2348-047_Fair_jHenry_.jpg

Bauxite Waste From Aluminum Production

Burnside, Louisiana, USA

Residue from an aluminum oxide refinery pools, dries, and cracks. The red waste is iron oxide; the white waste is aluminum oxide and sodium bicarbonate. Tremendous amounts of caustic (pH 13) “red mud” bauxite waste is produced in aluminum refining, which also generates other contaminants and heavy metals.