alumina
n. uncountablen. a white, powdery substance that is the main part of bauxite. It is used to make aluminum metal and is also used in things like toothpaste and glass.
n. a white, crystalline powder consisting of aluminum oxide, typically occurring as the mineral corundum. It serves as the primary raw material for the production of metallic aluminum through the Hall-Héroult process.
The factory produces alumina from bauxite ore.
Before aluminum can be extracted, the bauxite must be refined into alumina using the Bayer process.
While primarily known for its role in metallurgy, alumina is also a critical component in the manufacturing of high-strength ceramics and specialized abrasives due to its extreme hardness and thermal stability.
From the combining form of Latin alumen + -a.