AU701811B2 - Recovery of nickel - Google Patents

Recovery of nickel Download PDF

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Publication number
AU701811B2
AU701811B2 AU33059/95A AU3305995A AU701811B2 AU 701811 B2 AU701811 B2 AU 701811B2 AU 33059/95 A AU33059/95 A AU 33059/95A AU 3305995 A AU3305995 A AU 3305995A AU 701811 B2 AU701811 B2 AU 701811B2
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AU
Australia
Prior art keywords
nickel
ore
slurry
type
process according
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Ceased
Application number
AU33059/95A
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AU3305995A (en
Inventor
David Alan Holtum
Michael James Nicol
Trevor Hugh Tunley
Jacobus Cornelius Gideon Kotze Van Der Colf
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Billiton Intellectual Property BV
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Billiton Intellectual Property BV
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Publication of AU3305995A publication Critical patent/AU3305995A/en
Assigned to BILLITON S.A. LIMITED reassignment BILLITON S.A. LIMITED Alteration of Name(s) of Applicant(s) under S113 Assignors: GENCOR LIMITED
Assigned to BILLITON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY B.V. reassignment BILLITON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY B.V. Alteration of Name(s) of Applicant(s) under S113 Assignors: BILLITON S.A. LIMITED
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    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22BPRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B23/00Obtaining nickel or cobalt
    • C22B23/04Obtaining nickel or cobalt by wet processes
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22BPRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B3/00Extraction of metal compounds from ores or concentrates by wet processes
    • C22B3/20Treatment or purification of solutions, e.g. obtained by leaching
    • C22B3/42Treatment or purification of solutions, e.g. obtained by leaching by ion-exchange extraction
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02PCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P10/00Technologies related to metal processing
    • Y02P10/20Recycling

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
  • Inorganic Compounds Of Heavy Metals (AREA)

