Where did the red mud in Hungary come from?
The sludge is a by-product from the early stage of aluminium production, which leaked from storage reservoirs. As part of the process, bauxite, the raw material, is taken out of the ground and washed with sodium hydroxide.
What caused the toxic mini tsunami and the spread of toxic sludge in Hungary?
PRAGUE — The Hungarian government declared a state of emergency in several towns on Tuesday, a day after a reservoir at an alumina refining plant in Ajka burst its banks, unleashing a flood of caustic red sludge that killed at least four people and injured more than 120, government officials said.
How toxic is red mud?
It can be slightly radioactive if the original bauxite contained radioactive minerals. The mud also has a high pH because of the sodium hydroxide solution used in the refining process. The base is strong enough to kill plant and animal life, and to cause burns and damage to airways if the fumes are breathed.
Why is red mud bad?
Global annual production of red mud (bauxite residue) is about 150 million tonnes. It contains raw materials for the production of iron, silicon and aluminium, and is dumped as waste in spite of the availability of recycling technologiesbauxite residu.
What causes red sludge?
Red mud, formally termed bauxite residue, is an industrial waste generated during the processing of bauxite into alumina using the Bayer process. It is composed of various oxide compounds, including the iron oxides which give its red colour.
How is red mud removed?
Red mud consists of ferric oxide, sand etc. left after bauxite dissolves in NaOH forming sodium aluminate and is removed by filtration.
What do you mean by sludge?
1 : mud, mire especially : a muddy deposit (as on a riverbed) : ooze. 2 : a muddy or slushy mass, deposit, or sediment: such as. a : precipitated solid matter produced by water and sewage treatment processes.
What is red mud in Bayer’s process?
Red Mud is a by-product produced during the Bayer process of refining of bauxite to produce aluminum (2 tons of red mud remains after production of 1 ton of aluminum). It contains metallic oxides. The red color results from iron oxide (~60% of its mass).
What is red mud used for?
Red mud can be used as a constructional/building material in bricks, blocks, light weight aggregates, roofing tiles, glass ceramics, cement industry as cements and special cements, and concrete industry.
What is sintering red mud?
Red mud is the industrial waste generated during the production of alumina. According to the grade of raw material bauxite and the production process of alumina, red mud can be divided into Bayer red mud and Sintering red mud [1,2].
What is the chemical name of mud?
MUD | C11H24OS | ChemSpider.
For which industry red mud waste is produced?
alumina
Where do you find bauxite?
Bauxite is typically found in topsoil located in various tropical and subtropical regions. The ore is acquired through environmentally responsible strip-mining operations. Bauxite reserves are most plentiful in Africa, Oceania and South America.
Which country is rich in bauxite?
Guinea has some the largest bauxite reserves in the world. Australia, Guinea and China are some of the most dominant countries in bauxite mine production, generating 110 million, 82 million, and 60 million metric tons of bauxite, respectively, in 2020.
Which country has the most bauxite?
Australia