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Introduction
Bauxite is the main geological ore ofaluminum3. It is the most abundant element on the earths crust.
Its most common state consists of minerals in the impure hydrated form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3-
3H2O); other states of bauxite also include gibbsite, (Al(OH)3)b. Bauxite is not a crystal, but a claylike and
earthy brick, that ranges from colour white to deep brown or red, according to the nature and quantity
of it constituents. Bauxite was first discovered in Les Baux, France b, and is widely distributed across the
world occurring in Africa, South America, Russia, the West Indies, Australia and The United States. The
ore may contain impurities (iron oxide, silicon dioxide, titanium and gallium) as much as 50 percent by
mass. The reddish colour3 indicates the presence of much iron in the ore.
The mining of bauxite for its ore is vital for the economic importance in some Caribbean countries,
namely, Jamaica and Guyana. Bauxite production in the Caribbean constitutes over forty percent of the
worlds output, most originating from Jamaica. Bauxite mining in Guyana started in 19171. There,
bauxite is only extracted from its ore. It is exported in its raw form specifically for the manufacture of
aluminum. Other uses of the extracted mineral include production of cement, abrasives and refractory
bricks. Bauxite in Guyana is found where there is white sand. The diagram below shows the mainbauxite locations in Guyana.
1.
Figure 1.
1,3,b.see reference
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The bauxite industry in Guyana has expanded considerably, estimating 17 percent c of the national GDP y
(gross domestic product- 1980) and 12 percent 1 (2010). The economic activity has become a highly
mechanised task, although the stratum of bauxite mining in Guyana is only confined to bauxite
production. Factors that influence the location and production of the industries include availability of
transport medium, water supply and fuel.
In Guyana there are four main types of bauxiteb
:
calcined bauxite (RASC) metal grade bauxite (MAZ) chemical grade bauxite (CGB) aluminum ores cement grade bauxite (ACGB)
Over the years, the drilling and clearing of land, removal of sand and clay and cleaning of the ore has
shown variations in the quantities of bauxite produced, as well as the types of bauxite produced. With
approximately 1500 b millions tonnes of bauxite reserves in Guyana, it is obvious that the industry will
make a significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Product.
This project seeks to analyze the trend in bauxite production for the period ending 2000 to 2009.
1,b,csee reference ;
ysee bibliography
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Data Collection
Data was collected from secondary sources. Annual statistics on national data are published by The
Bureau of Statistics. It is opportune to download the required information, since the presentation is
conveniently categorized, making it readily available for analyses.
Other necessary information (GDP statistics, exports and import stock charts, and rainfall statistics) werealso obtained from the Bureau of Statistics and the Hydro-meteorological Office.
Supplementary data were also obtained from a number of books and internet sources.
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Presentationof Data
Table 1
Year Total
Production
Dried Calcined Chemical
2000 2651 2443 106 1022001 1987 1709 91 187
2002 1639 1449 62 128
2003 1712 1460 87 165
2004 1504 1261 132 111
2005 1676 1287 213 176
2006 1374 1055 150 169
2007 2198 1776 196 226
2008 1995 1454 232 309
2009 1463 1114 129 220
Totals 18199 15008 1398 1793
Table 1 shows the totals and types of bauxite production figures in metric tonnes for the period of 2000-
2009 in Guyana
Figure 2
Figure 1 is a comparative bar chart comparing each years bauxite production for the period under
review with the previous years production.
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Bauxite/tonnes
Year
Total Production Previous Year's Production
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Figure 3
Figure 2 is a pie chart showing the proportion of dried, calcined and chemical bauxite produced over the
ten year period.
82%
8%
10%
Dried
Calcined
Chemical
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Figure 4
Figure 4 is a scatter diagram with the least squares regression line that illustrates the regression of
bauxite production over the ten year period. Year one, is taken to be 2000.
-
[ ][
]
r = -0.4064
2651
1987
16391712
1504
1676
1374
2198
1995
1463
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Bauxitep
roduciton/tonnes
Time/years
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Data Analysis
The data table summarises the total production of bauxite as per type over the ten-year period, 2000 -
2009.