Description

-1A- Recovery of Nickel Background of the Invention This invention relates to the recovery of nickel from laterite ores.
Laterite ores are well known sources of nickel. These ores contain differing percentages of iron and magnesium, depending on the nature of the ore deposit.
Laterite ores are more difficult to process than ores carrying nickel as sulfides.
The latter ores can be treated by various well known methods to concentrate the nickel sulfide into a smaller fraction of the ore thus reducing the amount of ore to be treated.
Sulfide ores carry the nickel in various sulfide minerals and traditional processes of smelting can then be applied to be concentrated mineral to reduce the mineral to the desired form of nickel.
Nickel in laterite ores is carried in a form which depends on the way the nickel is present in the original rock structure. The nickel becomes concentrated along with 15 iron and magnesium, all deriving from the original rock forming minerals. Laterite ores are usually treated without concentration, this means that large amounts of low grade material must be treated to yield the desired metal. It also means that unwanted metals such as iron and magnesium are present in the ore during the treatment process.
The earliest attempts to treat laterite ores involved the addition of sulfur to the 20 ores during the smelting process to enable nickel to be collected in the same way that nickel sulfide ores are treated. These methods are still used.
Tee Laterite ores generally occur in two forms with various degrees of admixture.
These forms determine the method of treatment. One form, with a high proportion of iron along with nickel, is referred to as the limonitic form. This ore-type is usually S 25 treated by hydrometallurgical means. Leaching of metal with sulfuric acid is practised if magnesium is not present in significant amounts. Selectivity of dissolution of nickel is achieved by processing at a high temperature and high pressure.
The other ore-type is lower in iron but has a substantial magnesium content. If this ore-type is leached with sulfuric acid, a large quantity of acid is consumed. Thus other processes are used such as the Caron process, smelting with sulfur to produce nickel matte, and smelting without sulfur to produce ferronickel.
Techniques for the processing of laterite ores, known to the applicant, suffer from the following disadvantages: If a sulfuric acid leaching process is used, then nickel is recovered from solution using hydrogen sulfide. This produces a mixed sulfide which must be treated in a nickel refinery to produce pure nickel. This is expensive.
[N:\LIBHH]00789:laf If other hydrometallurgical processes are used such as the Caron process then the recovery of nickel is poor and nickel must be recovered from solution by an expensive process such as hydrogen reduction.
If pyrometallurgical processes are used, then smelting with sulfur or without sulfur can be practised. Nickel is recovered as matte when sulfur is used which requires further expensive refining to nickel. If no sulfur is used then ferronickel is the end product. Smelting without sulfur is generally only used for ores of the low iron type, otherwise the cost is high. In each case little or no cobalt is recovered, as a by-product. If cobalt could be recovered under these conditions the effective cost of processing would be reduced.
Summary of the Invention The invention relates to a process for recovering nickel from nickel bearing laterite ore which can be applied to high iron and high magnesium laterite ore-types.
15 The invention provides a process for recovering nickel from nickel-bearing 0-9 .high iron, and low iron laterite ore-types which includes the steps of: leaching the high iron ore-type with sulphuric acid at an:elevated temperature and pressure, to produce a first slurry wherein nickel is dissolved as nickel sulphate; 0 adding sulphur, in a suitable form, at least to the low iron ore-type to produce a second slurry wherein nickel is dissolved as nickel sulphate; selectively removing nickel from the first and second slurries by applying an 0 ion exchange resin thereto; eluting nickel from the resin to produce a concentrated nickel sulphate solution; and 25 electrowinning nickel from the concentrated sulphate solution.
In step the nickel may be electrowon as ferronickel. This is preferable as nickel in the form of ferronickel is increasingly required for use in the production of stainless steel.
In step the sulfur may be added using at least one of the following: leaching the ore with sulfuric acid to dissolve nickel sulfate; leaching the ore with sulfuric acid to dissolve nickel sulfate at an elevated temperature and pressure, to reduce the dissolution of iron; subjecting the ore to a reduction process at from 500 0 C to 1200"C, preferably 650C to 850C, and then leaching with sulfuric acid. Optionally the ore is then upgraded by means of a magnetic separation process before further processing; adding sulfur in elemental form to the ore, grinding the ore and the sulfur, and treating the ground mixture of the ore and the sulfur at about 250C under a steam atmosphere and then at about 250C under an oxygen atmosphere; [N:\LIBHH]00852:DMB treating the ore with concentrated sulfuric acid, roasting the ore at about 700°C and then leaching the calcine in water; and treating the ore with a gas containing sulfur dioxide at from 500'C to 800 0
C,
cooling the ore to below 500'C, and leaching the ore in water.
Each of these steps produces a slurry from which a solution of nickel sulfate can be separated by filtration.
Prior to carrying out step or the ore may be graded according to its iron content, and more particularly according to its magnesium content, and the grade of the ore may determine at least the nature of step Preferably, for an ore-type which has been classified as a low-iron ore-type but wherein the iron content is relatively high, and which is low in magnesium, the sulfur is added using step For a low-iron ore-type which has a high magnesium content sulfur may be added using step or It is apparent that the process of the invention can include pre-treatment steps the nature of which depends on the nature of the ore-type. Two ore types can occur in one deposit The high iron ore-type may be pre-treated by pressure leaching and the low iron ore-type may be treated by reduction or calcination at high temperature. The ore-types may then be blended during leaching.
