Abstract: An improvement in the process for extracting alumina from gibbsitic bauxites, wherein the basic, known process comprises mixing the bauxites with a sodium hydroxide-sodium aluminate digestion liquor, digesting the bauxites at a temperature in the range of 100.degree.-180.degree. C., diluting the resulting slurry, separating the red mud therefrom, precipitating alumina hydrate by cooling and agitation of the sodium aluminate liquor, and calcining the alumina hydrate precipitate to obtain alumina, wherein the improvement is characterized by so controlling the process that, in the liquid phase of the slurry leaving the digestion reactor, the reactive hydroxide ion concentration is maintained below 6 g/l, and preferably between 0 and 2 g/l, where the reactive hydroxide ion concentration is defined by the following formula: ##EQU1## where: C.sub.Al.sbsb.2 O.sub.3,gi.sup.eq is the equilibrium solubility of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 for gibbsite, in g/l.C.sub.Al.sbsb.2 O.sub.3 is the actual concentration of Al.sub.2 O.sub.

Abstract: An improved process for the enrichment of bauxites with unfavorable textures and low qualities via flotation and carried out after selective agglomeration. According to the process of the invention a water-soluble prepolymer of low chain length is added to the slurry as flocculating agent, thereafter the polymerization is started again by heating the slurry and/or adjusting its pH and/or adding a catalyst thus converting the polymer chain fragments adhered onto the gangue with high surface activity into a cross-linked resin, and finally the slurry is subjected to flotation in the presence of a conventional flotation aid.

Abstract: A method for processing bauxites according to the Bayer technology, with an increased yield in Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and with decreased caustic soda losses, starting particularly from goethite bauxites of boehmite and/or diaspore type and carrying out the digestion at 180.degree.C to 300.degree.C using an aluminate liquor containing Na.sub.2 O.sub.caustic in a concentration of 80 to 300 g./l. The digestion is carried out in the presence of a calcium compound in an amount corresponding to 2 to 6 % of CaO calculated for the dry weight of bauxite and of a sulfate salt in an amount corresponding to 1.0 to 7.0 g./l. of sulfate ion concentration, whereby the goethite content of the bauxite is converted into hematite. The process provides advantageous conditions for the complete dissolution of the boehmite and diaspore content of bauxite in the vicinity of the equilibrium molar ratio, and enables to recover efficiently the caustic soda losses in the Bayer process itself, requiring no supplementary operation.