Efficient enrichment of nickel and iron in laterite nickel ore by deep reduction and magnetic separation

The process of deep reduction and magnetic separation was proposed to enrich nickel and iron from laterite nickel ores.Results show that nickel-iron concentrates with nickel grade of 6.96%,nickel recovery of 94.06%,iron grade of 34.74%,and iron recovery of 80.44% could be obtained after magnetic separation under the conditions of reduction temperature of 1275℃,reduction time of 50 min,slag basicity of 1.0,carbon-containing coefficient of 2.5,and magnetic field strength of 72 kA/m.Reduction temperature and time affected the possibility of deep reduction and reaction progress.Slag basicity affected the composition of slag in burden and the spilling and enriching rate of nickel-iron from a matrix to form nickel-iron particles.Nickel-iron particles were generated,aggregated,and grew gradually in the reduction process.Nickel-iron particles can be effectively separated from gangue minerals by magnetic separation.

Relationship between process mineralogical characterization and beneficiability of low-grade laterite nickel ore

Process mineralogy of low-grade laterite nickel ore in Indonesia was systematically characterized and the beneficiation process of mineral components such as limonite,serpentine and chromite was studied on the basis of process mineralogy.The results show that the low-grade laterite nickel ore is a typical weathering sedimentary metamorphic oxidized ore,with the main valuable elements of Ni,Co and Cr and the main mineral components of limonite,serpentine,chromite,etc.There is no independent carrier mineral of Ni and Co in the raw ore,and the occurrence states of Ni and Co are relatively dispersed.For the limonite in laterite nickel mine,the nickel bearing magnetite concentrate with nickel grade of 1.98%and recovery rate of 88.42%can be obtained by reduction roasting magnetic separation process.For the serpentine in laterite nickel mine,the cobalt bearing concentrate with Co grade of 0.17%and recovery rate of 23.17%can be obtained by positive and reverse flotation process.A chromium concentrate containing 35.17%Cr_(2)O_(3) and a recovery of 33.42%can be obtained by using the combined process of coarse and fine classification and gravity and magnetic.

Generation process of FeS and its inhibition mechanism on iron mineral reduction in selective direct reduction of laterite nickel ore

Numerous studies have demonstrated that Na2SO4 can significantly inhibit the reduction of iron oxide in the selective reduction process of laterite nickel ore. FeS generated in the process plays an important role in selective reduction, but the generation process of FeS and its inhibition mechanism on iron reduction are not clear. To figure this out, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses were conducted to study the roasted ore. The results show that when Na2SO4 is added in the roasting, the FeO content in the roasted ore increases accompanied by the emergence of FeS phase. Further analysis indicates that NaeS formed by the reaction of Na2SO4 with CO reacts with SiO2 at the FeO surface to generate FeS and Na2Si2Os. As a result, a thin film forms on the surface of FeO, hindering the contact between reducing gas and FeO. Therefore, the reduction of iron is depressed, and the FeO content in the roasted ore increases.

Evolution of ferronickel particles during the reduction of low-grade saprolitic laterite nickel ore by coal in the temperature range of 900–1250℃with the addition of CaO–CaF_(2)–H_(3)BO_(3)

The method of producing ferronickel at low temperature(1250–1400℃)has been applied since the 1950s at Nippon Yakin Kogyo,Oheyama Works,Japan.Limestone was used as an additive to adjust the slag composition for lowering the slag melting point.The ferronickel product was recovered by means of a magnetic separator from semi-molten slag and metal after water quenching.To increase the efficiency of magnetic separation,a large particle size of ferronickel is desired.Therefore,in this study,the influences of CaO,CaF_(2),and H_(3)BO_(3) additives on the evolution of ferronickel particle at≤1250℃were investigated.The experiments were conducted at 900–1250℃with the addition of CaO,CaF_(2),and H_(3)BO_(3).The reduction processes were carried out in a horizontal tube furnace for 2 h under argon atmosphere.At 1250℃,with the CaO addition of 10 wt%of the ore weight,ferronickel particles with size of 20μm were obtained.The ferronickel particle size increased to 165μm by adding 10 wt%CaO and 10 wt%CaF_(2).The addition of boric acid further increased the ferronickel particle size to 376μm,as shown by the experiments with the addition of 10 wt%CaO,10 wt%CaF_(2),and 10 wt%H_(3)BO_(3).