Dried bauxite (chemical grade bauxite) recorded the highest of total production (2000-2009). Both
calcined and chemical bauxite are seen to be expansive in production, specifically noticeable in thelatter five years. This increase in chemical grade bauxite can take the form of local usage in manufacture
of chemicals and fertilisers such as aluminum sulphates. The increase in calcined bauxite which is
particularly used for the manufacture of abrasives may have local use related to the intensification of
paved roads in and around many sub-urbanised places in Guyana. RASC yand CBG ybauxite would not be
exported in such small quantities produced.
Together, the dried, calcined and chemical bauxite comprise the total bauxite that Guyana had
produced for the indicated time period. The fact, obtained from the Bureau of Statistics of Guyana, that
previously, the bauxite industry produced AAC yand ACBG ybauxite, concludes a reduction in
diversification of the economic activity in the country. Assessing the time period 2000-2009 makes avery useful study when this comparison is made. Further, upon analysing the comparative bar graph,
one would notice a general decrease in bauxite production over the years. This can be supplemented by
the scatter graph, in Figure 4, which shows a negatively sloping trend line with a correlation coefficient
of -0.4064 (see above), indicating a slow decrease in bauxite production as the years progressed. The
bar graph reveals that a majority of the bauxite production does not surpass the previous years
production. This is explicitly noted in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009. Year 2000 showed the
largest amount of bauxite produced for the period under review. In fact, this is the largest production
achieved in the last 20 years 1.
In that year, aluminum prices were the lowest recorded, $US 1500 3 per metric tonne, indicating that the
supply would have been relatively high world-wide, causing a decline in bauxite prices. This meant that
the industry had to produce enough bauxite to compensate for the reduced prices. While bauxite
production was high that year, rice, sugar and diamond and gold production in Guyana were normal
relative to marginal years production. This concludes that Guyanas bauxite production for 2000 was
independent of the nations economic activity. Following this, the next year, 2001, showed a very
significant decline in total bauxite production, as much as 500 metric tonnes (25 percent) less than
2000(table 1). However, the amount of calcined and chemical bauxite produced was seemingly
unaffected. To note though, statistics gathered from the Georgetown hydro-meteorological office
indicates that in 2001, rainfall totals were very low; lowest for the period 1993-2004. This shortage of
water, especially in the drought prone region of the bauxite belt(figure 1), could have been a big set-
back, as most of the bauxite ore is obtained via water blasting.
The following years, 2002-2006, illustrates a steady decline in bauxite production, which is not very
significant. The production can be considered to be linear as it fluctuated between 1750-1350 metric
tonnes, and seen in Figure 4. However, production was still decreasing as indicated by Figure 2.
1,3see reference
ysee introduction
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This trend is consistent with rising world aluminum prices 3 at that time, which indicates that the world
demand for bauxite had decreased. This was perhaps partly due to the economic recession of 2004,
where Australia, Russia and the United States were significantly affected.
Production dropped as much as 38 percent relative to 2000 in 2002 and continued to fall with the
smallest production for the entire period under review being in 2006, just over half of that produced in
2000. The years 2002 and 2005 showed similar production quantities with 2002 having a marginal 37tonnes more than in 2005. On the other hand, as total production lessened, specifically dried bauxite,
the amounts of calcined bauxite and chemical bauxite increased consistently from 2002-2005, only until
the bad year of 2006.
In 2007, bauxite production recorded another large increase in production, incongruent with the 2002-
2006 decrease, which faintly prolonged until 2009. This augmentation is seen specifically to be affiliated
with the substantial increase in worldwide aluminum prices, reaching a mere $US 3000 3 per metric
tonne. Such a large increase in aluminum prices cannot be solely related to a drop in demand in
aluminum but rather an increase in demand, perhaps after the economic recession when automobile
and transport manufacturing systems would have been recovering from their slump. In 2007, the
increase in total bauxite production was the highest recorded consecutive increase for the period. This
was noted by a remarkable 60 percent increase relative to 2006, the previous year, but still almost one
fifth (453 tonnes) deficit (17 percent) of the total bauxite produced in 2000. The year also showed an
increase in dried, calcined and chemical bauxite. The year 2008 indicates drop in total production, one
tenth of that in 2007, and similar to that produced in 2001. However, while the amount of dried bauxite
decreased (18 percent), calcined and chemical bauxite produced increased, as much as an 18 percent
increase in calcined bauxite and 36 percent for chemical bauxite. The decrease in total production
intensified in 2009, with the reduction being only one third that of 2007.
