Abstract: The invention provides novel water-soluble copolymers useful as flocculating agents, especially in flocculating the red mud formed during the Bayer process for the production of alumina from bauxite. The copolymers comprise anionic monomer units e.g. acrylic acid units in a mole percentage of less than 50% and acrylamide type units some of which are methylolated.

Abstract: An improved wet caustic process of the Bayer method for the extraction of alumina from bauxite containing amounts of both goethite and a monohydrated alumina wherein lime is added only after the bauxite slurry has been heated to a digestion temperature of at least 200.degree.C.

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.