Bauxite residue and disposal database (BRaDD)-an online information centre for bauxites, residue and disposal management

摘要

BRaDD is a free, online database collating all publicly available information on bauxites, their processing and the subsequent production of residue. It includes aspects such as bauxite reserves, ownership and mineralogy through to refinery production figures, thickening, disposal/storage, residue composition and neutralization methods. All information is year-indexed for each known refinery so that industry trends over time, e.g. disposal practice as a function of various refinery sub-sets, can be determined. The nature of the database information is "precompetitive". The database has also been structured to host a wide variety of general user contributed documents related to bauxite residue, e.g., descriptions of residue utilization trials or technologies that normally have a limited or only transient availability. At present the information content of the database is only a fraction of what is possible, which arises from the use to date of public content only and a necessary requirement that all information is citable. To further develop BRaDD into a comprehensive, industrywide resource, citable company information across a range of data fields needs to be made available. BRaDD offers three methods of adding information to its data fields: an online technical data sheet filled out by authorised personnel; a web-based memo, where authorised individuals can post corrections or additional information without having to go through the entire technical data sheet; and via the traditional technical paper published in the public domain. Both the technical data sheets and web-based memos become available to the BRaDD user as pdf documents.