Top 7 Largest Bauxite Producing States in India

An aluminous rock, Bauxite which is embodied with hydrated aluminum oxide is referred to as the main component along with iron oxide, silica, and titania in different amounts. It is also deemed to be one of the major non-ferrous metals for the automated industry. Additionally, bauxite is also an important ore for refractory and chemical industries.

The metal is mostly used to make aluminum via the Bayer process. In the steel industry, it also serves as a slag corrector, replacing fluorite. Few industries such as the chemical, refractory, abrasive, cement, steel, and gasoline industries are among those that use bauxite. A vital ingredient in the production of equipment, electric motors, machinery, and civil tools is bauxite. Lateritic bauxite is widely utilized as a construction material when no other options are available. Calcined bauxite is used by construction companies as an anti-skid road material in specific locations to reduce accidents. Additionally, bauxite is utilized in the rubber, plastic, paint, and cosmetics industries.

Bauxite Reserves in India

Bauxite
Image Credit: Rock & Gem Magazine

India has an ample amount of bauxite reserves that can satisfy domestic as well as export needs. Among the other countries such as Guinea, Australia, Brazil, and Vietnam, the reservoirs of Bauxite in India stand as the fifth largest in the world. In our nation, 90% of the bauxite is of a metallic range. With around 325,269 thousand tons of bauxite deposits, Odisha alone accounts for over half of India’s bauxite output. According to Indian Bureau of Mines data, 11,447,740 tons of bauxite were produced in Odisha in 2017–18.

The state’s primary bauxite belt extends into Andhra Pradesh from the districts of Koraput and Kalahandi. The belt is between 950 and 1,300 meters thick, 40 to 100 km broad, and 300 km long. There is now a bauxite mineral market in the region because of the recently constructed aluminum factory in Damanjoli. Another factory is planned to be built in Doragurha, which would aid in boosting the bauxite market. There are also reports of bauxite deposits in Rajasthan, Jammu, Kashmir, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and the U.S.

Aluminum is made from an abundant amount of bauxite, which is used up to 80% of the process. Bauxite exports from India have significantly decreased as a result of rising domestic demand. Nevertheless, India can export a modest amount of bauxite. Italy (60 percent), the United Kingdom (25 percent), Germany (9 percent), and Japan are the top exporters of bauxite from India (4 percent).

List of The largest bauxite-producing states in India:

You can discover some of the top and biggest bauxite-producing states in India in this section. India is full of bauxite resources, around 3896 million tons of reserves are there, that are substantial enough to fulfill the export and domestic demands. Let’s now examine a few of India’s major bauxite-producing states.

1. Orissa

The largest bauxite-producing state in India, Orissa accounts for almost half of the nation’s total output. In 2016, the Odisha government decided to work with the state-owned enterprise Odisha Mining Corporation to start providing bauxite to Vedanta Resources for the Lanjigarh aluminum smelter in March 2017.  The state’s total viable reserves are expected to be 1,370.5 million tons. The districts of Kalahandi, Koraput, and Baragarh have the majority of the world’s bauxite reserves. This belt is known to be the largest bauxite-bearing region of the country and is about 300km long, 40 to 100 km wide, and 950 to 1300 meters thick.  The major compounds are located in the districts of Kalahandi, Koraput, Sundargarh, Bolangir, and Sambalpur.

In Orissa, there are two massive high-level bauxite reserves. The largest one is in Panchpatmali (Koraput district) and the second one is the Gandha Mardan (Baragarh district).

2. Gujarat

The next one that comes on the list of bauxite production is Gujarat. Over 15% of all the bauxite produced in India is produced in Gujarat, the country’s second-largest producer. The estimated 87.5 million tons of total deposits are mostly discovered in Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kheda, Kachchh, Sabarkantha, Amreli, and Bhavnagar. The most substantial deposits are found in a 48 km long and 3 to 4.5 km broad that runs across the districts of Bhavnagar, Junagadh, and Amreli between the Gulf of Kachchh and the Arabian Sea.

3. Jharkhand

This is another state that is considered for the great production of bauxite in the country. The estimated total recoverable bauxite reserves in Jharkhand are 63.5 million tons. These reservoirs may be found throughout large portions of the Gumla, Ranchi, Lohardaga, and Palamu districts. Dumka and Munger districts also have some bauxite. In Lohardaga and the surrounding regions, high-quality ore may also be found.

4. Maharashtra

The state that comes in the fourth number for the production of bauxite is Maharashtra. 10% of the bauxite produced in India overall is generated in Maharashtra. According to estimates, the state’s total recoverable reserves amount to around 87.7 million tons. The plateau basalts are capped by the greatest deposits, which are located in the Kolhapur district. Rich deposits with an alumina concentration of 52 to 89 percent may be found in the Kolhapur district’s Udgeri, Dhangarwadi, Radhanagari, and Inderganj. Thane, Ratnagiri, Satara, and Pune are the other areas with sizable deposits.

5. Chhattisgarh

Yet another state that is known for bauxite production is Chhattisgarh. Over 6% of India’s bauxite production comes from Chhattisgarh. Some sites with abundant bauxite resources are the Maikala range in Bilaspur, the Durg districts, and the Amarkantak plateau regions of Surguja, Raigarh, and Bilaspur.

6. Tamil Nadu

The sixth bauxite-producing state in India is Tamil Nadu. Estimated at 17.2 million tonnes, Tamil Nadu’s bauxite deposits are concentrated in the Nilgiri, Salem, and Madurai districts. Tamil Nadu supplies a little over 2% of India’s bauxite because of the bauxite-producing districts of Nilgiri and Salem.

7. Madhya Pradesh

The Amarkantak plateau region, the Maikala range in the Shahdol, Mandla, and Balaghat districts, and the Kotni area of the Jabalpur district are the key producers in Madhya Pradesh.

Others

The states of Andhra Pradesh (Vishakhapatnam, East Godavari, and West Godavari), Kerala (Kannur, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram), Rajasthan (Kota), Uttar Pradesh (Banda, Lalitpur, and Varanasi), Jammu and Kashmir (Jammu, Poonch, and Udhampur), and Goa are also home to certain bauxite deposits.

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