JP2009298647A - Nickel oxide and production method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a production method for inexpensively obtaining high purity nickel oxide as a raw material of high purity nickel in a large amount under environmentally friendly conditions. <P>SOLUTION: The production method of nickel oxide having 4N or more nickel purity and not more than 100 ppm of a sodium content includes: a neutralizing step of neutralizing an acid aqueous solution of nickel ions with a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution or a potassium hydroxide aqueous solution to precipitate a nickel compound having 3N of more nickel purity; and a heating and washing step of heating the nickel compound to produce nickel oxide and washing the nickel oxide with water. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a high-purity nickel oxide and a method for producing the same.

  High-purity nickel is used in the fields of semiconductor elements, electronic devices, recording elements and the like. The nickel purity of high purity nickel used in such fields is usually 2N (99.0 wt%) to 5N (99.999 wt%). The “nickel purity” is represented by [total amount of nickel / (total amount of nickel + total amount of impurities)] × 100 wt%.

  However, in recent years, various elements contained in high-purity nickel, such as heavy metals, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, or Those ions are becoming a problem. For example, iron causes troubles at the interface junction. In addition, alkali metal elements such as sodium and potassium easily move in the gate insulating film, causing deterioration of MOS-LSI interface characteristics. Therefore, there is a need for high-purity nickel with few impurities.

  In order to obtain high-purity nickel with few impurities, it is necessary to reduce the contents of various impurities (heavy metal, alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, etc.) contained in the nickel oxide used as a raw material in advance. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce in advance the content of various impurities (heavy metal, alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, etc.) contained in the nickel compound used as the nickel oxide raw material.

As a conventional method for producing high purity nickel, for example, the following method is known.
(1) A method of separating metal elements by wet processing such as solvent extraction, ion exchange, electrolytic purification, and the like.
(2) A method of removing gaseous elements such as oxygen by dry hydrogen gas treatment.
(3) Float zone melt purification method (see Patent Document 1).

  However, each of the above methods has a problem that it is difficult to obtain high-purity nickel stably on an industrial scale because it is difficult to control.

On the other hand, as a method for producing high-purity cobalt, methods through the following steps (i) to (iv) are known (see Patent Documents 2 and 3).
(I) A cobalt chloride material as a cobalt raw material is treated with hydrochloric acid to obtain a hydrochloric acid acidic aqueous solution containing cobalt ions, that is, a cobalt chloride aqueous solution.
(Ii) The cobalt chloride aqueous solution is treated by ion exchange chromatography to remove impurities such as copper ions from the cobalt chloride aqueous solution.
(Iii) The cobalt chloride aqueous solution from which impurities have been removed is subjected to heat evaporation to dryness treatment or neutralized with an ammonium hydroxide aqueous solution to obtain cobalt chloride or cobalt hydroxide.
(Iv) The cobalt chloride or cobalt hydroxide obtained above is reduced to obtain high-purity cobalt.

  And if this manufacturing method is applied to nickel, it is thought that high purity nickel is obtained as shown in FIG.

  However, in this production method, when evaporating to dryness in the step (iii), an excessive cost is required for the heat treatment, and hydrogen chloride gas is released. Therefore, there were problems in terms of cost and work environment.

Therefore, it has been proposed to neutralize with a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution or a potassium hydroxide aqueous solution in step (iii). According to this, it is considered that high-purity nickel can be produced at a low cost, in large quantities, and under environmentally friendly conditions.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-152592 JP 2001-81507 A JP 2002-105633 A

  However, when neutralized with an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution or an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution, there is a problem that an alkali metal such as sodium or potassium is mixed in a large amount in the nickel compound obtained by the neutralization treatment.

  By the way, nickel oxide, which is a raw material of high-purity nickel, is used as a ceramic material for electronic parts and a catalyst material. If the nickel oxide contains an alkali metal such as sodium or potassium, the alkali metal is highly reactive, which may cause problems during firing in the manufacturing process or reduce electrical resistance. There is.

  Conventionally, removal of alkali metals from nickel oxide has been attempted as a solution. However, it has been difficult to efficiently and completely remove the alkali metal from the nickel oxide by a wet cleaning method or a heating volatilization method that is generally performed to remove the alkali metal.

