Abstract: An improvement in the Bayer process for producing alumina trihydrate in which bauxite ore is digested in a mixture with a digestion sodium aluminate liquor to produce a slurry, the slurry is settled to remove undigested residues therefrom and produce a pregnant liquor of sodium aluminate and alumina trihydrate is precipitated from the pregnant liquor in the presence of alumina trihydrate recycled as seed. When beginning the precipitation, an aliquot of the pregnant liquor with recycled alumina trihydrate is removed, subjected to mechanical action of an intensity and for a time sufficient to cause formation of seeds, and returned with the formed seeds to the beginning of the precipitation.