S 20 Alternatively, and preferably, the reduced or calcined low-iron ore-type is mixed with the slurry leaving the pressure leach step so that sulfur in the form of •excess sulphuric acid still present in the slurry is added to the reduced or calcined lowiron ore-type to produce the second slurry by leaching.
Because the high iron or low iron ore-types occur in different proportions in 25 each ore body, the proportion of the ore body treated in the two pre-treatment processes can cover a wide range. It is possible in fact to blend the ore-types before pretreatment and to treat all the ore through either the pressure leach or the reduction process.
The invention may include the step of subjecting the slurry to a solid/liquid separation before carrying out the ion exchange step.
In a variation of the process the resin can be contacted with the slurry without prior solid/liquid separation. The resin adsorbs nickel and the resin is then removed from the slurry by screening and elutriation before the elution step takes place.
Brief Description of the Drawing The invention is further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a flow diagram of a process according to the invention for treating nickel bearing laterite ore.
p. '[N:\LIBHH]00852:DMB Description of Preferred Embodiment The accompanying drawing is a flow diagram of a process according to the invention for treating nickel bearing laterite ore which may include a high iron/low magnesium component, and a low iron/high magnesium component.
The high iron/low magnesium ore is subjected to a leaching process 10 which is conducted at high temperature and high pressure. This pressure leaching process limits the dissolution of iron, because iron sulfate is not soluble at high temperature, but does dissolve magnesium. Acid consumption is therefore lowered.
The low iron/high magnesium component is treated at a stage 12 by reduction or calcination at from 500 0 C to 1200 0 C and preferably 650 0 C to 850°C. This process reduces the solubility of the magnesium and acid consumption is therefore lowered. If the leaching is carried out at a high temperature iron dissolution is also reduced. This stage can therefore be applied to limonitic and low iron ore-types.
15 The pre-treatment stages 10 and 12 involve the addition of sulfur to the ore and produce a solution of nickel sulfate with varying amounts of iron and magnesium in solution.
The slurry 14 from the pressure leaching stage 10 is mixed with the reduced ore 16 from the reduction stage 12 so that excess acid still present in the slurry is used 20 for leaching the low iron reduced ore, at a stage 18. o The slurry 20 from the leaching stage is subjected to a solid/liquid separation ".'"process 22. Residue 24 from this process is recovered for further treatment or 0 0discharged to waste, according to the nature of the residue.
The solution 26 from the separation process is directed to an ion exchange 25 stage 28 which a chelating ion exchange resin is applied to the solution. The resin selectively removes nickel from the solution and nickel and some iron is adsorbed onto the resin.
The resin is eluted with spent electrolyte 30 derived from an electrowinning stage 32. Strong electrolyte 34 from the stage 28 is subjected to an electrowinning process to recover nickel along with some iron which follows the nickel from the stage 28 and which is deposited together with the nickel. The final product is a high grade ferronickel 36 with an iron content which may vary from 0% to as much as The preceding description is of a preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be noted however that any of the treatment steps to referred to hereinbefore could be used instead of the pre-treatment steps described. The two ore-types can be treated separately by any of these processes or blended before the dissolution stage of these processes. Also it is possible to blend the ore-types before pre-treatment and to i- treat all the ore either by means of a pressure leach or a reduction process.
[N:\LIBHH]00789:Iam In a different variation the resin is contacted with the slurry without a prior solid/liquid separation step. The resin adsorbs nickel and resin is re-moved from the slurry by screening or elutriation before being eluted.
a
S.
a a a a a a a. a.
a a a a. a.
a a a a a a p a.
a.
a a a.
a. a a a a [N:\LIBHH]00789:Iam r The claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. A process for recovering nickel from nickel-bearing high iron and low iron laterite ore-types which includes the steps of: leaching the high iron ore-type with sulphuric acid at an elevated temperature and pressure, to produce a first slurry wherein nickel is dissolved as nickel sulphate; adding sulphur, in a suitable form, at least to the low iron ore-type to produce a second slurry wherein nickel is dissolved as nickel sulphate; selectively removing nickel from the first and second slurries by applying an ion exchange resin thereto; eluting nickel from the resin to produce a concentrated nickel sulphate solution; and electrowinning nickel from the concentrated sulphate solution.
12. A process according to claim 1 wherein the ion exchange resin is applied to a blend of first and second slurries.
3. A process according to claim 2 wherein, in step the sulphur is added using at least one of the following: leaching the ore with sulphuric acid to dissolve nickel sulphate; leaching the ore with sulphuric acid to dissolve nickel sulphate at an 20 elevated temperature and pressure, to reduce the dissolution of iron; subjecting the ore to a reduction process at from 500'C to 1200 0
C
and then leaching with sulphuric acid; adding sulphur in elemental form to the ore, grinding the ore and the sulphur, and treating the ground mixture of the ore and the sulphur at about 250'C under a steam atmosphere and then at about 250'C under an oxygen atmosphere; treating the ore with concentrated sulphuric acid, roasting the ore at about 700'C and then leaching the calcine in water; and treating the ore with a gas containing sulphur dioxide at from 500'C to 800'C, cooling the ore to below 500'C, and leaching the ore in water.
4. A process according to claim 3 wherein, in step the temperature range is from 650'C to 850'C.
A process according to claim 3 or 4 wherein, in step the ore is then upgraded by means of a magnetic separation process before further processing.
6. A process according to claim 3, 4, or 5 wherein the ore is graded according to its iron content, and its magnesium content, and the grade of the ore is used to determine at leat the nature of step 7. A process according to claim 6 wherein, for a low iron ore-type which is low in magnesium, the sulphur is added using step i [N:\LIBHH]00852:DMB

