Evaluation of red mud as a polymetallic source – A review

Red mud is an industrial waste generated during alumina production containing residual minerals of bauxite ore. Significant metallic values with appreciable concentration make it a potential polymetallic source. The current red mud management involves storage in artificial ponds/dams or dry stacked in open areas, which poses an environmental risk, and disposal processes are costly. Recently, red mud is utilized for cement production; however, it results in the loss of valuable minerals, which could be strategically advantageous for resource-deficient nations. Red mud utilization for producing concentrate can significantly improve process efficiency of alumina production, reduce industrial liability and environmental impact. The globally generated red muds are compared according to the mineralogy, composition, and associated values. Hematite is the chief constituent in the red mud, with anatase, gibbsite, goethite, quartz, and desilication phases such as cancrinite, sodalite, and olivine in a significant amount. Red mud originated from karst bauxites containing higher rare-earth content as adsorbed ions on the mineral surfaces, isomorphous substitution, and discrete rare-earth minerals such as bastnaesite, xenotime, chuchite, and allanite. Scandium holds 95% of the rare-earth economic value in the red mud and is associated with hematite, goethite, and anatase. The paper presents a critical overview of the laboratory, pilot, and commercial processes employed to recover iron, aluminum, titanium, scandium, and REEs from various red muds. The response parameters such as alumina-to-silica ratio, iron grade, total rare-earth elements were used to determine the appropriate processing route for recovery of metals from red mud. An integrated process is proposed to recover metallic values from the red mud while ensuring minimal waste generation.