Slag Resistance of Refractories for Direct Reduction of Laterite Nickel Ores in Rotary Kilns

Aiming at prolonging the service life of refractories for direct reduction of laterite nickel ores in rotary kilns,the slag resistance of ten materials(corundum bricks,chrome corundum bricks,silicon nitride bonded silicon carbide bricks,high alumina silicon carbide bricks,high alumina bricks,magnesia chrome bricks,magnesium aluminate spinel bricks,spinel chrome corundum bricks,chrome corundum castables and magnesia alumina chrome composite spinel bricks)was evaluated by rotary slag tests,which simulate the service conditions in rotary kilns.The corroded residual bricks were analyzed by SEM and EDS.The results show that the magnesia alumina chrome composite spinel brick possesses the advantages of magnesium aluminate spinel bricks and chrome corundum bricks;MgO-rich spinel can absorb the penetrated ferric oxide,and forms a dense zeylanite layer,which prevents the penetration of the molten laterite nickel ores;therefore,it is an ideal lining of rotary kilns for direct reduction of laterite nickel ores.

Characterization of fluidized reduction roasting of nickel laterite ore under CO/CO_(2)atmosphere

Fluidized reduction roasting is an efficient metallurgical technique.However,its application to nickel laterite ore has rarely been reported.In this paper,the effects of reduction temperature,reduction time,CO concentration,and material particle size on the roasting characteristics of ferronickel fluidization reduction were investigated.Combined with X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry(SEM-EDS)characterization,the mineral phases and microscopic morphology of nickel laterite ore and its roasted ores were analyzed in depth.The results indicated that under the condition of a CO/CO_(2)ratio of 1:1,a reduction temperature of 800℃,and a reduction roasting time of 60 min,a nickel-iron concentrate with a nickel grade of 2.10%and an iron content of 45.96%was produced from a raw material with a nickel grade of 1.45%,achieving a remarkable nickel recovery rate of 46.26%.XRD and SEM-EDS analysis indicated that nickel in the concentrate mainly exists in the form of[Fe,Ni],while the unrecovered nickel in the tailings is primarily present in the form of[Fe,Ni]and Ni_(2)SiO_(4)in forsterite.This study established a theoretical foundation for further exploration of fluidized reduction roasting technology.

Influence of laterite nickel ore on extracting iron from Bayer red mud by carbothermal smelting reduction

In view of the difficulty of extracting iron from Bayer red mud,a new idea of adding laterite nickel ore into red mud was proposed to prepare a high value-added product.Toward this,the influences of laterite nickel ore on thermodynamic reaction,slagging and smelting reduction of extracting iron from red mud were studied.The results indicated that the product of extracting iron from red mud(R100)was changed with the addition of laterite nickel ore(R70L30).The slag of R100 was strongly basic,while the R70L30 was weakly acidic with composition closer to the ideal blast furnace slag.The metal recovery of R100 was 75.16%and that of R70L30 was 94.05%.At the same temperature,the slag viscosity of R70L30 was significantly lower than that of R100,which proved that laterite nickel ore can adjust the basicity,reduce melting point of slag and improve metal recovery.Because Fe,Ni and Cr in red mud and laterite nickel ore can be reduced sufficiently,a low Ni–Cr alloy cast iron can be directly prepared.

Transformation and leaching kinetics of silicon from low-grade nickel laterite ore by pre-roasting and alkaline leaching process

The mineralogical phase transformation of a low-grade nickel laterite ore during pre-roasting process and the extraction of silicon during alkaline leaching process were investigated.The results indicate that the reaction activity of nickel ores is effectively improved by pre-roasting at650°C for2h,because of the transformation of lizardite into magnesium olivine and protoenstatite.When finely ground ore samples(44-61μm)pre-roasted firstly react with sodium hydroxide solution(60g/L)with a solid/liquid ratio of1:5at140°C for120min,the extraction of silicon can reach89.89%,and the other valuable elements of magnesium,iron and nickel are accumulated in the solid residues.The leaching kinetics of nickel laterite ore can be described successfully by the diffusion through the product layer control model.The activation energy is calculated to be11.63kJ/mol and the kinetics equation can be expressed as1-3(1-x)2/3+2(1-x)=13.53×10-2exp[-11.63/(RT)]t.

Two-stage reduction for the preparation of ferronickel alloy from nickel laterite ore with low Co and high MgO contents

The preparation of ferronickel alloy from the nickel laterite ore with low Co and high MgO contents was studied by using a pre-reduction-smelting method. The effects of reduction time, calcination temperature, quantity of reductant and calcium oxide (CaO), and pellet diameter on the reduction ratio of Fe and on the pellet strength were investigated. The results show that, for a roasting temperature > 800 A degrees C, a roasting time > 30 min, 1.5wt% added anthracite coal, 5wt% added CaO, and a pellet size of similar to 10 mm, the reduction ratio of Fe exceeds 70% and the compressive strength of the pellets exceeds 10 kg per pellet. Reduction smelting experiments were performed by varying the smelting time, temperature, quantity of reductant and CaO, and reduction ratio of Fe in the pellets. Optimal conditions for the reduction smelting process are as follows: smelting time, 30-45 min; smelting temperature, 1550A degrees C; quantity of reductant, 4wt%-5wt%; and quantity of CaO, 5wt%; leading to an Fe reduction ratio of 75% in the pellets. In addition, the mineral composition of the raw ore and that during the reduction process were investigated by process mineralogy.

