Definition and Usage Areas of Synthetic Cryolite

Synthetic Cryolite has been used historically as an aluminum ore and later in the electrolytic processing of the aluminum-rich oxide ore bauxite (itself a combination of aluminum oxide minerals such as gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore). The difficulty of separating aluminum from oxygen in oxide ores has been overcome by using cryolite as a flux to dissolve oxide minerals. Pure cryolite itself melts at 1012°C (1285 K) and can melt aluminum oxides well enough to allow easy removal of aluminum by electrolysis. A significant amount of energy is still required to heat materials and electrolysis, but will be much more energy efficient than melting oxides. Since natural cryolite is too little to be used for this purpose, synthetic sodium aluminum fluoride is produced from the common mineral fluorite.

Usage areas

• It is used as an electrolyte to obtain metal aluminum from alumina in the aluminum industry.
• It is also used in the enamel and glass industry.
• It is also used in the manufacture of pesticides in small quantities.
• Cryolite is used as an insecticide and insecticide.
• It is also used to give a yellow color to fireworks.
• Molten cryolite is used as a solvent for aluminum oxide (Al2O3) in the Hall-Héroult process used to refine aluminum.