Which of the following compound is used for removing impurities from bauxite?
Answer Details
The compound used for removing impurities from bauxite is NaOH (sodium hydroxide). This process is called the Bayer's process. Bauxite contains impurities like iron oxide (Fe2O3), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and titanium dioxide (TiO2), which must be removed before the extraction of aluminum from bauxite. In the Bayer's process, crushed bauxite is treated with a hot, concentrated solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide), which dissolves the aluminum oxide (Al2O3) present in bauxite, forming sodium aluminate (NaAlO2). The impurities such as iron oxide, silicon dioxide, and titanium dioxide are not soluble in NaOH and are filtered out. The filtered solution of sodium aluminate is then treated with carbon dioxide (CO2) to form aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3) which is then calcined to obtain pure aluminum oxide, which is used for the extraction of aluminum metal.