The Great Hungarian Red Mud Deluge

The clarification of the root causes of the dam failure is still in progress. At present, the most likely explanation is that the dam was built in the wrong place there was a creek bed at the north wall. Moreover, leakage was observed both by the northern and the much thicker western dam, and the dams were heightened several times. The reservoir was probably overloaded. 

Alumina is the most important raw material for the production of aluminum, and red mud is a by-product of alumina production. During the operation, 1.5-2 t of red sludge is produced for every ton of alumina. The sole raw material in the process is bauxite, a significant quantity of which occurs in Hungary. To produce 

During the red mud disaster, the pubhc interest was highest in the alkah and heavy metal content as well as the radioactivity. The dust of the completely dried sludge was also an issue. 

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