3.9.2.1 Production

6.29 million tons of bauxite ores were produced across China in 1995. In addition to the State-owned mines and enterprises under the China National Nonferrous Metals Industry Corporation (CNNC), the township collective and self-employed mines also exploit bauxites extensively, but their output varies greatly. Recently the output of alumina and metallic aluminum has increased very rapidly in China. Their outputs reached 2.9361 million tons and 2.1786 million tons in 1997 respectively, an increase of near 3.5 times and 5 times over 1985. The output of aluminum processed materials has increased even faster. It was only 0.31 million tons in 1985, but rose to 1.7612 million tons in 1997, an increase of 36 times (Table 3.9.2).

Table 3.9.2 Statistics of output of bauxite and relevant products(¡Á106 t)

There are 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across China, which have aluminum smelting factories, producing metallic aluminum, of which Gansu, Henan, Guizhou, Qinghai, Liaoning, Guangxi, Hebei and Ningxia provicnes (regions) are most important producers, with their aggregate output accounting for 60.4% of the country's total (Table 3.9.3).

Among 2.1786 million tons of metallic aluminum produced in 1997, 2.0350 million tons originated from bauxite ores, accounting for 93.4% of the country's total, with the principal provinces (regions)-producers being Gansu, Henan, Guizhou, Qinghai, Liaoning, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Ningxia provinces (regions), while the other 0.1435 million tons originated from miscellaneous aluminum, accounting for 6.8% of the total, with the principal provinces-producers being Hebei, Jiangsu, Henan and Liaoning (Table 3.9.3).

The world output of refined aluminium reached 20.9243 million tons in 1996, of which USA produced 3.5772 million tons, Russia--2.8700 million tons, Canada--2.2832 million tons, Australia--1.3659 million tons, Brazil--1.1974 million tons, Norway--0.8623 million tons, and China ranked fourth in the world next to USA, Russia and Canada.

Table 3.9.3 Output of metallic aluminum across China(t)

3.9.2.2 Distribution of Production

Nowadays 33 bauxite districts have been developed in China, in which important mines under CNNMC are: the Chadian bauxite mine and Zhulingou bauxite mine of the Gongyi bauxite field, the Zhangyaoyuan bauxite mine and Jiagou bauxite mine of the Xin'an bauxite field and the Caoyao bauxite mine and Zhijian bauxite mine of the Shaanxian bauxite field (Henan); the Baijiazhuang mine and Taihushi mine of Yangquan City and the Xihedi and Ke'e-Northern Bujiayu mines of Xiaoyi County (Shanxi); the Xiaoshanba bauxite mine of Xiuwen County, the Yanlong bauxite mine, the Changchonghe bauxite mine and the Lindai deposit of Qingzhen City (Guizhou); the Eastern Beijiaosong mine, the Northern Hutian mine, the Wangcun mine and the Tianzhuang mine of Zibo district (Shandong); and the Nadou bauxite mine of Pingguo County (Guangxi). According to the statistics, the annual comprehensive mining-dressing capacity of the operating bauxite mines under CNNMIC was 1.6600 million tons (metal content), and the annual comprehensive mining, dressing and smelting capacity was 1.6598 million tons (metal content) in 1996.

The Gongyi bauxite field is the source of raw materials for the Zhengzhou aluminum plant. It is 40 km2 in area and consists of the Zhulingou, Chadian, Shuitou, Dayugou and Zhongling deposits. It is the first bauxite field, which was surveyed, explored and mined after the founding of PRC. Under the circumstance that the country was badly in need of setting up and developing an aluminum industry at that time, a decision was made to build the large Zhengzhou Aluminum Plant, with the mine set up at Xiaoguan of Gongxian County to develop the explored Zhulingou and Huadian bauxite deposits. The designed scale of the Xiaoguan Aluminium Mine was 0.4 million tons annually.

The Xin'an bauxite field, consisting of the Zhuyuan-Kuangkou, Zhangyaoyuan, Jiagou, Shisi and Maxinggou deposits, is the largest bauxite orefield in Henan. Since 1966, when the Luoyang mine was built up, the Zhangyaoyuan deposit has been consistantly under mining and then with the development of the mining production, the Jiagou mine was built in 1983. The productive capacity of the former is 0.4 million tons per year, while that of the latter is 0.6 million tons annually. Soon the Shisi deposit will be put into exploitation, with planned mining scale being 0.3 million tons per year. This field is the source of raw materials for the Zhengzhou Aluminum Factory and Zhongzhou Aluminum Factory.

The Mianchi and Shaanxian bauxite fields, including the Caoyao, Zhijian, Jiaodi and Jiajiawa deposits, are the sources of good-quality bauxites for the Zhengzhou Aluminum Factory, Zhongzhou Aluminum Factory and Sanmenxia Aluminum Factory. A mine with an annual output of 0.4 million tons of bauxite ores has been built up for exploiting the Caoyao bauxite deposit.

