The white powder is dissolved in a giant steel vat filled with molten cryolite (a mineral that helps it melt at a lower temperature) [1, 6].
The crushed bauxite enters a high-pressure "pressure cooker" filled with hot caustic soda [1, 6]. How Aluminium is made animation
The remaining clear liquid is cooled, causing white crystals to settle out [1, 6]. The white powder is dissolved in a giant
Massive carbon rods (anodes) are lowered into the vat, and a colossal electric current—hundreds of thousands of amperes—is surged through the liquid [1, 6]. 6]. To start the animation
To start the animation, imagine giant excavators scooping this red earth into a massive grinding mill. The rock is crushed into a fine powder, ready for its first big chemical makeover [6]. Act II: The White Powder (The Bayer Process)