Evaluation of the leaching characteristics of low-grade nickel laterite waste rock for indirect carbon sequestration application

Nickel and cobalt recovery from a low-grade nickel laterite ore, supplied from Çaldağ deposit (Manisa, Turkey) were investigated by bio and chemical leaching processes. The fungus, Aspergillus niger was used for biocatalytic leaching experiments. The effects of parameters (solid ratio and sucrose concentration) on the biocatalytic leaching of the ore were initially tested in flasks to obtain the optimum conditions for the A. niger. Then chemical leaching was applied as a comparison to bioleaching, using organic acids (citric, oxalic, acetic and gluconic acids) as well as a mixture of acids. According the results, the maximum dissolution yield of nickel, cobalt and iron were detected respectively as 95.3%, 74.3% and 50.0% by biocatalytic processes which containing 25% (w/v) sucrose and 1% (w/v) solids. The increase in the solid ratio adversely influenced the biocatalytic activity of A. niger. Finally, further tests in reactors (v = 1 and 10 L) were performed using the optimum conditions from the flask tests. The difference in metals recovery between biocatalytic and chemical leaching was significantly important. Bioleaching produced higher Ni and Co extractions (34.3–75.6%) than chemical process.

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Reduction process of low-grade nickel laterite agglomerates using different carbonaceous materials

Revista Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad de Antioquia ◽

10.17533/udea.redin.n88a07 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 65-73

Author(s):

Sandra Consuelo Díaz-Bello ◽

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Oscar Jaime Restrepo-Baena ◽

Álvaro Hernando Forero-Pinilla ◽

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...

Keyword(s):

Reduction Process ◽

Low Grade ◽

Carbonaceous Materials ◽

Nickel Laterite

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Direct reduction of low grade nickel laterite ore to produce ferronickel using isothermal – temperature gradient

10.1063/1.4974424 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zulfiadi Zulhan ◽

Ian Gibranata

Keyword(s):

Temperature Gradient ◽

Direct Reduction ◽

Low Grade ◽

Nickel Laterite ◽

Isothermal Temperature ◽

Nickel Laterite Ore ◽

Laterite Ore

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The High Temperature Co-Processing of Nickel Sulfide and Nickel Laterite Sources

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min10040351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 351 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robbie G. McDonald ◽

Jian Li

Keyword(s):

Sulfuric Acid ◽

Nickel Sulfide ◽

Free Acid ◽

Hydrolysis Product ◽

Low Grade ◽

Iron Sulfides ◽

Nickel Laterite ◽

Pressure Oxidation ◽

Nickel Concentrate ◽

Nickel Sulfide Concentrate

The pressure oxidation of low-grade nickel sulfide concentrate with high iron sulfides content generates significant amounts of sulfuric acid that must be neutralized. This acid can be utilized to leach metal values from ores such as nickel laterites. The present study demonstrates the use of a low-grade nickel concentrate generated from Poseidon Nickel Mt Windarra ore to enable additional nickel and cobalt extraction from a Bulong Nickel Operation nickel laterite blend. The co-processing of these materials at 250 °C, with oxygen overpressure, using total pulp densities of 30% or 40% w/w, and a range of nickel concentrate to nickel laterite mass ratios between 0.30–0.53, yielded base metal extractions of 95% or greater. The final free acid range was between 21.5–58.5 g/L, which indicates that enough in situ sulfuric acid was generated during co-processing. The acid was shown from mineralogical analysis to be efficiently utilized to dissolve the laterite ore, which indicates that the primary iron hydrolysis product was hematite, while the aluminum-rich sodium alunite/jarosite phase that formed hosts approximately 5% of the hydrolyzed iron.

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