Environmental impact of bauxite residue：a comprehensive review

doi:10.7523/j.issn.2095-6134.2017.04.001

Abstract

Abstract: Bauxite residue is a solid waste in the industrial process of aluminum oxide, and it is characterized by high alkalinity and salinity and has no large volume of utilization. Presently, bauxite residue is still stored or dumped on land. The high rate of bauxite residue spill and pollution episode and the impact of bauxite residue seriously threaten sustainable development of alumina industry. On the basis of reviewing the literature in recent 30 years, this review summarizes the physical properties, chemical properties, and biological toxicity, focuses on the four dimensions of environmental impacts of bauxite residue, including the chronic and potential problems of disposal, utilization, and revegetation, and emphasizes the acute and sudden environmental risk to surrounding soil, water, and ecosystem with a typical bauxite residue repository failure case. Given the concerned problems of disposal and utilization of bauxite residue, future research directions are also discussed in this paper. This will provide a scientific reference for the large-scale disposal of bauxite residue and ecological rehabilitation, and ensure the healthy development of alumina industry.

Key words: bauxite residue, alumina industry, bauxite residue disposal, bauxite residue utilization, environmental impact

CLC Number:

X503

XUE Shengguo, LI Yubing, GUO Ying. Environmental impact of bauxite residue：a comprehensive review[J]. , 2017, 34(4): 401-412.

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