  As a result of earnest research to develop a method for producing high-purity nickel oxide, which is a raw material for high-purity nickel, at a low cost, in large quantities and under environmentally friendly conditions, completed.

  1st invention of this application is nickel oxide characterized by nickel purity being 4N or more and sodium content being 100 ppm or less.

  A second invention of the present application is a method for producing a nickel oxide having a nickel purity of 4N or more and a sodium content of 100 ppm or less, wherein the nickel ion acid aqueous solution is a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution or potassium hydroxide. Neutralizing with an aqueous solution to precipitate a nickel compound having a nickel purity of 3N or more, and the nickel compound is heated to produce nickel oxide, and the nickel oxide is washed with water. And a heated water washing step.

The second invention preferably adopts the following configuration.
(A) Before the neutralization step, there is a chromatography step in which the nickel ion acid aqueous solution is treated by ion exchange chromatography to remove heavy metal impurities from the nickel ion acid aqueous solution.
(B) In the heated water washing step, the heat treatment is performed so that the weight reduction rate of the nickel oxide without adhering water is 17.0 to 23.0% by weight.
(C) In the neutralization step, neutralization is performed under conditions of pH 8.0 to 13.0.
(D) In the neutralization step, after the neutralization treatment, the obtained nickel compound is dehydrated or washed with water.

  According to the nickel oxide of the first invention, high purity nickel having a nickel purity of 5N can be obtained by reduction.

  In the manufacturing method of the second aspect of the invention, since the nickel compound is heat-treated in the heated water washing step, sodium mixed in the produced nickel oxide is easily removed. And since it wash-processes after heat processing, the sodium in nickel oxide is washed away. Therefore, according to the production method of the present invention, the sodium content can be greatly reduced, and therefore the nickel content ratio can be greatly improved. Therefore, the nickel purity is 4N or more and the sodium content is 100 ppm or less. Oxides can be obtained. When the obtained nickel oxide is reduced, nickel having a nickel purity of 5N can be obtained.

  Moreover, according to the production method of the present invention, since only simple and mild treatments such as neutralization treatment, heat treatment, and water washing treatment are performed, high-purity nickel oxide is produced in a large amount at a low cost. Can be obtained in environmentally friendly conditions.

  According to the said structure (a), since a heavy metal impurity can be removed from the acid aqueous solution of nickel ion, content of the heavy metal impurity in the nickel compound obtained at a neutralization process can be reduced significantly.

  According to the said structure (b), the sodium content in the nickel oxide after heat processing can be reduced favorably.

  According to the said structure (c), precipitation of a nickel compound can be accelerated | stimulated and mixing of the impurity to the nickel compound to produce | generate can be suppressed.

  According to the said structure (d), the mixing amount of sodium or potassium in a nickel compound can be reduced.

  The nickel oxide of the present invention is characterized in that the nickel purity is 4N or more and the sodium content is 100 ppm or less. When this nickel oxide is reduced, high-purity nickel having a nickel purity of 5N (99.999% by weight) or more can be obtained.

  The method for producing the nickel oxide of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The production method of the present invention includes (1) a dissolution step, (2) a chromatography step, (3) a neutralization step, and (4) a heated water washing step. However, the chromatography step is not essential, but is preferably employed.

(1) Dissolution process In this process, the nickel raw material is treated with an acid to produce an acid aqueous solution of nickel ions. That is, in this step, an acid aqueous solution of nickel ions is obtained from the nickel raw material.

(1-1) Nickel raw material As a nickel raw material, any material containing nickel can be used without particular limitation, but nickel chloride, nickel nitrate, nickel sulfate, nickel metal, and the like can be preferably used.

  The nickel raw material only needs to have a nickel purity of about 2N (99.0% by weight) to 3N (99.9% by weight), and may contain other metal ions normally contained as impurities.

(1-2) Acid The acid for treating the nickel raw material is not particularly limited as long as it is an acid that can dissolve nickel, but hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid and the like can be preferably used. However, it is preferred to use an acid that contains as little impurities as possible. Here, examples of the impurities include heavy metals, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, and the like. A commercially available acid may be used as it is.

