Bauxite Certified Reference Material [UPSC Current Affairs]

In a collaborative effort with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), a Navratna CPSE and a prominent manufacturer and exporter of Alumina and Aluminium in India, has created a Certified Reference Material (CRM) for bauxite. This CRM has been given the name “BARC B1201”. This is the first of its kind CRM in India and 5th in the World.

What do you mean by Bauxite Certified Reference Material? What is Bauxite and what is the role of NALCO in aluminium production in India? Read on to know more. This topic is relevant for the IAS exam geography section.

Bauxite Certified Reference Material (CRM)

Bauxite CRM is a sample of bauxite that is used as a quality control material in the analysis of bauxite samples in laboratories.

• It is produced under strict quality control measures to ensure its accuracy and stability.
• Bauxite CRMs are particularly important because the quality of bauxite directly affects the quality of the aluminium produced from it.
• Accurate and reliable bauxite CRMs are essential for the aluminium industry to produce high-quality products consistently.
• This CRM will help ensure the quality and consistency of aluminium production by providing accurate and reliable standards for laboratory analysis.
• CRMs are used as calibration standards for analytical methods, instrument performance evaluation, and data quality control in routine analysis of bauxite.
• The Bauxite CRM was certified for nine property values – Al2O3, Fe2O3, SiO2, TiO2, V2O5, MnO, Cr2O3, MgO and LOI which are traceable to the international system of units. 

What is Bauxite?

Image source: geology.com

Bauxite is a sedimentary rock that is the world’s primary source of aluminium.

• It is formed by the weathering of aluminium-rich rocks in tropical and subtropical areas.
• Bauxite is composed mainly of aluminium hydroxides, along with other minerals such as iron oxides, titanium dioxide, and silica.
• The quality of bauxite is determined by its alumina content, as higher alumina content results in better-quality aluminium.
• The largest producers of bauxite are Australia, Guinea, and Brazil, followed by China and India.
• Bauxite is usually extracted through open-pit mining, which involves the removal of overburden (the topsoil and vegetation covering the deposit) and the excavation of the ore underneath.
• The bauxite ore is then transported to a processing plant where it is refined to extract aluminium oxide (alumina).
• Alumina can be further processed to produce aluminium metal through electrolysis.
• The aluminium industry is a major consumer of bauxite, as it is used to produce aluminium products ranging from beverage cans to aircraft parts.

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