Leaching of magnesium from desiliconization slag of nickel laterite ores by carbonation process

The leaching of magnesium from desiliconization slag of nickel laterite ores by carbonation process was studied.The influence of various parameters was investigated to optimize the conditions and determine the kinetics of the reaction.The results show that with increasing stirring speed,liquid-to-solid ratio and reaction time,and decreasing temperature,the leaching rate of magnesium enhances.The leaching process of the desiliconization slag in the range of 288-298 K is controlled by the surface chemical reaction model.The apparent activation energy is-20.45 kJ/mol,and the kinetics model is obtained.

Leaching of nickel laterite ore assisted by microwave technique

The application of microwave technique in the hydrometallurgy of nickel laterite ores was described.The mixture of nickel laterite ores and sulfuric acid was pre-treated by microwave irradiation.The dissolving of nickel was conducted in hot water at the atmospheric pressure.The effects of factors,such as microwave power,microwave irradiation time,and sulfuric acid dosage, were investigated.In microwave field,the migration of ionic species and/or rotation of dipolar species promote the liquid?solid reaction process due to the increased contact area of reactants and leaching reaction rate constant.Thanks to the strengthening action of microwave,the microwave-assisted leaching process has its advantages,such as higher extracting rate than conventional atmospheric leaching,and no need for high-pressure operation as high pressure acid leaching(HPAL).The ferric iron in leaching solution could be effectively removed by sodium jarosite process with a little loss of nickel in the jarosite precipitate.

Synthesis and characterization of Co_3O_4 prepared from atmospheric pressure acid leach liquors of nickel laterite ores

A chemical precipitation-thermal decomposition method was developed to synthesize Co3O4 nanoparticles using cobalt liquor obtained from the atmospheric pressure acid leaching process of nickel laterite ores. The effects of the precursor reaction temperature, the concentration of Co2＋, and the calcination temperature on the specific surface area, morphology, and the electrochemical behavior of the ob- tained Co304 particles were investigated. The precursor basic cobaltous carbonate and cobaltosic oxide products were characterized and ana- lyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area analysis, and electrochemical analysis. The results indicate that the specific surface area of the Co3O4particles with a diameter of 30 rim, which were obtained under the optimum conditions of a precursor reaction temperature of 30℃, 0.25 mol/L Co2＋, and a calcination temperature of 350℃, was 48.89 m2/g. Electrodes fabricated using Co3O4 nanoparticles exhibited good electrochemical properties, with a specific capacitance of 216.3 F/g at a scan rate of 100 mV/s.

Coal-based reduction mechanism of low-grade laterite ore

A low-grade nickel laterite ore was reduced at different reduction temperatures. The morphology of metallic particles was investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）. Experimental results indicate that the metallic nickel and iron gradually assemble and grow into larger spherical particles with increasing temperature and prolonging time. After reduction, the nickel laterite ore obviously changes into two parts of Fe-Ni metallic particles and slag matrix. An obvious relationship is found between the reduction of iron magnesium olivine and its crystal chemical properties. The nickel and iron oxides are reduced to metallic by reductant, and the lattice of olivine is destroyed. The entire reduction process is comprised of oxide reduction and metallic phase growth.

Dissolution of lateritic nickel ore using ascorbic acid as synergistic reagent in sulphuric acid solution

The dissolution of nickel and cobalt from Caldag lateritic nickel ore using the combination of sulphuric and ascorbic acids was investigated. The use of other organic acids, namely citric, maleic and stearic acids, as synergistic reagents was studied for comparison. The results revealed that the use of ascorbic and citric acids markedly improved the dissolution of cobalt compared to the other two organic acids that only showed slight synergistic effect on the leaching rate. In terms of nickel dissolution, ascorbic acid is the most effective synergist, followed by citric, maleic and stearic acids in descending order. Under the most optimized conditions found in this study, i.e., using 1 mol/L of sulphuric acid with the presence of 4 g/L of ascorbic acid at 80 ℃and solid-to-liquid ratio of 1/10, more than 99% and 98% leaching rates of cobalt and nickel, respectively, can be achieved within 4 h of leaching. In addition, the leaching performance is relatively insensitive to the change of ascorbic acid concentration from 2 to 4 g/L which is highly desirable from operational perspective.