  When hydrochloric acid is used, it is preferable to use hydrochloric acid prepared by blowing high purity hydrochloric acid gas into high purity water.

  The concentration of the acid is not particularly limited as long as it can sufficiently dissolve the nickel raw material, but is preferably 3 mol / L or more.

  Any treatment method can be used without particular limitation as long as it can dissolve nickel with an acid. However, a method in which nickel is dissolved little by little with stirring using a container that has a form that can prevent contamination of impurities and that does not elute impurities, is preferable.

(1-3) It should be noted that the nickel ion acid aqueous solution obtained in this step is preferably subjected to elemental analysis before the next step. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as an elemental analysis method, It is preferable to use the method or apparatus whose detection limit is about 1ppt about nickel, another heavy metal, an alkali metal, or an alkaline-earth metal. Specific examples of such an apparatus include an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS).

(2) Chromatography step In this step, the nickel ion acid aqueous solution is treated by ion exchange chromatography to remove heavy metal impurities from the nickel ion acid aqueous solution.

  Various known methods can be used as a treatment method by ion exchange chromatography. Specifically, when the impurities to be removed are divalent cations (copper ions, cobalt ions, etc.), a known anion exchange chromatography apparatus (Thin Solid Films 461 (2004) 94-98) is used. it can.

(3) Neutralization step In this step, an acid aqueous solution of nickel ions is neutralized with an alkaline aqueous solution to precipitate a nickel compound (nickel hydroxide) having a nickel purity of 3N or higher.

  In this step, the nickel compound is precipitated by neutralizing the acid aqueous solution of nickel ions with a wet treatment, that is, an alkaline aqueous solution. That is, in this step, nickel ions are precipitated as an insoluble nickel compound, and other impurities (other metal ions and the like) remain dissolved in the reaction solution, and as a result, only nickel is separated.

(3-1) Alkaline aqueous solution As the alkaline aqueous solution, a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution or a potassium hydroxide aqueous solution is used. A high-purity sodium hydroxide aqueous solution commercially available for semiconductor production may be used as it is. Alternatively, an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution prepared by dissolving high purity sodium or high purity sodium hydroxide in high purity water may be used. In addition, when sodium, potassium, and magnesium are not problematic as impurities, it is preferable to use an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. When sodium, potassium, and magnesium are problematic as impurities, the amount of sodium or potassium mixed into the crystal structure can be reduced by controlling the reaction conditions during neutralization, particularly pH. Also, the amount of sodium or potassium mixed into the nickel compound can be reduced by the dehydration treatment and the water washing treatment after the neutralization treatment. The concentration of the aqueous alkaline solution is not particularly limited but is preferably in the range of 5 to 20 mol / L.

(3-2) Neutralization (3-2-1) pH
The pH of the aqueous solution during the reaction is not particularly limited as long as nickel ions are in an insoluble nickel compound, but a range of 8 or more is preferable. In this step, the pH is preferably maintained at 8.0 to 13.0 as a condition that the nickel compound is sufficiently precipitated and separated from the reaction solution, and impurities are not mixed into the precipitate.

(3-2-2) Treatment Method The reaction method of the nickel ion acid aqueous solution and the alkaline aqueous solution is not particularly limited, but a method of simultaneously adding both aqueous solutions to the water in the reaction vessel is preferable. In this case, the addition rate is not particularly limited. Moreover, it is preferable that both aqueous solutions in the reaction vessel are sufficiently stirred with a stirring device. After completion of the reaction, it is preferable to continue stirring for a while in order to sufficiently mature the precipitate. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular about reaction temperature, It is preferable to maintain the range of 20-80 degreeC.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a reaction format, Either what is called a batch type or a continuous type may be sufficient. In the case of the continuous type, since the precipitate of the produced nickel compound can be continuously taken out from the overflow pipe provided in the reaction apparatus, it can be carried out efficiently.

(3-3) Filtration / drying The resulting nickel compound precipitate can be easily separated from the reaction solution by various known methods such as decantation and filtration using a filter.

  Impurity ions mixed in the form of a solution during precipitation can be easily washed away by sufficiently washing several times with high-purity water.

