China Will Become the World's Largest Synthetic Fused Alumina Producer

Fused Alumina is divided into corundum and synthetic fused alumina. Corundum is a kind of pure alumina (Al₂O₃).The main mineral composition of synthetic fused alumina is a physical fused alumina. Synthetic fused alumina includes brown fused alumina, white fused alumina (WA), pink fused alumina (PA), zirconium alumina (ZA), black fused alumina (BA), single-crystal fused alumina (SA), Monocrystalline alumina (MA), etc. Brown fused alumina is mainly made from bauxite, iron filings and anthracite coal by smelting reduction in electric arc furnace, and other fused alumina produced by adding a certain amount derived material of other oxides in the smelting process of different aluminum oxide. Brown fused alumina and white fused alumina of them are widely used.

Analysts point out that: Abrasives has been known as "industrial teeth", which is not only closely related with equipment manufacturing, aerospace, shipbuilding, new energy, automotive, home appliance and electronic information industries, but also has penetrated into every aspect of people's life. China, India and Russia have become the largest market of synthetic fused alumina in the product sales growth. And China will surpass the United States as the world's largest producer of synthetic fused alumina.

At present, our country has become a big consumption super-country of synthetic fused alumina, but not power. International synthetic fused alumina products are also concentrated in the low-end market, whose technical content is low. There are still large gap compared with the international advanced level considering the lack of the international high-end technology products. Our high-end product function can not be compared with foreign products, and it only can meet 30% of the industries demand for automotive, aerospace, machine tools, bearings, rolling stock and ships. Most export products still belong to the traditional medium-high grade.

Fused Alumina needs certain hardness and toughness, and can be granulating processed into different size range and tidy and uniform particle shape, with high temperature stability and chemical stability. Mohs hardness of brown fused alumina is 9, and the microhardness is 1800-2200kg/mm2. Mohs hardness of white fused alumina is also 9, and its microhardness is 2200-2400 kg/mm2, which is second only to that of diamond. Brown fused alumina and white fused alumina are the main materials to make bonded abrasives and high-grade refractory materials and products, which can also be used to prevent slippery, grinding, investment casting, advanced ceramics, etc.

It is reported that in our country the sales revenue of synthetic fused alumina industry reached 18.38 billion RMB in 2013, increasing by 8.9% than the year earlier. In 2012, the sales revenue of synthetic fused alumina industry reached 16.882 billion RMB, with year-on-year growth of more than 40.4%.

There are still small and medium-sized enterprises within synthetic fused alumina industry in our country, especially small-sized enterprises. The number of small enterprises within synthetic fused alumina is in great amount but the sales revenue is relatively less; The fewer medium-sized enterprises, the more sales revenue. Compared to the medium-sized enterprises, the small enterprises is weak, and the ability of technology innovation is also weak. In addition, the backward production equipment and poor product quality make them at a disadvantage in the competition.　　

From the regional point of view, the production enterprises of synthetic fused alumina in China are mainly concentrated in east China and south China, especially in east China that belongs to the majority. From the point of specific provinces, in Guizhou, Henan and Shandong, there are intensive production enterprises of synthetic fused alumina, which focus on the national most synthetic fused alumina production enterprises.

From the sales area, it is mainly concentrated in east China, south China and north China region, and these areas are the downstream industries of synthetic fused alumina.