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Bauxite is strip mined (surface mining) because it is found at the surface, with little or no overburden. Approximately 95% of the world's bauxite production is processed into aluminum. Bauxites are typically classified according to their intended commercial application: metallurgical, abrasive, cement, chemical and refractory.

here's how.Bauxites are heated in pressure vessels with sodium hydroxide solution at 150-200 °C through which aluminum is dissolved as aluminate (Bayer process). After separation of ferruginous residue (red mud) by filtering, pure gibbsite is precipitated when the liquor is cooled and seeded with fine grained aluminum hydroxide. Gibbsite is converted into aluminum oxide by heating. This is molten at approx. 1000 °C by addition of cryolite as a flux and reduced to metallic aluminum by a highly energy-consumptive electrolytic process (the Hall-Héroult process).

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Q: How do you get pure aluminum out of its bauxite ore?
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Are the raw materials of aluminum hard to get?

Aluminum is the third most common material in the Earth's crust. It is found in bauxite (primary source), feldspar, kaolin clays and numerous other minerals. While the raw materials are easy to find, some are harder to process than others. Bauxite is an easily available and easily processed source.Aluminum asides: Napoleon was criticized for wanting to outfit his troops with this "very rare" metal. This was before the electrical methods of production (Hall Heroult Process) was developed. At the time of the construction of the Washington Monument (1884) aluminum and silver both sold for the same price. The 2.85 kg piece used was the largest cast aluminum object in he world.


What is going to happen to the world's aluminum supply and why?

Well aluminum comes from a substance called bauxite. Bauxite is a fossil fuel. A fossil fuel is a fuel that is formed over the course of many years. Hence, once we use up the bauxite supply, we will actually be using up the aluminum supply, it will take a long time for it to form again. 2nd Answer: Well, actually, bauxite is NOT a fossil (carbon-based) fuel. It is a mineral. There is a finite amount of it on the planet, but it does not appear to be in danger of running out anytime soon. Plus, aluminum, while expensive to produce initially, is one of the most ECOLOGICALLY and ECONOMICALLY prudent materials to recycle - takes only 10 to 15% of the original energy to recycle an aluminum can. So go ahead and recycle your aluminum, it's one of the few things it makes real sense to recycle.


Why did Napoleon 3 use aluminum dinnerware?

Aluminum used to be more expensive than gold. In Napoleon's time the chemists hadn't discovered a good way to purify aluminum so pure aluminum was expensive and rare. Aluminum used to be a status symbol because it was more expensive and rarer than gold.


What is aluminum made of?

Aluminum is a natural element, the 13th element in the periodic table. Aluminum is a soft metal. It is plentiful in the earth's crust and is usually found as aluminum oxide ore. Because aluminum binds very tightly to oxygen atoms, a huge amount of electricity is required to refine the metal from the ore. Once an object is cast from aluminum (such as your baseball bat) it oxidizes almost instantly in air. However, oxidation on aluminum forms a very strong and secure protective layer. Aluminum will not corrode unless exposed to extreme acids or very high temperatures.Aluminum is an element, just like gold or oxygen. The smallest unit of an element is the atom. Compounds are made up of multiple elements. For example, the compound water is made up of two hydrogen atoms, and one oxygen atom. Aluminum however, does not have constituent elemental parts.


Major resources in china?

China has a variety of natural resources. Some of these include coal, iron, ore, petroleum, aluminum, zinc, and natural gas.