Issue |
Metall. Res. Technol.
Volume 112, Number 3, 2015
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 306 | |
Number of page(s) | 12 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/metal/2015015 | |
Published online | 28 May 2015 |
A novel approach for recovery of nickel and iron from nickel laterite ore
Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 P.R. China
e-mail: zfcao1980@163.com
Received: 18 March 2015
Accepted: 24 April 2015
In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on the utilization of low-grade nickel laterite ore. In this study, the technology for efficient utilization of nickel laterite ore was investigated. The results indicate that the experimental sample is a kind of strong acidic ferric oxide ore containing nickel, which tends to appear as a complex with argillaceous mineral. The results indicate that the ultrasonic field has a significant effect on the leaching rates of nickel and iron.Optimum leaching conditions were found as follows: size of mineral particles: 95% less than 0.074 mm; leaching temperature: 80 °C; concentration of sulfuric acid: 190 g/L; liquid-solid ratio: 5:1; leaching time: 2 h; stirring speed: 400 rpm. Under these conditions, the leaching rates of nickel and iron reach 98.35% and 91.28% with the ultrasonic field exertion working 4 min every 5 min. In contrast, the leaching rates of nickel and iron are 78.84% and 80.26% after 2 h without the ultrasonic field. A product with Fe grade of 63.56% could be obtained by precipitation and roasting, the total recovery of nickel and iron reaching 95.62% and 86.50%, respectively. The reasonable recovery technology of nickel laterite ore containing a high content of limonite minerals was determined by this work.
Key words: Nickel laterite ore / leaching / nickel / iron
© EDP Sciences 2015
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.