ABSTRACT
Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth crust [1]. Bauxite, which is the ore from which metallic aluminum is produced, is composed basically of aluminum hydroxide, iron oxide, hydroxides and silicates, carbonates of magnesium, calcium and iron, quartz, kaolin, titanium compounds and a small fraction of other metals; among the other metals are calcium, sodium, potassium, chromium, zirconium, phosphorus, gallium, and vanadium [2]. The aluminum hydroxide is the bauxite’s main component, and also is the compound that makes the difference between bauxite and clay. Clays are composed essentially of hydrated aluminum silicates.