  The nickel compound separated from the reaction solution can be sufficiently dried by an ordinary known drying method. Specifically, the nickel compound is dried by being held at 40 to 100 ° C. for 10 to 20 hours in a vacuum drying apparatus. it can.

(4) Heated water washing process In this process, a nickel compound is heat-processed (namely, dehydration condensation process), nickel oxide is produced | generated, and this nickel oxide is water-washed.

  The heat treatment is performed at 300 to 1000 ° C.

  Table 1 shows the relationship between the weight reduction rate of nickel oxide in the state without adhering water and the sodium residual rate due to heat treatment. The sodium residual rate (%) is [sodium content after heat treatment / sodium content before heat treatment] × 100. The sodium residual rate is preferably 15% or less, and therefore the preferred weight loss rate is 17.0 to 23.0% by weight. When the weight reduction rate is less than 17.0% by weight, the filterability of the nickel oxide is deteriorated and the working efficiency is deteriorated. On the other hand, when the weight reduction rate exceeds 23.0% by weight, aggregation occurs and it is difficult to reduce sodium or potassium contained in the nickel compound. Therefore, in this step, it is preferable to perform the heat treatment so that the weight reduction rate is 17.0 to 23.0% by weight.

  And the sodium or potassium mixed in nickel oxide can be washed away by carrying out the water washing process of the obtained nickel oxide after heat processing.

  Next, the present invention will be described in detail based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples. In the following Examples and Comparative Examples, elemental analysis during production was performed using ICP-MS (Optima 4300 DV manufactured by PerkinElmer). The measurement data is the concentration of the measured element with respect to nickel. That is, the concentration of the measurement element = total amount of measurement element / total amount of nickel.

  Nickel oxide was produced as shown below.

(1) Melting step 1610 g of nickel raw material was pulverized and charged into 15 L of 35% hydrochloric acid (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., product number 18078-80) and dissolved. Thereby, an acid aqueous solution of nickel ions was obtained. 5 L of distilled water was added to this acid aqueous solution to make the total amount of the acid aqueous solution 20 L. The obtained nickel ion acid aqueous solution was subjected to elemental analysis. The results are shown in Table 2.

(2) Chromatography step The obtained nickel ion acid aqueous solution 20L was passed through an anion exchange resin 30L (Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, product name DIAION SA10A, packed in a 12 cm diameter vinyl chloride column), that is, Processed by ion exchange chromatography. As a result, nickel ions were adsorbed on the anion exchange resin and separated from other element ions. Next, an eluent (hydrochloric acid having a concentration of 4 mol / L) was flowed to elute nickel ions. The obtained eluent was subjected to elemental analysis. The results are shown in Table 3.

  As can be seen from Table 2 and Table 3, through the chromatography step, heavy metal impurities are greatly reduced from the acid aqueous solution of nickel ions.

(3) Neutralization process As a reaction tank, a 15 L volume vinyl chloride cylindrical container (radius 13 cm, height 25 cm) was used. And 3L of ion exchange distilled water was put into the reaction tank in advance. In this reaction tank, 8 L of nickel ion acid aqueous solution and 3.5 L of 48% sodium hydroxide aqueous solution (manufactured by Tsurumi Soda Co., Ltd., Ultra Pure grade, product name CLEARCUT-S) were simultaneously used. It was dripped over 6 hours. The dropping rate of the nickel ion acid aqueous solution was 21 ml / min. During the dropping operation, the temperature of the solution in the reaction vessel is controlled to 40 ° C., and the pH of the solution in the reaction vessel is maintained at 11.2 by a pH controller. The solution was stirred at a rotational speed of 400 rpm by a propeller-shaped stirrer having a radius of 3.5 cm and placed in the center of the reaction vessel.

  In the reaction vessel, a yellowish green precipitate was generated with the dropping. After the dropping, the precipitate in the reaction vessel was washed with water twice by decantation and collected by a suction filter. The resulting precipitate was dried at about 60 ° C. under vacuum for 10 hours. As a result, 250 g of a nickel compound was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel compound were as follows.
-Nickel content is 63.3% by weight.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group P-3m1 from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
Nickel purity is 99.9685% by weight.
-Content of manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, zinc, and lead are all 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 270.6 ppm.

