Pure aluminum is very rare and rarely found in nature. Aluminum compounds in nature are found in various sources such as igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and the like. The most important commercial aluminum mineral is bauxite. It was discovered in **** in the city of Les Beaux in France. Bauxite is a mixture of aluminum hydroxide, iron oxide or hydroxide, titanium oxide, aluminum silicates, kaolin and a small amount of other materials. The total amount of global reserves of bauxite is estimated at 33 billion tons, of which about 75% is in 5 countries, Guinea, Australia, Brazil, Jamaica and India. In Iran, there are bauxite reserves in Abadeh, Jajarm, etc.
Another bauxite rating criterion, in addition to the modulus, is the minimum amount of alumina in it. In Bayer's method, which is the main commercial production method of alumina from bauxite, the minimum amount considered for alumina in bauxite is between 30 and 45% depending on the type of bauxite. On average, 4 tons of high-quality bauxite are needed for each 2 ton of alumina production, and with the decrease in quality and grade (percentage of alumina or Al2O3 in bauxite) and decrease in the modulus ratio (the ratio of the grade of alumina available to the grade of silica in bauxite), the consumption of bauxite has increased and even reaches 6 tons. Bauxite is found in various regions of the world, but its amount in some countries, including Iran, America, Guinea, Australia, Vietnam, India, Jamaica, Brazil, Ghana, China, Greece, Suriname, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Russia are more significant.