Removal of silica from bauxite

A process for the removal of reactive silica from a feedstock to the digestion step of the Bayer process for the manufacture of alumina, in which (a) the feedstock is contacted with a caustic liquor under process conditions which result in dissolving and stabilizing at least 50% of the silica into solution at a level of at least 3 gpL and without significant precipitation from solution of dissolved silica, (b) the silica bearing liquor is separated from solid residue of step (a) under conditions which do not promote significant precipitation of the silica; and (c) aluminosilicates are precipitated from the separated silica bearing liquor from step (b), to form a solid aluminosilicate product which is free of a majority of all other components of the feedstock.