0 a white or colourless mineral used in the production of aluminium, glass, and other substances --
He realized that by passing an electrical current through a bath of cryolite and aluminum oxide, the then semi-rare metal aluminum remained as a byproduct.
Alucyc technology is waste-free, cryolite and the remaining aluminium oxide could be used in melting of primary aluminium as additives.
The rest is converted into corrosive hydrogen fluoride en route to various organic fluorides, or into cryolite which plays a key role in aluminium refining.
Molten cryolite was discovered to dissolve alumina at temperatures significantly lower than the melting point of pure alumina without interfering in the smelting process.
When cryolite is used for the preparation of alum, it is mixed with calcium carbonate and heated.
Natural cryolite was historically required for the production of aluminium, however, currently most cryolite used is produced synthetically.
Cryolite was eventually synthesized, reducing the importance of the mine, and production was finally found uneconomical and discontinued in 1987.
It is mainly produced as a precursor to aluminum trifluoride and synthetic cryolite.