Both white aluminum oxide (WA)and brown aluminum oxide(A) are artificial abrasives whose main component is aluminum oxide.
First of all, the raw materials of white aluminum oxide and brown aluminum oxide are directly or indirectly derived from the naturally occurring bauxite (bauxite) mineral. The raw material alumina powder of white aluminum oxide is extracted from the smelting of bauxite by the Bayer process. The raw material of brown aluminum oxide is the homogenized bauxite mineral.
Secondly, Al2O3 purity. The alumina of white aluminum oxide is higher in purity, and its hardness and self-sharpening are also higher than those of brown aluminum oxide. As a grinding material, brown aluminum oxide has higher toughness than white aluminum oxide. Therefore, most of the grinding wheel products used for barren grinding use brown aluminum oxide as the main raw material. Even high-grade and durable heavy-duty grinding wheels and rail grinding wheels will choose brown aluminum oxide mixed with other abrasive grains such as zirconia aluminum oxide to produce. For grinding that requires sharpness, high work efficiency, especially for stainless steel materials, the advantages of white aluminum oxide are more obvious.
Third, the price of white aluminum oxide is closely related to the price of alumina powder, and will also be affected by the supply and demand relationship of imported alumina powder. The price of brown aluminum oxide is more affected by the bauxite market. In terms of smelting cost, the electricity cost per ton of brown aluminum oxide is 40-50% higher than that of white aluminum oxide. In recent years, the price of brown aluminum oxide tends to be higher than that of white aluminum oxide.
Finally, in some uses that white aluminum oxide and brown corundum can replace, such as conventional grinding, sandblasting, and surface treatment industries, users can have more freedom of choice. This also indirectly affects the supply and demand relationship in the respective markets of white corundum and brown corundum, so the prices of the two have a certain linkage.