3,bsee reference
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ConclusionThis research provided evidence to make appropriate deductions from the intended purpose of study.
The bauxite industry in Guyana is made functional by the bauxite reserves in Guyana. Therefore, one
would expect the reserves to be finite. Sustainable management of the industry will ensure no mis-use
of the natural resource as well as any negative effects on the environment in close proximity to theindustry. Hence, a controllable and reasonable output is produced from the bauxite industry in Guyana,
in sufficient quantities to meet export demands. No local facilities exist for processing raw bauxite into
value-added products.
Economically, since the industry is dependent on export demands, pricing is not controlled by Guyana.
In this regard the country must subject itself to the vagaries of the fragile international economic crisis
and subsequently feel the shocks of the market.
Nevertheless, the industry provides employment for a significant percentage of the workforce. The
bauxite industry contributes, albeit in a small way, to the Gross Domestic Product.
Efficiencies of scale are important for the maximum possible performance of this industry.
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Reference
Web links1. http://www.guyanaguide.com/bauxite.html2. http://www.statisticsguyana.gov.gy/pubs/stats_bulletin_(thematic_area).zip[for all data
included in research]
3. http://www.infomine.com/chartsanddata/chartbuilder.aspx?z=f&g=127675&dr=15y4. http://www.reference.com/browse/bauxite
Booksa. Caribbean Education Publishers Ltd,
Mahadeo D. Rudolph,
Statistical Analysis for CAPE, First Edition 2007
b. Myrana Bernard (et al),Science In Daily Life Book 3
c. Malcolm Cross,Urbanization and Urban Growth in the Caribbean, 1979
d. Nelson Publishers, David Waugh,Geography An Integrated Approach,
http://www.guyanaguide.com/bauxite.htmlhttp://www.guyanaguide.com/bauxite.htmlhttp://www.statisticsguyana.gov.gy/pubs/stats_bulletin_(thematic_area).ziphttp://www.statisticsguyana.gov.gy/pubs/stats_bulletin_(thematic_area).ziphttp://www.infomine.com/chartsanddata/chartbuilder.aspx?z=f&g=127675&dr=15yhttp://www.infomine.com/chartsanddata/chartbuilder.aspx?z=f&g=127675&dr=15yhttp://www.reference.com/browse/bauxitehttp://www.reference.com/browse/bauxitehttp://www.reference.com/browse/bauxitehttp://www.infomine.com/chartsanddata/chartbuilder.aspx?z=f&g=127675&dr=15yhttp://www.statisticsguyana.gov.gy/pubs/stats_bulletin_(thematic_area).ziphttp://www.guyanaguide.com/bauxite.html7/31/2019 MathApp1_IAfinaledit
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Glossary
Catalogued from Microsoft Encarta 2009
Aluminium/aluminum - silvery white, light metallic element that is ductile, malleable, and resistant tocorrosion. Source: bauxite. Use: lightweight construction, corrosion-resistant materials
Gross Domestic Product- an index of the prices of goods and services in which each is weighted to representits importance in the gross domestic product. It allows changes in money value and real output in GDP to be
distinguished.
Gallium- a rare metallic element, blue-gray when solid and silver when liquid. Source: coal, bauxite. Use: high-temperature thermometers, semiconductors, alloys
Incongruent - not corresponding in structure or content
Silicon dioxide - a colorless transparent solid that melts at a very high temperature. Use: manufacture ofmicrochips
Titanium- strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant silvery metallic element. Source: rutile, ilmenite. Use:manufacture of alloys for aerospace industry
Water blast/blastingremoving via water blast, especially using high pressures
24th April 2011