  That is, in the obtained nickel compound, the nickel purity is 3N.

(4) Heated water washing process After the obtained nickel compound was heat-treated at 500 ° C, it was washed once with decantation and dried at 100 ° C. Thereby, 200 g of nickel oxide was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel oxide were as follows.
-Nickel content is 78.4 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group R-3m from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
-Nickel purity is 99.9914 weight%.
-Content of manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, zinc, and lead is 1.0 ppm or less similarly to the case of the nickel compound.
-Sodium content is reduced to about 1/6 compared with the case of a nickel compound, and is 40.87 ppm.

  That is, the obtained nickel oxide has a nickel purity of 4N and a sodium content of 100 ppm or less.

  Nickel oxide was produced as shown below. Example 2 differs from Example 1 in that the chromatography step was not performed.

(1) Dissolution process It carried out like Example 1.

(2) Chromatography step Not performed.

(3) Neutralization step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed. As a result, 250 g of a nickel compound was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel compound were as follows.
-Nickel content is 63.5 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group P-3m1 from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
Nickel purity is 99.9675 wt%.
-Both manganese and lead content are 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 272.6 ppm.

  That is, in the obtained nickel compound, the nickel purity is 3N.

(4) Heated water washing process It implemented similarly to Example 1. FIG. Thereby, 200 g of nickel oxide was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel oxide were as follows.
-Nickel content is 78.0 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group R-3m from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
-Nickel purity is 99.9033 weight%.
-Content of magnesium, manganese, and lead are all 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 42.87 ppm.

  That is, the obtained nickel oxide has a nickel purity of 4N and a sodium content of 100 ppm or less.

  Nickel oxide was produced as shown below. Example 3 differs from Example 1 in that the neutralization step was performed by a continuous method.

(1) Dissolution step 1610 g of nickel raw material is pulverized, dissolved in 15 L of 35% hydrochloric acid, dissolved, and 5 L of distilled water is further added to form a nickel chloride aqueous solution, ie, nickel ion acid, having a nickel concentration of 20 g / L. 20 L of aqueous solution was obtained.

(2) Chromatography step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed.

(3) Neutralization step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed. However, it was carried out by a continuous method. That is, the produced nickel compound was overflowed from the overflow pipe, taken out, washed with water, and dehydrated. As a result, 250 g of a nickel compound was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel compound were as follows.
-Nickel content is 63.7 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group P-3m1 from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
Nickel purity is 99.9684% by weight.
-Content of manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, zinc, and lead are all 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 272.0 ppm.

  That is, in the obtained nickel compound, the nickel purity is 3N.

(4) Heated water washing process It implemented similarly to Example 1. FIG. Thereby, 200 g of nickel oxide was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel oxide were as follows.
-Nickel content is 78.0 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group R-3m from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
Nickel purity is 99.9918 wt%.
-Content of manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, zinc, and lead is 1.0 ppm or less similarly to the case of the nickel compound.
-Content of sodium is 41.22 ppm.

  That is, the obtained nickel oxide has a nickel purity of 4N and a sodium content of 100 ppm or less.

  Nickel oxide was produced as shown below. Example 4 is different from Example 1 in that the alkaline aqueous solution used in the neutralization step is a potassium hydroxide aqueous solution.

(1) Dissolution process It carried out like Example 1.

(2) Chromatography step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed.

(3) Neutralization step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed. However, instead of the 48% sodium hydroxide aqueous solution, a 48% potassium hydroxide aqueous solution (manufactured by Tsurumi Soda Co., Ltd., Ultra Pure grade) was used. As a result, 250 g of a nickel compound was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel compound were as follows.
-Nickel content is 63.0 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group P-3m1 from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
Nickel purity is 99.9785% by weight.
-Content of manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, zinc, and lead are all 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of potassium is 170.6 ppm.

  That is, in the obtained nickel compound, the nickel purity is 3N.