Claims (5)

  1. 8. A process according to claim 6 wherein, for a low iron ore-type which has a high magnesium content, sulphur is added using step or
  2. 9. A process according to claim 1 wherein the first slurry is blended with the low iron ore-type so that sulphur, in the form of excess sulphuric acid still present in the first slurry is a result of step is added to the low iron ore-type, to carry out step A process according to claim 9 wherein, prior to being blended with the first slurry, the low iron ore-type is subjected to a reduction or calcination process at from 500 0 C to 1200 0 C.
  3. 11. A process according to claim 10 wherein the temperature range is from 650 0 C to 850 0 C.
  4. 12. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 11 which includes the step of subjecting the slurries to a solid/liquid separation before carrying out the ion 15° exchange step. 15 13. A process to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein, in step the nickel is electrowon as ferronickel.
  5. 14. A process for recovering nickel from nickel-bearing laterite ore substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Nickel recovered by the process of any one of claims 1 to 14. DATED this Twenty-fifth Day of September 1998 Billiton S.A. Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person 25 SPRUSON FERGUSON N: BHH00852:DMB [N:\LIBHHI00852:DMB Recovery of Nickel Abstract A process for recovering nickel from nickel-bearing laterite ore which includes the steps of: a) adding sulfur, in a suitable form, to the ore to produce a slurry of a first nickel sulfate solution; b) selectively removing nickel from the first sulfate solution by applying an ion exchange resin thereto; c) eluting nickel from the resin to a second nickel sulfate solution which is lo more concentrated than the first nickel sulfate solution; and d) electrowinning nickel from the second nickel sulfate solution. *O 0* 0 *oo 6 0 SO oo*oo
AU33059/95A 1994-10-05 1995-10-04 Recovery of nickel Ceased AU701811B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ZA947769 1994-10-05
ZA94/7769 1994-10-05

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AU3305995A AU3305995A (en) 1996-04-18
AU701811B2 true AU701811B2 (en) 1999-02-04

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AU33059/95A Ceased AU701811B2 (en) 1994-10-05 1995-10-04 Recovery of nickel

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AU (1) AU701811B2 (en)
CU (1) CU22568A3 (en)
FR (1) FR2725457B1 (en)
ZA (1) ZA958374B (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6387239B1 (en) 1999-11-17 2002-05-14 Bhp Minerals International, Inc. Recovery of metals from ore
KR100727719B1 (en) * 1999-10-15 2007-06-13 비에이치피 미네랄스 인터내셔날 인코퍼레이티드 Resin-in-pulp method for recovery of nickel and cobalt from oxidic ore leach slurry
EP1794331A1 (en) * 2004-09-17 2007-06-13 BHP Billiton Ssm Technology Pty Ltd. Production of ferro-nickel or nickel matte by a combined hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical process
EP2102377A1 (en) * 2006-11-10 2009-09-23 Companhia Vale Do Rio Doce Process for recovery of nickel and cobalt from laterite ores using ion exchange resin

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU699127B2 (en) * 1994-12-27 1998-11-26 Bhp Minerals International, Inc. Recovery of nickel and cobalt from laterite ores

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU6560474A (en) * 1973-02-15 1975-08-14 Minieres Metallurg Et D Invest Extracting nickel and other metals

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1263316B (en) * 1965-04-07 1968-03-14 Internat Nickel Company Of Can Process for the production of nickel, nickel compounds and / or ferronickel from iron-containing, oxydic-silicate nickel ores
CA947089A (en) * 1971-04-14 1974-05-14 Charles E. O'neill Acid leaching of lateritic ores
CA1171287A (en) * 1980-11-05 1984-07-24 William R. Hatch Acid leaching of lateritic nickel ores

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU6560474A (en) * 1973-02-15 1975-08-14 Minieres Metallurg Et D Invest Extracting nickel and other metals

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR100727719B1 (en) * 1999-10-15 2007-06-13 비에이치피 미네랄스 인터내셔날 인코퍼레이티드 Resin-in-pulp method for recovery of nickel and cobalt from oxidic ore leach slurry
US6387239B1 (en) 1999-11-17 2002-05-14 Bhp Minerals International, Inc. Recovery of metals from ore
EP1794331A1 (en) * 2004-09-17 2007-06-13 BHP Billiton Ssm Technology Pty Ltd. Production of ferro-nickel or nickel matte by a combined hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical process
EP1794331A4 (en) * 2004-09-17 2009-07-29 Bhp Billiton Ssm Tech Pty Ltd Production of ferro-nickel or nickel matte by a combined hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical process
EP2102377A1 (en) * 2006-11-10 2009-09-23 Companhia Vale Do Rio Doce Process for recovery of nickel and cobalt from laterite ores using ion exchange resin
EP2102377A4 (en) * 2006-11-10 2011-08-03 Vale Do Rio Doce Co Process for recovery of nickel and cobalt from laterite ores using ion exchange resin

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Publication number Publication date
CU22568A3 (en) 1999-08-03
FR2725457B1 (en) 1997-09-05
AU3305995A (en) 1996-04-18
FR2725457A1 (en) 1996-04-12
ZA958374B (en) 1996-04-24

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