Bayer Process Chemistry

Dr. M. Coley
Evaluation of Jamaican Bauxites
 Convenience of location – easily reached by rail,
road, ropeway

 Ease of mining – open pits, very accessible

 Nature of bauxite particles – no crushing necessary

 Size of bauxite deposits – variable; large & small orebodies;

mineralogy varies within orebodies

 Mineralogy –
• Gibbsitic, mixed or boemitic Al2O3 ores
• High reactive SiO2 – SiO2 removal process required

• High P2O5 concentration - P2O5 removal process required

• High Organics content - Organics removal process required
• High Zinc content - ZnO removal process required at high temp
• High TiO2 content - TiO2 treatment required at high temp.
 SiO2
Jamaican Bauxites approaches
saturation
levels
Need for SiO2 Control
Lime addition and P 2O5 Control
Need to prevent
12
auto-precipitation of SiO2
10

Pre-desilication process 8
developed 6
CaO Added
4 No CaO
CaO used to reduce NaOH
2
losses
0
0 5 10 15
Careful blending practiced

P2O5 levels fall as

High SiO2 bauxites not Desilication Product forms
processed
S  0.23 – 0.45 g/L
at 145oC
 Jamaican Bauxites cont’d - 2
High P2O5 Content - >1%
CaO added for treatment  Ca3(PO4)2

CaCO3 not used – causes liquor carbonation

CaCO3 CaO + CO2

Lime addition and P 2O5 Control

12 P2O5
approaches
10
[P2O5]

saturation
8 levels

6
CaO Added
4 No CaO
P2O5 levels
2 fall as
Ca3(PO4)2
0 forms
0 5 10 15
Time
Jamaican Bauxites cont’d - 3
Very fine particle size
Particles ~ 0.5μ in size

Flocculants required to aid settling

Natural vs Synthetic flocculants

Flocculants bind to mud – physisorption

Settled particles sticky & may block channels

Particles dusty when dry – environmental hazard

Bauxite Resources In Jamaica
Bauxite Resources In Jamaica - 2
Bauxite Mining In Jamaica
 Bauxite Mining
Geological surveys
Augering – sample
 XRD collection
 XRF
 FTIR Laboratory analyses
 Av Al2O3
 R. SiO2
Chemical/ mineralogical
variations
Develop mining plan
Several bauxite
stockpiles
Blending – uniform
feedstock
 Mining Operations
Drag lines, front-end
loaders

Trucks, rail, ropeways,

conveyor belts,

Screening, magnetic
separators

Stockpiling – central
locations

On site storage: 3 – 7
days supply
Bauxite Grinding & Pre-desilication
Bauxite Storage area Feed hopper

Test Tank Liquor

Ball Mill/Rod Mill
Slurry Heater

Classifier

Slurry Storage Tank

TTL Digester
Liquid caustic
 Pre-Digestion
TTL: Test Tank
A/C ~ 0.400
 ~ 4.5M NaOH, low [Al2O3]
 Slurry held 10 – 16 hrs Bauxite
CaO
Slurry:
 35 - 50% solids, 95oC
 ~4% +35 mesh (< 500 µ) Ground
bauxite
Pre-desilication facilitates: slurry

 SiO2 removal as DSP

 P2O5 removal as Ca-Apatite
 Pre-Digestion cont’d
removes dissolved SiO2
reduce Al2O3 contamination with SiO2

Al2O3.2SiO2.2H2O + 6NaOH
kaolinite

2NaAlO2 + 2Na2SiO3 + 5H2O

6Na2SiO3 + 6NaAlO2 + 2H2O

3(Na2O . Al2O3.2SiO2.2H2O)Na2X
Bayer sodalite

(X = 2OH-, 2Cl-, 2Al(OH)4-, SO42-, CO32-)

 Pre-Digestion cont’d
DSP formation:
High dissolved [SiO2] increases rate of DSP formation

Desilication - very slow with Low SiO2 bauxite

Clay added to increase dissolved [SiO2]

S  0.23 – 0.45 g/L at 145oC

Bayer sodalite or Filtered red mud - used as DSP seed

DSP Seed
added to
speed up
desilication
 Pre-Digestion cont’d
Minimizing NaOH & Al2O3 in DSP

Add CaO, NaCl or Na2SO4 to pre-digestion slurry

6Na2SiO3 + 6NaAlO2 + 2H2O

CaO

3(CaO . Al2O3. 2SiO2. 2H2O)Na2X

When Ca(OH)2 is
Na2SO4
added, alternate
3(CaO . Al2O3. 2SiO2. 2H2O)Na2SO4 DSP products are
formed.

Cf: 3(Na2O . Al2O3.2SiO2.2H2O)Na2X