This presentation was the first time that Nick Welham, Ken Seymour and Dan Churach trialled this new laboratory with 15 secondary teacher "guinea pigs". The teachers were taken through the three main stages of the Bayer process using Fauxite© - a synthetic material with analogous chemical properties to bauxite, as the real process is too hazardous to duplicate in a school environment.
The Fauxite© was leached and after clarification showed a significant reduction in volume leaving behind red mud. The solution was then seeded to allow crystallisation to occur. The white crystals settled leaving behind a clear solution which could be recycled to the leach stage.
Teachers discussed the chemistry behind the laboratory and the parallels and differences between this and the real Bayer process. Additionally all participants received a set of draft notes covering the history of aluminium, the Bayer process, how to run the experiment in the classroom and some details of the underlying physics, chemistry and engineering challenges of the Bayer Process.
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