digital divide network - article database

Local ore processing developed mainly during the last decade. In 1974, Third World mining countries were processing one-third of their mineral output, that is, an equivalent proportion as in 1950!

The extent of local processing varies consistent with the physical characteristics of the minerals. The purely technical necessity of processing is in fact greater for copper ore, of which the metal content is between 0.5% and 4%, than for iron or bauxite ores, that have a grade of fifty or a lot of. The processing technology conjointly plays some role in location selections. Thus, for copper and bauxite, processing technology is discontinuous, that makes attainable the segmentation of the assembly method over completely different countries. except for iron ore, this segmentation is not possible as smelting and refining should be located on a similar web site. however the new technique of the direct reduction of iron ore by hydrocarbons currently permits for less than one production stage being located within the mining country, that is, the assembly of pre-reduced iron pellets which might be exported. The terribly specific technology associated with uranium, however, needs its processing to be located within the consuming countries.

Other, non-technical, factors verify, of course, the degree of native processing of minerals within the Third World. As a rule, native processing for copper is far a lot of developed than for iron ore and for iron ore quite for bauxite.

In 1980, Zambia processed ninety seven of its copper ore into blister and ninetieth of its blister into refined copper, whereas the corresponding figures for Zaire were ninety four and forty sixth. These figures are comparatively high by comparison to those of different Third World copper producers: eightieth and hour for Chile: ninetieth and two hundredth for Peru; and far lower percentages within the Philippines and in Papua New Guinea. Bauxite processing, however, is a smaller amount developed in Africa, and there's only 1 alumina smelter, located in Guinea, that transforms solely atiny low fraction of the regionally made bauxite ore. Lastly, the steel trade is completely absent within the main iron ore manufacturing countries.

The unbalanced processing of copper in Africa

By the top of the Nineteen Seventies, Africa's output of refined copper amounted to 1 million tons, or 100 percent of world output. A by no means that negligible proportion however it ought to be compared to Africa's higher shares within the world output of blister (15%) and of ore concentrates (17%). There was, and still is, a very important gap between the smelting and also the refining capability.

Refined copper is principally for export, and native consumption is just 1 Chronicles of world consumption, though it increased notably within the Nineteen Seventies. It is, moreover, highly targeted in such countries as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Algeria and Egypt, that aren't massive copper producers.

African exports of copper ore and concentrates represent solely atiny low proportion of the planet total (5%), which implies that, in contrast to within the manufacturing countries of Asia and Oceania, the ore output in Africa is, for the foremost half, regionally processed. however African exports of blister represent between forty fifth and fifty fifth of the planet total, which suggests that an honest a part of blister production isn't processed regionally. The smelting stage of copper processing is therefore the foremost developed in relative terms in African countries, particularly in South Africa, Namibia and Zaire.

Lastly, production of finished copper product (wire, tubes, sheets) is incredibly restricted and also the existing facilities are generally underutilized.

Bauxite processing and aluminium production in Africa

Aluminium consumption is extraordinarily low in Africa, outside South Africa, and is principally targeted in North Africa, Egypt and Nigeria. Consumption levels are, however, removed from those of developed countries (22 kilograms per head within the USA, fifteen in Japan, seven in France and within the USSR).

Aluminium production in Africa is concerning 3 times above consumption, however whereas the previous is, for the foremost half, exported, the latter is roofed mainly by imports. Africa's relative shares in world output are 14 July for bauxite, 0.02% for alumina and a pair of.6% for aluminium. though exceeding the domestic wants, aluminium output is well below the extent that can be reached by processing all native bauxite, and this is applicable to an ever larger extent to alumina. Also, the very fact that aluminium production is above the assembly of alumina implies that the previous depends on imported alumina. whereas the aluminium refineries of Ghana, Egypt, and Cameroun import alumina, the bauxite producers export their production in an exceedingly raw kind.

There are, however, vital investment comes for aluminium, in Guinea, of course, however conjointly in Cameroun, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zaire and Madagascar. the foremost advanced are on the bauxite fields of Tougue, Dabola and Ayekoye in Guinea. the dimensions of every of those comes is similar to gift African consumption, so even their partial implementation can increase the aluminium surplus of the continent and substitute the export of aluminium (and/or alumina) for that of bauxite.triboelectric separator