Mining
Extraction of aluminium metal takes place in three main stages - mining of bauxite ore, refining the ore to recover alumina and smelting alumina to produce aluminium.
Mining
Bauxite is mined by surface methods (open cut mining) in which the topsoil and overburden are removed by bulldozers and scrapers and then used for revegetating the area and returning it to sometimes better than original condition or converting it to agricultural land. The underlying bauxite is mined by front-end loaders, power shovels or hydraulic excavators. Sometimes the bauxite is crushed and washed to remove some of the clay and sand waste and then dried in rotary kilns. Other bauxites may just be crushed or dried. The ore is then loaded into trucks, railway cars or onto conveyor belts and transported to ships or refineries.