Alumina is Aluminium Oxide. It is a white granular material.
The Bayer Process is the most economic means of obtaining alumina from bauxite.
To turn bauxite into alumina, we grind the ore and mix it with lime and caustic soda, pump this mix into high-pressure containers, and heat it. The aluminium oxide we’re after is dissolved by the caustic soda, then precipitated out of this solution, washed, and heated to drive off water. What’s left is the sugar-like white powder called alumina, or aluminium oxide (Al2O3).
Approximately two tonnes of alumina are required to produce one tonne of aluminium.
