Biodiversity
Restoring pre-mining biodiversity requires areas to be protected from erosion and for the original topsoil to be managed to retain its value as a seed source and growing medium. | Learn more
Restoring pre-mining biodiversity requires areas to be protected from erosion and for the original topsoil to be managed to retain its value as a seed source and growing medium. | Learn more
A sustainable mining operation maintains the natural capital of the area in which it is located through sound environmental management systems. | Learn more
The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) collects data on fresh water use, consumption and water stress indicators to track the industry’s impact on water resources. | Learn more
Globally, and despite declining ore quality, the alumina refining industry reduced the energy intensity of its operations by 9% between 2006 and 2010, while increasing production by 15%. | Learn more
A healthy community means healthy families, which means a more safe and motivated workforce; thus there is a direct link between community health and the productivity of a mining or refining operation. | Learn more
The aluminium-containing bauxite ores gibbsite, böhmite and diaspore are the basic raw material for primary aluminium production. | Learn more
The Bayer Process was invented and patented in 1887 by Austrian scientist Karl Josef Bayer. Two to three tonnes of bauxite are required to produce one tonne of alumina. | Learn more
The industry is constantly working on new residue treatment methods to increase the removal of alkaline fluids and salts. | Learn more
Bauxite miners are investing in to provide social and economic benefits to the communities in which they operate. | Learn more
At the heart of every bauxite mining and refining operation lie local communities, comprising the workforce and their families (often across multiple generations)… | Learn more
Globally, bauxite mining disturbs a relatively small area of land compared to other types of open cast mining. Around one square metre of land is newly opened up each year… | Learn more
The aluminium production process can be broken down into three stages; first bauxites, which contain aluminium, are extracted from the ground. Second, bauxites are processed into alumina or aluminium oxide, and finally in stage three, pure aluminium is produced using electrolytic reduction, a process in which aluminium oxide is broken down into its components using electric current.
The aluminium industry’s objective is a long-term, sustainable bauxite mining industry with acceptably low social and environmental impacts during operation and post-closure. Sustainable bauxite mining is not a “one-size fits all” prescriptive process but involves risk management and applying technologies appropriate to the circumstances of each mine.
Sustainable mining operations protect and restore the biodiversity of the areas in which they are located.