EXTRACTION OF

ALUMINUM

Group 8:
Dania Forbes
Shanelle Marshall
Chevaugn Campbell
Rushard Rodney

FACTS
Extraction of Aluminum requires
enormous amount of electricity
Therefore the process usually
takes place in countries with
hydroelectric power stations
since electricity is produced
cheaply.
Jamaica extracts alumina from
bauxite but does not extract
aluminum from alumina since it
does not have the resources to do
the latter.

FACTS
Plays an important
role in the economies
of some countries
Bauxite is the chief
ore of aluminum

Aluminum is one of the

more abundant elements
in the Earths crust but it
is never found in the free
state. It occurs chemically
combined with other
elements, mainly in the
form of aluminosilicates
( minerals which contain
alumina and silica)

IMPORTANCE OF
EXTRACTING ALUMINUM
oThe most widely
used metal after iron
oLow density makes it
used commonly in
Transport Application
(ships, cars, trucks)

oUsed mainly by the

Electronics Industry
oeg. Making of hard disk
drives, silicon chips
oUsed to make cooking
utensils
oUsed in the construction of
buildings (windows and
doors)

HOW IS ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED FROM ITS ORE?

The crude (mined) bauxite must first be refined into

alumina before it can made into aluminum. This is
usually done using the Bayer Process. This process
consists of 4 steps:

Digestion

Clarification (Settling)

Precipitation (Crystallization)

Calcination
.

HOW IS ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED
FROM
ITS
ORE?
Digestion
In the first step, the bauxite ore is ground and slurred with a
solution of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) and pumped into large
pressure tanks called digesters, where the ore is subject to heat
and pressure. The specific conditions vary depending on the
concentration of alumina in the bauxite. The caustic soda reacts
with the alumina to form a saturated, soluble solution of sodium
aluminate, while the insoluble impurities, called red mud, are
removed in the next step, Clarification.

HOW IS ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED
FROM
ITS
ORE?
Clarification (Settling)
The first stage in clarification is to separate the insoluble impurities
(red mud) from the sodium aluminate solution by sedimentation.
Flocculants are used to aid in the sedimentation process. The red mud
sinks to the bottom of the settling tanks and is then transferred to
washing tanks where it undergoes a series of washing stages to
recover the caustic soda. This is done for two reasons:
The caustic soda can be reused in the digestion process
Caustic soda is highly toxic and corrosive and can have adverse
effects on the environment

HOW IS ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED
FROM
ITS
ORE?
Precipitation (Crystallization)
After Clarification, the saturated sodium aluminate solution is
cooled and pumped into silo-like precipitators. In this stage, the
alumina is recovered by crystallisation from the solution. The
crystallization process is driven by progressive cooling of the
solution, resulting in the formation of small crystals of aluminium
hydroxide Al(OH)3, which then grow and agglomerate to form
larger crystals. The agglomerates of aluminium hydroxide crystals
are filtered and washed to remove entrained caustic or solution.

HOW IS ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED
FROM
ITS
ORE?
Calcination
The agglomerates are calcined roasting them to temperatures of up to
1100C to drive off free moisture and chemically-connected water,
producing alumina solids. There are different calcination technologies in
use, including gas suspensioncalciners, fluidised bedcalcinersand
rotary kilns.
Alumina, a white powder, is the product of this step and the final
product of the Bayer Process, ready for shipment to aluminium
smelters or the chemical industry.

HOW IS ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED FROM ITS ORE?

HOW IS
ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED
FROM isITS
Electrolysis
usedORE?
to extract

Aluminum from alumina.

(aluminium appears high in the
reactivity series and hence it is
strongly bonded to its ore)
Electrolysis is the process by
which electric current is
passed through a mixture and
results in a substance in the
mixture to gain or lose
electrons( reduction and
oxidation).

HOW IS
ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED
FROM
ITS
ORE?
Pure alumina, which melts at
2050C, is dissolved in molten
cryolite (sodium aluminum
fluoride-Na3AlF6). The addition of
the cryolite:
i. Lowers the melting
temperature to 950C.
ii. Gives the melt better
conducting properties
iii. Does not mix with the
aluminum metal formed during
electrolysis

HOW IS
ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED
FROM ITS ORE?

Power requirements are

5V and 100 000 A
The electrolyte is the
molten mixture of
aluminum oxide and
cryolite
Both electrodes
(cathode & Anode) are
graphite

HOW IS
ALUMINUM
Anode
EXTRACTED
is the positive
electrode(
shortage
electrons)
FROM
ITSofORE?

and hence oxygen will lose

electrons(be oxidized) once in
contact with graphite anodes.
2O2-(l) - 4e-= O2(g) (Oxidation)
The oxygen gas reacts with the
graphite anode to produce carbon
dioxide. This gas causes the
anode to erode and hence it has
to be replaced a lot.

HOW IS
ALUMINUM
EXTRACTED
Cathode
FROMis the
ITSnegative
ORE?

electrode ( abundance of
electrons) and hence
aluminum will gain electrons
( be reduced) once in contact
with graphite cathode.
Al3+(l) + 3 e- Al(l)
(Reduction)
Molten aluminum is drained
off.

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?
v=r_wnl5Bp0e0

REFERENCES
http://www.britannica.co
m/science/electrolysis
http://www.crscientific.co
m/electrolysis.html

Heinemann Chemistry
for CSEC

THE END