The large-scale sustainable utilization status of bauxite residue (red mud): challenges and perspectives for China

Red mud (abbreviated as RM) is a solid waste formed during the alumina refining process from bauxite. Every year, over 200 million tons of RM are discharged worldwide. China is a large producer of alumina; the entire amount of RM of China in storage exceeds 1 billion tons because there is no technology for large-scale treatment. Extensive studies on the sustainable utilization of RM have been conducted globally in recent decades. Thus, a detailed review is provided here. According to relevant data from institutions such as the International Aluminum Association, the critical situation of production and utilization of RM from 2011 to 2022 for the world and China are analyzed. This paper uses a comprehensive literature database to classify and statistically analyze RM related publications from 2011 to 2022. The results show that research on the comprehensive utilization of RM is mainly focused on three fields of metallurgy, construction, and environment. In these fields, the main issues of not achieving large-scale production of RM in China are discussed. The results indicate that unclear responsibilities, high technical costs, lack of policies and standards, and insufficient cross-disciplinary collaboration are the main reasons. Suggestions of the utilization and development of RM have been proposed.