deposits. Bauxite may also be found in the colonial possessions of
Portugal and Belgium, and in those formerly owned by Germany. The
aluminum works of the world are controlled by the United States, Great
Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Norway.
Most of the bauxite deposits of the United States are owned by the
Aluminum Company of America, which is dominated by the Mellen banking
interests, of Pittsburgh, and controls all of the aluminum works of
the United States and Canada. Small holdings in the United States are
controlled by a subsidiary of the E. I. du Pont de Nemours Co., and by
the Norton Co., of Worcester, Mass. The Aluminum Company of America
also controls, through subsidiaries, large areas of bauxite land in
British and Dutch Guiana. Before the war some of the large French
deposits were controlled by German interests. The French industry is
largely in the hands of French producers of aluminum, although some
of the deposits are said to be controlled by British capital. The
main French companies have organized a selling company, L’Aluminium
Française.
The British Aluminium Co., controls the deposits in Ireland and is the
sole producer of aluminum in England. British capital also controls
aluminum works in Norway. The principal bauxite deposits of Italy are
probably controlled by the Societa Italiana per la Fabricazione dell’
Alluminio, an Italian-French company. Apparently most of the aluminum
industry of the Central Powers is controlled by a German-Swiss company.
American interests are reported to have explored bauxite deposits in
French Guinea, Africa, but so far as known have produced no bauxite.