Since 1960s the Baijiazhuang bauxite deposit of Yangquan City (Shanxi) has been mined by the Shandong Aluminum Factory, with a planned capacity of 0.1 million tons per year. The Baiquan bauxite deposit was also exploited by the Shandong Aluminum Factory, which was built up during the period of the ¡±Seventh Five-Year Plan", with a planned mining scale of 0.3 million tons of bauxite ores per year.

The Xihedi and Ke'e bauxite deposits of Xiaoyi County are the sources of raw materials for the Shanxi Aluminum Factory. They are mined by the Xiaoyi bauxite mine. The Xihedi bauxite mine is the largest one for the time being in China, with the planned capacity of 1.3 million tons of ores per year. The southern sector of the Ke'e bauxite deposit was put into exploitation in 1986, with the planned mining capacity of 0.5 million tons of ores per year.

The operating bauxite mines in Guizhou are the Xiaoshanba mine of Xiuwen County, the Lindai, Changchonghe, Yanlong, and Maiba mines of Qingzhen City and the Doupengshan bauxite mine of Guiyang City. All these mines are the sources of raw materials for the Guizhou Aluminum Factory. Since the late fifties the Xiaoshanba mine has been developed, with planned capacity of 0.45 million tons per year. Those bauxite deposits, which are located within the Qingzhen City, are exploited by the No. 2 Mine of the Guizhou Aluminum Factory. The Changchonghe bauxite mine was put into production in 1970s, with planned capacity of 0.23 million tons of ores annually. A mine with annual production of 0.1 million tons of bauxites has been built up respectively in both of the Yanlong and Maiba deposits.

The Zibo bauxite deposit of Shandong was mined by Japan predatorily as early as in 1940s, and during the following five years about 1.50 million tons of bauxites were mined. Since 1954, when the first alumina factory¨Dthe Shandong Alumina Factory was built up here in China this orefield has become an important source of raw materials for the Shandong Alumina Factory. Now there are four mines: Fengshui, Wangchun, Tianzhuang and Hutian, of which one is an open cut mine and the rest three are underground mines, with an annual total production capacity of 0.365 million tons of bauxites.

The Pingguo bauxite field of Guangxi is composed of the Nadou, Taiping, Jiaomei, Guohua and Xin'an deposits, with 50,000 to 100,000 tons of bauxites mined annually. Soon the Pingguo Aluminum Industry Company of CNNC will build a production capacity of 1.90 million tons of bauxites annually through capital construction.

As a result of nearly 50 years' development and construction, a complete aluminum industrial system has been set up, with large aluminum producing complexes of Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces (regions), as well as, North China, Northeast, Southwest, Qingdao and Zhenjiang large aluminum processing enterprises taken as its backbone, and with nearly one hundred local medium-to-small sized aluminum factories and hundreds of medium-to-small sized aluminum processing factories taken as its basis. Especially since the founding of CNNC in 1983, an emphasis has been placed upon the construction of the Shanxi Aluminum Factory, the first-phase construction of the Zhongzhou Aluminum Factory under the Great Wall Aluminum Industry Company, and the first-phase construction of the alumina project of the Pingguo Aluminum Industry Company. Meanwhile, the Zhengzhou Aluminum Factory under the Great Wall Aluminum Industry Company and the alumina system of the Shandong Aluminum Industry Company have been rebuilt and extended. By the end of 1995 six factories producing alumina in China had formed a total annual production capacity of 3.55 million tons of alumina and 1.6577 million tons of electrolytic aluminum.

The Great Wall Aluminum Industry Company is the largest aluminum complex in our country. Its Zhengzhou Aluminum Factory was built in 1958. As a result of three successive expansions, the factory formed an annual production capacity of 0.52 million tons of alumina in 1983, and by the end of the present century its planed annual production capacity will reach as many as one million tons of alumina. The Zhongzhou Aluminum Factory was built in Fangzhuang Town, Xiuwu County, Henan province, in 1992, with its annual production capacity for the first phase being 0.2 million tons of alumina and 0.1 million tons of electrolytic aluminum. The Great Wall Aluminum Industrial Company produced 0.75 million tons of alumina in 1996, including 0.62 million tons from the Zhengzhou Aluminum Factory and 0.13 million tons from the Zhongzhou Aluminum Factory. Besides alumina, 33,000 tons of aluminum ingots were also produced.

The Shandong Aluminum Industry Company located in Zibo, is the first factory of alumina in China. As a result of more than 40 years' development, now it has become an extra-large complex combining mining, smelting and intensive processing, with its annual production capacity: 0.5 million tons of alumina, 40,000 tons of aluminum ingot and 6,000 tons of aluminum shaped materials. This company produced 0.5131 million tons of alumina, 44,600 tons of electrolytic aluminum and 5,317 tons of aluminum shaped materials in 1996.