(4) Heated water washing process It implemented similarly to Example 1. FIG. Thereby, 200 g of nickel oxide was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel oxide were as follows.
-Nickel content is 78.0 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group R-3m from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
Nickel purity is 99.9915% by weight.
-Content of manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, zinc, and lead is 1.0 ppm or less similarly to the case of the nickel compound.
-The content of potassium is 40.6 ppm.

  That is, the obtained nickel oxide has a nickel purity of 4N and a sodium content of 100 ppm or less.

Comparative Example 1

  Nickel oxide was produced as shown below. Comparative Example 1 is different from Example 1 in that the water washing treatment was not performed in the heated water washing step.

(1) Dissolution process It carried out like Example 1.

(2) Chromatography step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed.

(3) Neutralization step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed. As a result, 250 g of a nickel compound was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel compound were as follows.
-Nickel content is 63.0 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group P-3m1 from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
Nickel purity is 99.9098% by weight.
-Magnesium, manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, and zinc content are all 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 850.25 ppm.

(4) Heated water washing process Unlike Example 1, the water washing process was not performed but only the heat processing was performed. Thereby, 200 g of nickel oxide was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel oxide were as follows.
-Nickel content is 78.5 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group R-3m from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
-Nickel purity is 99.9100 weight%.
-Content of manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, lead, and zinc is 1.0 ppm or less, as in the case of the nickel compound.
-Content of sodium is 850.0 ppm.

  That is, in the obtained nickel oxide, the nickel purity is only 3N and the sodium content exceeds 100 ppm.

Comparative Example 2

  Nickel oxide was produced as shown below. Comparative Example 2 is different from Example 2 in that the washing process is not performed in the heated washing process. That is, Comparative Example 2 is different from Example 1 in that the chromatography step was not performed and the water washing treatment was not performed in the heated water washing step.

(1) Dissolution process It carried out like Example 1.

(2) Chromatography step Not performed.

(3) Neutralization step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed. As a result, 250 g of a nickel compound was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel compound were as follows.
-Nickel content is 63.4 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group P-3m1 from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
-Nickel purity is 99.9045 weight%.
-Magnesium, manganese, and lead content are all 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 900.25 ppm.

(4) Heated water washing process Unlike Example 1, the water washing process was not performed but only the heat processing was performed. Thereby, 200 g of nickel oxide was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel oxide were as follows.
-Nickel content is 78.3 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group R-3m from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
-Nickel purity is 99.9055 weight%.
-Magnesium, manganese, and lead content are all 1.0 ppm or less like the case of a nickel compound.
-Content of sodium is 900.0 ppm.

  That is, in the obtained nickel oxide, the nickel purity is only 3N and the sodium content exceeds 100 ppm.

Comparative Example 3

  Nickel oxide was produced as shown below. Comparative Example 3 is different from Example 3 in that the chromatography step was not performed and the water washing treatment was not performed in the heated water washing step. That is, Comparative Example 3 was different from Example 1 in that the chromatography step was not performed, the neutralization step was performed by a continuous method, and the water washing treatment was not performed in the heated water washing step. Yes.

(1) Dissolution process 1600 g of nickel raw material is pulverized, dissolved in 15 L of 35% hydrochloric acid, dissolved, and 5 L of distilled water is further added to form a nickel chloride aqueous solution, ie, nickel ion acid, having a nickel concentration of 20 g / L. 20 L of aqueous solution was obtained.

(2) Chromatography step Not performed.

(3) Neutralization step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed. However, it was carried out by a continuous method. That is, the produced nickel compound was overflowed from the overflow pipe, taken out, washed with water, and dehydrated. As a result, 240 g of a nickel compound was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel compound were as follows.
-Nickel content is 63.0 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group P-3m1 from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
Nickel purity is 99.9685% by weight.
-Content of manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, lead, and zinc are all 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 270.6 ppm.

(4) Heated water washing process Unlike Example 1, the water washing process was not performed but only the heat processing was performed. Thereby, 200 g of nickel oxide was obtained.

The physical properties of the obtained nickel oxide were as follows.
-Nickel content is 78.0 weight%.
The crystal structure belongs to the space group R-3m from the X-ray diffraction pattern.
-Nickel purity is 99.9673 weight%.
-Manganese content is 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 269.0 ppm.

