How does synthetic cryolite production affect China's aluminum smelting cost structure?

How does synthetic cryolite production affect China's aluminum smelting cost structure?
Natural cryolite, once sourced almost exclusively from Greenland's Ivigtut mine, has been exhausted after nearly 150 years of serving global aluminum production. Today, China's aluminum industry relies entirely on synthetic cryolite, primarily manufactured from fluorite, which is converted to hydrofluoric acid and then reacted with alumina and soda ash. The shift from natural to synthetic supply has made fluorite the critical upstream constraint. China's fluorite reserves, concentrated in Zhejiang's Wuyi region, support a robust domestic supply chain, but fluorite is not inexpensive. Each ton of aluminum consumes roughly 15-20 kg of aluminum fluoride, used to adjust the cryolite molecular ratio in electrolytic cells. With China's aluminum capacity around 40 million tons, fluoride salt demand remains substantial, tying cryolite pricing closely to fluorite costs and downstream aluminum economics.