Acid and thermal treatments of lateritic bauxites

H2SO4 and HCl processes accompanied by thermal treatments at different stages are described for the industrial extraction of alumina from lateritic clay minerals, especially from kaolinite, an important component of lateritic bauxites. The effects of calcination at high temperatures on the pretreatments of the raw lateritic materials, as well as on the thermal transformations of the products (salts) resulting from the acid treatments of lateritic bauxites are analyzed. Beside energetic considerations, separation methods of Al from Fe and from other lateritic-metallic components are emphasized in the extraction and purification processes. The mechanism of a controlled HCl-extracting treatment performed on iron-bearing kaolinite is described, as well as its characterization by IR and DTA ad hoc methods, enabling to distinguish between Al and Fe in the structure of lateritic kaolinite. The location and quantification of Al in the structure of lateritic goethite is also considered.