Chapter XIX: 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.