Final answer:
The main steps of the Bayer process include Crushing, Digestion, Clarification, Precipitation, and Filtration. These steps describe how bauxite ore is refined to produce alumina, key for aluminum production.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the Bayer Process
The Bayer process is the principal industrial means of refining bauxite to produce alumina (aluminum oxide). The main steps involved in the Bayer process are:
- Crushing the bauxite ore to increase the surface area for the extraction process.
- Digestion, when the crushed ore is mixed with a hot, concentrated sodium hydroxide solution, which dissolves the alumina contained in the bauxite.
- Clarification, which involves separating the solid residue from the sodium aluminate solution.
- Precipitation, where aluminum hydroxide is precipitated from the solution.
- Filtration to remove the precipitated aluminum hydroxide.
The answer to the student's question is A) Crushing, Digestion, Clarification, Precipitation, Filtration. This sequence effectively describes the primary stages of the Bayer process, which focuses on the extraction and purification of alumina from bauxite ore.