Process for recovering aluminum from alunite

Abstract

An improvement in the process for the recovery of aluminum from alunite in which the alunite in particulate form is dehydrated, sulfur and alkali metal compounds removed from the dehydrated ore leaving a particulate residue containing aluminum values, the residue digested with at least one alkali metal hydroxide to convert the aluminum values to soluble aluminates, silicon removed from the soluble aluminate solution, and aluminum values precipitated from the aluminate solution, the improvement comprising: multiple stage digestion of the particulate residue accomplished by dividing the particulate residue into two fractions, digesting one fraction first and using the first stage liquor from the first digestion step to digest the remaining fraction. The fraction digested first may be the one having the smaller particle size, or the one having the larger particle size. The objective is to contact the caustic digestion liquor at its lowest aluminum content (lowest A/C ratio) with that fraction of the residue having the highest extractable aluminum content. The result is the production of a liquor for final recovery of aluminum values which has a higher aluminum to caustic ratio than that produced by prior digestion procedures. The improvement provides a higher recovery of aluminum from the alunite ore.