Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-11-2015
Keywords
nickel, olivine, mineral carbonation, leaching, ferro-magnesite, colloidal silica
Abstract
In this work, we explore a novel mineral processing approach using carbon dioxide to promote mineral alterations that lead to improved extractability of nickel from olivine ((Mg,Fe)2SiO4). The precept is that by altering the morphology and the mineralogy of the ore via mineral carbonation, the comminution requirements and the acid consumption during hydrometallurgical processing can be reduced. Furthermore, carbonation pre-treatment can lead to mineral liberation and concentration of metals in physically separable phases. In a first processing step, olivine is fully carbonated at high CO2 partial pressures (35 bar) and optimal temperature (200 °C) with the addition of pH buffering agents. This leads to a powdery product containing high carbonate content. The main products of the carbonation reaction include quasi-amorphous colloidal silica, chromium-rich metallic particles, and ferro-magnesite ((Mg1−x,Fex)CO3). Carbonated olivine was subsequently leached using an array of inorganic and organic acids to test their leaching efficiency. Compared to leaching from untreated olivine, the percentage of nickel extracted from carbonated olivine by acid leaching was significantly increased. It is anticipated that the mineral carbonation pre-treatment approach may also be applicable to other ultrabasic and lateritic ores.
Faculty
Faculty of Applied Science & Technology
School
School of Chemical and Environmental Sciences
Version
Publisher's version
Peer Reviewed/Refereed Publication
yes
Terms of Use
Terms of Use for Works posted in SOURCE.
Copyright
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Original Publication Citation
Santos, R. M., Van Audenaerde, A., Chiang, Y. W., Iacobescu, R. I., Knops, P., & Van Gerven, T. (2015). Nickel extraction from olivine: Effect of carbonation pre-treatment. Metals, 5(3), 1620-1644. doi:10.3390/met5031620
SOURCE Citation
Santos, Rafael M.; Van Audenaerde, Aldo; Chiang, Yi Wai; Iacobescu, Remus I.; Knops, Pol; and Van Gerven, Tom, "Nickel Extraction from Olivine: Effect of Carbonation Pre-Treatment" (2015). Faculty Publications and Scholarship. 1.
https://source.sheridancollege.ca/fast_chem_publ/1