SHANGHAI, Dec 13 (SMM) - According to the General Administration of Customs, China imported 8.98 million mt of bauxite in October, up 9.27% month-on-month but down 5.87% year-on-year. The imports from Guinea stood at 4.41 million mt, up 6.38% MoM and 1.84% YoY; 3.31 million mt from Australia, up 22.3% MoM and 15.25% YoY; and 1.06 million mt from Indonesia, up 20.88% MoM but down 51.45% YoY. New suppliers such as Montenegro, Jamaica, Ghana, Malaysia and India emerged in the month.
In detail, imports from Guinea were 4.41 million mt, up 6.38% MoM and 1.84% YoY. Most areas of Guinea are featured with tropical savanna climates, with the rainy season from May to November and the dry season from December to April next year. At present, the poor weather conditions in the country have improved, which gradually pushes up the bauxite output and shipments. Chinese imports from
Guinea will continue to grow.
A total of 3.31 million mt of bauxite were imported from Australia, up 22.3% MoM and 15.25% YoY. Bauxite imports from Australia grew somewhat in October amid the growing demand from Chinese alumina refineries approaching the year-end and the higher cost efficiency than cargoes from Guinea and Indonesia, especially at a time when alumina prices remained low.
China imported 1.06 million mt of bauxite from Indonesia, up 20.88% from the previous month but down 51.45% on the year. Due to Indonesia’s ban on mining throughout 2022, the current shipments were mainly for the delivery of long-term orders signed earlier. There were not many goods available in the spot market.
Some new suppliers appeared in the month.
Bauxite from Montenegro has the characteristics of high aluminium and low silicon content, fewer impurities and a stable grade. It has almost the same features as those of domestic bauxite, which can be directly used in high-temperature Bayer process production lines. Bauxite from Montenegro has a low moisture content, which is especially suitable for alumina refineries in north China. Meanwhile, it possesses low content of organic matter and sulphur, so it can be blended with local high-sulphur bauxite. Bauxite reserves in Jamaica are easy for open-pit mining, and they are also close to the ports. The bauxite has the advantages of low silicon content and high stability. The Al/Si ratio reaches 30. It contains a certain amount of boehmite, which can be directly blended with other bauxite and used in high-temperature production lines. The disadvantage is that the content of organic matter is high, and the regular clearance of organic matter is needed if it is used alone for a long time. Bauxite from India is mostly gibbsite, which is basically in the form of lump, and the uneven grinding will affect the settling performance. Bauxite from Solomon is basically gibbsite with high content of organic matter, so it should be blended with other bauxite and used in low temperature production lines. Features of Malaysian bauxite are similar to the Indonesia nbauxite. The higher grade of bauxite can be obtained through washing, and some can be used directly without washing. The Al/Si ratio of bauxite from Ghana is very high, which is as high as 30 in some cases. It can be used in all production lines, but the output volume is low and the prices are high. Turkish bauxite has high titanium dioxide content (up to 12%) and high calcium oxide content, which can be blended and used in high temperature production lines, but it is difficult to recover alumina from it.
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