TREATMENT OF SODIUM OXALATE OBTAINED BY DISSOLUTION OF BAUXITE

In a method for processing contaminated sodium oxalate which becomes available in a separating stage succeeding the digestion of bauxite in accordance with the Bayer process, chemicals used in the digesting process are recovered in that the moist sodium oxalate which has been separated is dried with the hot exhaust gases from a fluidized bed, particularly a circulating fluidized bed, jointly with aluminum hydroxide or aluminum oxide hydrate and/or reactive alumina at a mole ratio of aluminum to sodium of at least 0.8 and the dried product is decomposed in said fluidized bed at a temperature of 780 DEG to 1000 DEG C. to form sodium aluminate. Suitably drying is effected by spray drying in direct contact with the exhaust gases of the fluidized bed and decomposition is effected at a temperature in the range from 850 DEG to 950 DEG C. and with an Al:Na mole ratio not in excess of 1.2.