China's Liulin Senze Coal & Aluminum to produce alumina from low-grade ore
June 3 (Reuters) - Chinese company Liulin Senze Coal & Aluminum will start producing alumina from low-grade bauxite at its factory in Shanxi province in July thanks to a new technology developed in France, the technology's developer said.
Although China has domestic bauxite reserves, much of it is of low quality, making the country reliant on bauxite imports to meet demand for alumina production — a key input for aluminium, of which China is the world's largest producer.
The process developed by French green tech company IB2 enables the conversion of low-grade bauxite into high-quality alumina by neutralizing impurities such as silica and sulphur, IB2's CEO Romain Girbal said in an interview with Reuters.
"The (Shanxi) plant is expected to process up to 50,000 metric tons per month by December and IB2 aims to scale it up to 3 million tons of bauxite per year within the next two years," he said.
IB2's technology is being used under a 22-year deal signed in 2023 with privately owned Liulin Senze Coal & Aluminum, he said.
Liulin Senze Coal & Aluminum did not respond to requests for comment.
Girbal said IB2 is in advanced discussions with five other Chinese producers about providing the technology.
While such technology could help reduce China's reliance on imported bauxite for alumina production, the scale of production that can be achieved long term using the technology remains to be seen.
There are supply concerns in the global bauxite market after Guinea's military government recently cancelled 129 mineral exploration permits, some linked to bauxite.
Imported bauxite accounts for more than 70% annually of China's needs, most of it from Guinea and Australia, and Chinese bauxite imports rose 12.4% year-on-year in 2024 to 158.77 million tons, according to customs data.
China produced nearly 60% of the world's primary aluminium output last year, which totalled 72 million tonnes, according to the International Aluminium Institute.
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