Current Status and Proposed Economic Incentives for Higher Utilization of Bauxite Residue to Enhance Sustainability of the Aluminum Industry

The three-stage production chain of aluminumAluminum from ore to castingCasting is complex and consumes massive amounts of energy and input materials. The process also results in undesirable by-products, such as bauxiteBauxite tailingsTailings and bauxite residuesBauxite residue or red mudRed mud. From a holistic perspective, the overall sustainabilitySustainability of the aluminumAluminum industry is dependent on several factors that go beyond the recent focus on the low carbon drive across the companies and regions. Globally, some 3 billion tons of bauxite residueBauxite residue (red mudRed mud) are now stored in massive waste ponds or dried mounds, making it one of the most abundant industrial wastes on the planet. AluminaAlumina refining plants generate an additional 150 million tons each year. The industry produces 0.5–2 tons of bauxite residueBauxite residue per ton of aluminumAluminum. Although actively globally pursued, the current utilization of bauxite residuesBauxite residue is less than 4%. In the author’s published analysis, mitigation and utilization of bauxite residueBauxite residue are the number one sustainabilitySustainability-enhancing factor. The objectives of this paper are: