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Bauxite: Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Potential Industrial Application

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Dear Colleagues,

Bauxite is the main ore of alumina used to produce aluminum, and it is employed in diverse industrial applications depending on its grade. Bauxite’s grades are controlled by its chemistry, mineralogy, textural and structural aspects, and at least three main types of bauxite are known: lateritic, karstic and Tikhvin. The geochemistry of bauxites is also important as it can aid in the prediction of environmental issues related to mining. Therefore, bauxite's geochemical and mineral composition are critical for understanding its economic significance, guiding industrial processes, evaluating its environmental impact, and elucidating past geological processes.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of articles that highlight innovative scientific approaches to the characterization of bauxite and that present discussions of its mineralogical, geochemical, textural and structural properties; this is in order to enhance the efficiency of bauxite processing and refinement, as well as encourage the application of sustainable and novel practices for bauxite recovery and the re-utilization of bauxite residues. Finally, the potential industrial applications of bauxite and its residues beyond alumina and aluminum production will be explored, including applications in the cement, chemical and refractory industry.

This Special Issue aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the chemical and mineralogical composition of different types of bauxite, promoting further research regarding its industrial use while addressing environmental considerations related to its extraction and processing.

Dr. Leonardo Boiadeiro Ayres Negrão
Dr. Roberto Buccione
Guest Editors

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25 pages, 46515 KB

Open AccessArticle

Parental Affinities and Environments of Bauxite Genesis in the Salt Range, Northwestern Himalayas, Pakistan

by Muhammad Khubab, Michael Wagreich, Andrea Mindszenty, Shahid Iqbal, Katerina Schöpfer and Matee Ullah

Minerals 2025, 15(9), 993; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15090993 - 19 Sep 2025

Viewed by 342

Abstract

As the residual products of severe chemical weathering, bauxite deposits serve both as essential economic Al-Fe resources and geochemical archives that reveal information about the parent rocks’ composition, paleoenvironments and paleoclimates, and the tectonic settings responsible for their genesis. The well-developed Early Paleocene bauxite deposits of the Salt Range, Pakistan, provide an opportunity for deciphering their ore genesis and parental affinities. The deposits occur as lenticular bodies and are typically composed of three consecutive stratigraphic facies from base to top: (1) massive dark-red facies (L-1), (2) composite conglomeratic–pisolitic facies (L-2), and (3) Kaolinite-rich clayey facies (L-3). Results from optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and scanning electron microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) reveal that facies L-1 contains kaolinite, hematite, and goethite as major minerals, with minor amounts of muscovite, quartz, anatase, and rutile. In contrast, facies L-2 primarily consists of kaolinite, boehmite, hematite, gibbsite, goethite, alunite/natroalunite, and zaherite, with anatase, rutile, and quartz as minor constituents. L-3 is dominated by kaolinite, quartz, and anatase, while hematite and goethite exist in minor concentrations. Geochemical analysis reveals elevated concentrations of

{Al}_{2}

O_{3}

{Fe}_{2}

O_{3}

{SiO}_{2}

, and

{TiO}_{2}

. Trace elements, including Th, U, Ga, Y, Zr, Nb, Hf, V, and Cr, exhibit a positive trend across all sections when normalized to Upper Continental Crust (UCC) values. Field observations and analytical data suggest a polygenetic origin of these deposits. L-1 suggests in situ lateritization of some sort of precursor materials, with enrichment in stable and ultra-stable heavy minerals such as zircon, tourmaline, rutile, and monazite. This facies is mineralogically mature with bauxitic components, but lacks the typical bauxitic textures. In contrast, L-2 is texturally and mineralogically mature, characterized by various-sized pisoids and ooids within a microgranular-to-microclastic matrix. The L-3 mineralogy and texture suggest that the conditions were still favorable for bauxite formation. However, the ongoing tectonic activities and wet–dry climate cycles post-depositionally disrupted the bauxitization process. The accumulation of highly stable detrital minerals, such as zircon, rutile, tourmaline, and monazite, indicates prolonged weathering and multiple cycles of sedimentary reworking. These deposits have parental affinity with acidic-to-intermediate/-argillaceous rocks, resulting from the weathering of sediments derived from UCC sources, including cratonic sandstone and shale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bauxite: Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Potential Industrial Application)

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