Talk:Red mud

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Merging this article Bauxite tailings into Red mud, and renaming the article into the new proposed title: Red mud (bauxite residue or bauxite tailings)
Since no one opposes to merging the article Bauxite tailings into the article Red mud, and everyone on this dicussions agreed on the merging; I'm sure its completely legal to proceed with merging both articles. I already moved all the significant info from the bauxite tailings article into this Red mud article, so it's already ready to be merged. About how to rename the merged article, my suggestion is that it would work the best to feature in the title both of the names the material is most commonly refered as: red mud & baxite tailings, as that would ensure there's no confusion. Since I do not know how to merge articles, I encourage anyone who knows how to do it, to please do it. So to speed up the proccess, I suggest renaming the article into the new title:  Red mud (bauxite tailings) .

Also whoever does the merge, don't forget the titles: red mud and bauxite tailings should redirect to this article. --Rosvel92 (talk) 02:32, 12 October 2017 (UTC)User:Rosvel92Rosvel92 (talk)


 * I agree, I think it makes sense to merge the pages and it should also include the name Bauxite residue, which an alternative name for red mud.Kenevans (talk) 08:26, 17 September 2019 (UTC)
 * This was already done and Bauxite residue redirects there as well. Pelirojopajaro (talk) 08:28, 17 September 2019 (UTC)

Sodalite
Why is sodalite listed as a component of bauxite? Sodalite occurs in very specific, alkaline, IGNEOUS rocks, and not sedimentary/weathering rocks like bauxite. The more, bauxites mainly form due to weathering of granitic rocks; at least 90% of granites lack sodalite in composition --> it can't get to bauxite from the parent granite. Sodalite can't also be formed in a bauxite due to the weathering process. Eudialytos (talk) 20:29, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

Terminology
I've looked into the relative use of the different terms listed in the first sentence by searching each, in quotes, on Google Scholar along with the word "aluminium" to help exclude any other uses of "red mud" and "red sludge". The number of results for each is as follows:
 * "red mud": 9 110
 * "bauxite residue": 4,900
 * "bauxite residues": 1,120
 * "bauxite tailings": 377
 * "red sludge": 248
 * "alumina refinery residues": 50

Based on this, the current title ("bauxite tailings") is quite uncommon and "red mud" is instead the commonest name. Although the term could also be used for any mud that's red, in practice it doesn't seem to be ambiguous. So renaming this article to "red mud" seems pretty uncontroversial.

In addition, the last three terms seem to be pretty uncommon, so it seems better to move them out of the first sentence. I'm going to go ahead and implement these changes, but of course, I'm open to discussion if I've missed something.—Neil Shah-Quinn (talk) 11:44, 4 October 2020 (UTC)

Under Composition, it fails to list liquids present. As it is "mud". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.182.57.212 (talk) 15:15, 9 January 2021 (UTC) Most red mud is now filtered so there is relatively little liquid associated with it. Plants will wash the material on the filter to recover as much of the caustic soda as possible as it is a valuable material for the plant.

I agree that the term 'bauxite tailings' is uncommon but 'Bauxite residue' is a better term than 'Red mud'. Red mud was the historical term, however, now nearly all the research papers, books and articles in the scientific community refer to Bauxite residue. Bauxite residue is the residual material remaining after the treatment of bauxite using the Bayer process and comprises a coarse fraction, high in crystalline silica, and a finer component, high in iron oxides, referred to as mud. In many factories they are separated and used in different ways. The coarse material is used for roads etc within the residue disposal area whilst the mud is deposited. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kenevans (talk • contribs) 18:19, 10 February 2021 (UTC)