The prospects of using wastes of alumina industry – red mud as contact masses for utilization of sulphur containing gases have been studied. The properties of contact masses prepared on the basis of red mud and layered montmorillonite – bentonite (natural) have been researched. Primary material has been studied using physicol-chemical methods of analysis. Optimum composition of contact mass, conditions of their thermal processing have been determined. It was established that clay leads to considerable increase of mechanical characteristics of contact masses comparing to pure red mud. Granulated samples have been tested in reduction processes of sulphur dioxide with methane and hydrogen sulphide and their high activity has been shown.