In terms of industrial applications, bauxite has a lot of applications. One prominent thing we know about it is that it is very important as the primary ore of aluminium, and we know that this metal is used in a variety of applications. Aside from that, let’s take a look at some of the most common applications for bauxite.
1. Metallurgy
2. In the building material and road accumulates
3. Industries
4. As a catalyst
5. Other Applications
The uses further elaborate as
1. Metallurgy

◦ Bauxite is the prominently used substance to make aluminium.
◦ There are numerous techniques used to extract aluminium from bauxite, such as Bayer Process and Hall-Heroult Process.
◦ The aluminium so obtained utilised extensively in electronic devices, buildings and cars, as well as kitchenware.
◦ This pure aluminium metal may be used in a variety of sectors, including transportation vehicles, building construction, and so on.

2. In the building material and road accumulates

◦ Bauxite is not traditionally used for construction purposes. However, it is often employed in construction projects when alternative materials are unavailable.
◦ As a road aggregate, calcined bauxite can be utilised in some places to prevent accidents.
◦ Bauxite wastes or leftovers known as “red mud” have been utilised to make ceramics with various mechanical characteristics used in the construction of bricks and tiles.
◦ High alumina cement has been proven to be chemically resistant.
◦ Because of these characteristics, it is used in marine shipbuilding.
◦ It is also utilised in precast concrete, water and sewage pipelines, factory chimney construction, and other applications.

3. Industries

◦ It is utilised in a wide range of industries, such as the chemical, refractory, abrasive, cement and steel industries, as well as in the petroleum business.
◦ Bauxite, together with alumina, is used in the production of aluminium compounds, including alumina.
◦ The raw material is used in refractories to make a variety of goods.
◦ It is used in the manufacture of aeroplanes, electric motors, machines, and civil tooling.
◦ Desiccating agents, catalysts, and adsorbents are other uses for it. It is also used in the manufacture of dental cement.
◦ It is also utilised in water purification facilities where alumina works as an absorbent.
◦ Furthermore, bauxite is frequently utilised in the production of paper.

4. Applied as a Catalyst

Alumina (Al2O3) is used as a catalyst in various chemical processes once it has been extracted and purified. For example, activated alumina is used as an adsorbent and catalyst in the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and polyethene. For the elimination of sulphur, arsenic, and fluoride, it serves as a selective adsorbent. Because it absorbs moisture from the environment, it’s used as a dehydrator to keep items like medicines sterile. Filters made of activated alumina are also used to filter some fluorides. Alumina activated may always be recreated in solution form or reactivated with lye which means pure NaOH.

5. Other Applications

◦ Although bauxite has limited uses, it is widely used in papermaking, water purification, and petroleum refining processes.
◦ Aside from rubber, plastic, paint, and cosmetics, bauxite is also employed in other industries.