page_title: Bauxite tailings
hierarchical_section_title: Bauxite tailings
caption_attribution_description: English: Bauxite sample from Hérault, France
context_page_description: Bauxite tailings, also known as bauxite residue, red mud, red sludge, or alumina refinery residues, is a highly alkaline waste product composed mainly of iron oxide that is generated in the industrial production of alumina. It is important to differentiate between the alkaline waste generated in the Bayer process and the tailings generated during the mining of bauxite. The scale of production makes the waste product an important one, and issues with its storage are reviewed and every opportunity is explored to find uses for it.
  Over 95% of the alumina produced globally is through the Bayer process; for every tonne of alumina produced, approximately 1 to 1.5 tonnes of bauxite tailings/residue are also produced. Annual production of alumina in 2018 was approximately 126 million tonnes resulting in the generation of over 160 million tonnes of bauxite tailings/residue.
context_section_description: Bauxite tailings, also known as bauxite residue, red mud, red sludge,  or alumina refinery residues (ARR), is a highly alkaline waste product composed mainly of iron oxide that is generated in the industrial production of alumina (aluminium oxide, the principal raw material used in the manufacture of aluminium metal and also widely used in the manufacture of ceramics, abrasives and refractories). It is important to differentiate between the alkaline waste generated in the Bayer process and the tailings generated during the mining of bauxite.  This article specifically covers the alkaline waste generated when operating the Bayer process. The scale of production makes the waste product an important one, and issues with its storage are reviewed and every opportunity is explored to find uses for it.  
  Over 95% of the alumina produced globally is through the Bayer process; for every tonne of alumina produced, approximately 1 to 1.5 tonnes of bauxite tailings/residue are also produced. Annual production of alumina in 2018 was approximately 126 million tonnes resulting in the generation of over 160 million tonnes of bauxite tailings/residue.
caption: Bauxite, an aluminium ore (Hérault department, France). The reddish colour is  due to iron oxides that make up the main part of the red mud.
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