The Shanxi Aluminum Factory located in Hejin County, Shanxi, was put into production in 1987. It is envisaged that its second- and third-phase rebuilding and expansion will lead to an annual output of two million tons of alumina and 0.3 million tons of electrolytic aluminum by the end of this century. The factory produced 0.7104 million tons of alumina in 1996.

The Guizhou Aluminum Factory, located in Guiyang, is also an extra-large aluminum industrial complex, combining mining and smelting. It was built in 1958, and by 1994 it had formed a production capacity of 0.9 million tons of bauxites, 0.65 million tons of limestones, 0.4 million tons of alumina and 0.19 million tons of electrolytic aluminum. Its output of aluminum ingot ranks first in China, occupying about 10% of the country's total. It produced 36,700 tons of alumina and 0.1598 million tons of electrolytic aluminum in 1996.

The Pingguo Aluminum Industry Company located in Guangxi province, is a large aluminum smelting stock-holding company. It was built in 1991 and was put into production in 1995. An annual production capacity of 0.65 million tons of aluminum concentrate, 0.3 million tons of alumina and 0.1 million tons of electrolytic aluminum was set up after completion of its first-phase construction. An integrated production capacity of 1.20 million tons of alumina, 0.3 million tons of electrolytic aluminum and 0.1 million tons of aluminum shaped products will be built up after completion of the second-phase construction. It produced 82,600 tons of aluminum ingot, 223,700 tons of alumina and 580,800 tons of aluminum concentrate in 1996.

Besides above-mentioned large enterprises there are also several aluminum factories directly under CNNC as follows:

The Fushun Aluminum Factory (Liaoning), which was built in 1936, is the first large complex mainly producing Al, Mg, Si and Ti in China. Four phases of construction were completed from 1952 to 1965. Now it has an annual production capacity of 0.11 million tons of Al, 5,000 tons of Mg, 4,000 tons of industrial Si, 800 tons of Ti, 75,000 tons of aluminum alloys and 15,000 tons of aluminum shaped products. It produced 0.116 million tons of aluminum, 5000 tons of aluminum alloys, 4,096 tons of industrial Si, 519 tons of mossy Ti and 1,497 tons of aluminum shaped materials in 1966.

The Xiangxiang Aluminum Factory was built in 1958. It is a nonferrous metal smelting enterprise, producing mainly fluorides used for aluminum smelting, as well as electrolytic aluminum and others. It produced 52,300 tons of fluorides, 13,000 tons of aluminum ingot and 12,800 tons of aluminum sulfates in 1996.

The Liancheng Aluminum Factory located in Lanzhou, is the largest aluminum smeltery for the time being in the province of Gansu. It began to be built in 1970 and was put into production in 1974, with an annual production capacity of 0.1 million tons of aluminum ingot and 20,000 tons of aluminum alloys and shaped materials. It produced 75,400 tons of aluminum ingot in 1996.

The Huanghe Aluminum Industry Company Ltd., i.e. the former Lanzhou Aluminum Factory, was built in 1958. As a result of repeated extensions, now it has an annual production capacity of 82,000 tons of aluminum ingot. It produced 79,200 tons of aluminum ingot in 1996.

The Qinghai Aluminum Factory is located in the Datong County, Qinghai. An annual production capacity of 0.2 million tons of electrolytic aluminum was designed, and 0.112 million tons of electrolytic aluminum were produced in 1996.

The Qingtongxia Aluminum Factory began to be built in 1964 and was put into production in 1970. As a result of 30 years' construction, now it has an annual production capacity of 0.1 million tons of electrolytic aluminum and 3,000 tons of aluminum shaped products. It produced 0.1021 million tons of aluminum ingot in 1996.

The Baotou Aluminum Factory produced 75,500 tons of aluminum ingot in 1996.

Some important medium-to-small sized aluminum factories affiliated to the provincial and local governments are as follows.

The Jiangsu Aluminum Factory located in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu, began to be built in 1958. As a result of more than 30 years' construction, now it has developed into an unique aluminum smelting and processing base, with an annual production capacity of 12,000 tons of electrolytic aluminum and 23,500 tons of aluminum manufactured materials.

The Zunyi Aluminum Factory was built in 1985 and put into production in 1988, with an annual production capacity of 13,500 tons of aluminum ingot designed.

The Yangquan Aluminum Industry Company Ltd. is a local key enterprise of Yangquan City, Shanxi. As a result of 30 years' construction, now it has an annual production capacity of 30000 tons of electrolytic aluminum, and 5,000 tons of aluminum shaped products. It produced 15,100 tons of electrolytic aluminum in 1966.

The Xiezhou Aluminum Factory is located in Yuncheng area, Shanxi. It has an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons of aluminum and aluminum materials, 3,000 tons of electrolytic aluminum, and 5,000 tons of electrolytic zinc. It produced 30,000 tons of aluminum products, 2,935 tons of refined zinc and 2,443 tons of electrolytic copper in 1996.

Additionally there are also the Shijiazhuang Aluminum Factory, the Ganzhou Aluminum Factory, the Pingxiang Aluminum Factory and so on.