GB1334170A - Production of nickel from nickel bearing materials - Google Patents

Abstract

1334170 Extracting nickel and nickel alloys KAISER ALUMINUM & CHEMICAL CORP 19 April 1971 [26 March 1970] 22648/71 Heading C7D Nickel is extracted from material containing also less noble metals including cobalt and iron in a counter current process in a furnace having zones as shown in the Fig. in which an underlying metal layer progressively increasing in nickel content flows towards the metal tapping end while a slag of progressively decreasing nickel content flows to the slag tapping end. Cobalt, iron and a considerable amount of nickel are oxidized and transferred from the metal phase to the slag phase at the metal purification zone and almost all of the nickel and some less noble metal is reduced from the slag phase in the slag treating zone. The oxidising agents may be gaseous such as oxygen, carbondioxide, steam, air, or solid such as nickel oxide. The reducing agent may be gaseous such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide or gaseous or liquid hydrocarbons or molten iron or carbon. Where the material from which nickel is to be extracted is an alloy containing iron and nickel, this may be used as reducing agent. In order to minimise contamination of the metal product with cobalt, a cobalt-nickel alloy may be withdrawn from the metal phase in an intermediate zone, e.g. an alloy having a cobalt content of at least 10 wt per cent, and preferably having a colbalt: nickel ratio of 1:1.