It has been a tough year for those sourcing bauxite outside of China. At first, non-metallurgical (non-met) demand crashed, then, when the industry appeared to be getting back on its feet six months later, China placed further restrictions on supplies, particularly refractory grade.
But the restrictions in China have given rise to some interesting new developments with First Bauxite Corp.’s refractory grade project in Guyana stealing most of the headlines.
Further downstream, non-met alumina demand fell to under 5m. tpa from over 6m. tpa a year before, according to TAK Industrial Minerals Consultancy. Global chemical alumina production also fell significantly by 35-40% as its end markets suffered.
Non-met supplies of bauxite and alumina are at the mercy of the refractories market which in turn relies heavily on steel, consuming around 70% of refractory bricks. When the steel industry stumbles, the refractory industry feels it and the knock on effect...