Process development for the direct solvent extraction of nickel and cobalt from nitrate solution:aluminum,cobalt,and nickel separation using Cyanex 272

A direct solvent extraction（DSX） process for purifying nickel and cobalt from the nitric acid leach solution of nickel laterite ores was conceived and experimentally probed. The proposed process consists of two solvent extraction（SX） steps but with only one extractant - bis（2,4,4-trimethylpentyl）phosphinic acid（Cyanex？ 272） - used in both steps. The first extraction step involved the removal of aluminum and zinc, whereas the second extraction step involved the separation of cobalt along with manganese from nickel. The experimental results showed essentially quantitative removal of aluminum（〉97%） and zinc（〉99%） in a single extraction stage using 20vol% Cyanex 272 at pH 2.1. Some cobalt（32%） and manganese（55%） were co-extracted but were easily scrubbed out completely from the loaded organic phase using dilute sulfuric acid at pH ≤ 1.38. Cobalt and manganese in the first extraction raffinate were extracted completely in four extraction stages at staggered pH values of 4.0, 4.4, 4.5, and 4.0 in the first, second, third, and fourth stages, respectively, using also 20vol% Cyanex 272. A small amount of nickel（up to 6.6%） was co-extracted but was easily scrubbed out completely with dilute sulfuric acid at pH 2.0. A flow diagram showing the input and output conditions and the metals separated under the deduced optimum conditions is presented.

Effect of additives on growth of ferronickel grains and metal-slag separation behavior

Na_(2)S,Na_(2)CO_(3),FeO,FeS and carbon were used to regulate the properties of slag or metal fractions,and their effects on metal growth and metal–slag separation behavior were investigated.The growth of ferronickel grains can be enhanced by adding these additives,and Na_(2)S was the most effective.Na_(2)S,Na_(2)CO_(3) and FeO mainly affected the properties of slag,while carbon and FeS affected the metal fraction.The onset temperature of metal–slag separation was 1297℃ for the sample without additive,which was decreased to 1123 and 1101℃ after adding 3.30 wt.%Na_(2)S and 4.47 wt.%Na_(2)CO_(3),respectively.The onset temperature of metal–slag separation was mainly controlled by the slag fraction.The average apparent activation energy of metal grain growth was 125.32 kJ/mol without additive,and it decreased obviously after adding different additives.Na_(2)S also had the most remarkable effect on the decrease in activation energy.

Direct smelting process for stainless steel crude alloy recovery from mixed low-grade chromite, nickel laterite and manganese ores

Stainless steel crude alloy recovery from direct smelting of low-grade chromite, nickel laterite and manganese ores was investigated. The mixed low-grade ores were directly smelted in an elevator furnace at smelting temperatures ranging from 1550 to 1600 ℃. Smelting experiments were conducted in a laboratory elevator furnace equipped with 8 U-shaped high- quality molybdenum disilicide heating elements. A low-grade coal was used as the reductant. Experimental results showed that the recovery of Fe, Cr, Ni, Mn and Si within the alloy increased from 34.22, 60.27, 57.14, 25.42 and 13.02% to 69.91, 99.26, 86.02, 60.8 and 34.21%, respectively, when the temperature was increased from 1550 to 1600 ℃. There was a general increase in the total recoveries of Fe, Cr, and Ni in the alloy with CaO addition increasing from 0.4 g up to 1.2 g. However, the recoveries of Mn and Si vividly decreased as the CaO contents were increased. In general, the recoveries of the metal contents of the crude alloy increase with the increase in the amount of manganese ore. Compared to the recoveries of Fe, Cr, and Ni when CaO was added, the recoveries of Fe, Cr and Ni were lower when manganese ore was used as an additive.

Effect of basicity and Al2O3 on viscosity of ferronickel smelting slag

The effect of the Al2O3 content and basicity (the molar ratio of MgO to SiO2) on the viscosity of a SiO2-MgO-FeOAl2O3-CaO slag was studied to fully understand the smelting process of the ferronickel alloy. Experimental results show that the slag is a mixture of liquid and solid phases at the experimental temperature. The viscosity decreased as the basicity increased and increased as the Al2O3 content increased. To determine the effect of the Al2O3 content and basicity on the structure of the molten slag, Raman spectroscopy was performed on the slag sample, which was quenched from the high temperature with water. The Raman spectra showed that the fractions of the polymerization structural units decreased significantly as the basicity of the slag increased, resulting in a decrease in the apparent viscosity. However, Al2O3 acts as a network former in the slag system, thereby making the slag structure further polymerized and increasing the viscosity.