  That is, in the obtained nickel oxide, the nickel purity is only 3N and the sodium content exceeds 100 ppm.

Comparative Example 4

  An attempt was made to produce nickel oxide as follows. Comparative Example 4 is different from Example 1 in that the alkaline aqueous solution used in the neutralization step is an ammonium hydroxide aqueous solution.

(1) Dissolution step 1610 g of nickel raw material is pulverized, dissolved in 15 L of 35% hydrochloric acid, dissolved, and 5 L of distilled water is further added to form a nickel chloride aqueous solution, ie, nickel ion acid, having a nickel concentration of 20 g / L. 20 L of aqueous solution was obtained.

(2) Chromatography step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed.

(3) Neutralization step The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed. However, 8 L of nickel chloride aqueous solution and 28% ammonium hydroxide aqueous solution (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd., special grade, product number 01266-80) were simultaneously dropped into the reaction vessel over 6 hours using a quantitative dropping device. . The pH of the solution in the reaction vessel during the dropping operation was maintained at 10.0.

  In the reaction tank, a yellowish green precipitate was produced along with the dropping, but the supernatant liquid also had a yellowish green color. That is, the nickel compound was not completely precipitated. Therefore, the yield of nickel compound was low.

Comparative Example 5

  A nickel compound was produced by a heating evaporation to dryness method. That is, 500 ml of nickel chloride aqueous solution was put into a 1000 ml cylindrical beaker made of Teflon (registered trademark), and the beaker was heated on a hot plate. As a result, green crystalline nickel chloride was obtained.

And elemental analysis of the obtained nickel chloride was conducted. The results were as follows.
Nickel purity is 99.9671 wt%.
-Magnesium, manganese, cobalt, iron, copper, and zinc content are all 1.0 ppm or less.
-Content of sodium is 270.0 ppm.

  Moreover, when the energy cost required in order to make 1 kg of nickel compounds was calculated using the following formula, as shown in Table 4, the heating evaporation to dryness treatment method was neutralization shown in Examples 1 to 4. Four times the treatment method. The nickel ion concentration in the acid solution used in the neutralization treatment method was 25 g / L. Moreover, in Table 4, the energy cost in the case of the heating evaporation drying process was set to 100.

  Q = {W × H × E} / Ni ... Formula

Q: Energy cost required to make 1kg of nickel compound (yen)
W: Power consumption (kW)
H: Processing time (hr)
E; Unit price (yen / kW)
Ni: Nickel treatment amount (kg)

  The production method of the present invention can obtain nickel having a nickel purity of 5N or more, and can obtain a high-purity nickel oxide under low-cost and environmentally friendly conditions. Is big.

It is a flowchart figure of the manufacturing method of the nickel oxide of this invention. It is a flowchart figure of the manufacturing method of the high purity nickel considered from the manufacturing method of the conventional high purity cobalt.

Claims (6)

  A nickel oxide having a nickel purity of 4N or more and a sodium content of 100 ppm or less. A method for producing a nickel oxide having a nickel purity of 4N or more and a sodium content of 100 ppm or less,
A neutralization step of neutralizing a nickel ion acid aqueous solution with a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution or a potassium hydroxide aqueous solution to precipitate a nickel compound having a nickel purity of 3N or more;
A heating water washing step of heat-treating the nickel compound to produce nickel oxide and washing the nickel oxide with water.   The nickel oxide according to claim 2, further comprising a chromatography step of treating an acid aqueous solution of nickel ion by ion exchange chromatography to remove heavy metal impurities from the acid aqueous solution of nickel ion before the neutralization step. Production method.   3. The method for producing nickel oxide according to claim 2, wherein, in the heated water washing step, the heat treatment is performed such that the weight reduction rate of the nickel oxide in the state without adhering water is 17.0 to 23.0 wt%.   The manufacturing method of the nickel oxide of Claim 2 which performs a neutralization process on the conditions of pH 8.0-13.0 in a neutralization process.   The method for producing nickel oxide according to claim 2, wherein, in the neutralization step, the obtained nickel compound is subjected to a dehydration treatment or a water washing treatment after the neutralization treatment.

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