Author(s)

Mouctar Camara¹, Mamadouba Aboubacar Fofana¹, Mohamed Dubréka Sylla¹, Alpha Madiou Diallo², Aboubacar Diallo^3,4, Aly Hawa Camara⁵, Sékou Traore¹

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry, Conakry, Republic of Guinea.
²Department of Physics, University of N’Zerekore, N’Zerekore, Republic of Guinea.
³Department of Chimie, Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry, Conakry, Republic of Guinea.
⁴Institut Superieure d’Architecture and l’Urbanisme (ISAU), Conakry, Republic of Guinea.
⁵National Laboratory of the Geology, Department from Mines and of the Geology, Conakry, Republic of Guinea.

The chemical and mineralogical composition of bauxite deposits is a key factor in the profitability of refining processes. The study of bauxites from the Saföfö site has assessed variations in chemical and mineralogical composition under various conditions, as well as the optimum conditions for their exploitation. The methodologies used in this study include experimental methods for determining moisture content, chemical composition, mineralogical composition, and specific density of bauxite. The results show significant variation in moisture content among the bauxite samples, with values ranging from 2.90% to 17.80%. The silica percentages in the samples range from 1.69% to 8.14%, while alumina percentages vary from 36.81% to 54.03%. After calcination, alumina oxide percentages range from 40% to 75%. After chemical activation, alumina oxides Al₂O₃ range from 40% to over 50%. Gibbsite is the most abundant mineral, accounting for about 60% - 70% of the total composition of the bauxite samples. Samples A to F have bulk densities varying between approximately 3.6 and 3.9. Sample B has the highest density, around 3.9, while sample C has the lowest, at around 3.5. Bauxite mining at the Saföfö site offers significant potential for the alumina industry, provided appropriate processing methods are selected to maximize quality and profitability while minimizing environmental impact.

Bauxite, Chemical Composition, Guinea, Mineralogy and Saföfö

Camara, M. , Fofana, M. , Sylla, M. , Diallo, A. , Diallo, A. , Camara, A. and Traore, S. (2024) Study of the Chemical and Mineralogical Composition of Kindia Bauxite in the Republic of Guinea: The Case of the Saföfö Site. Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, 12, 62-71. doi: 10.4236/msce.2024.1210005.