Bauxite is a sedimentary rock and is the main source of aluminium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium mineralsgibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (y-AIO(OH)) and diaspore (a-AIO(OH)), mixed with the two iron oxides goethite and haematite, the aluminium clay mineral kaolinite and small amounts of anatase (TiO2) and ilmenite (FeTiO3 or FeO.TiO2).
Besides aluminium production, bauxite is essential ore for refractory and chemical industries. India has 3,896 million tonnes of bauxite reserves which is sufficient to meet both domestic and export demands.