چكيده به لاتين
Processing of Nickel laterites as the major type of the Nickel resources has always been challenging. The most important challenge is lack of an appropriate enrichment method due to the dissipation of Nickel in different existing minerals. Nickel laterites involve two main types, namely high-grade saprolitic and low-grade limonitic. The conventional Nickel extraction methods from laterites that include pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy, supply Nickel products of ferronickel alloys, Nickel matte ingots, Nickel oxide and Nickel sulfide powder after a physical concentration step on the ore. Each of these methods is feasible for a certain type of the laterites technically and economically. Therefore, researchers are trying to develop a universal method to process laterites regardless of the type and mineralogy, seeking atmospheric leaching processes. In the present work, a Nickel laterite sample from Bavanat of Fars province at Iran was used and found that it is a low-grade limonitic ore with 0.93% Ni and 27.31% Fe. After studying Nickel and Iron behaviour during long-term leaching with oxalic acid, a new process was innovated for Nickel enrichment. This process was studied using a central composite design (CCD) to describe the effect of variables of leaching time, leaching temperature, oxalic acid concentration, and ascorbic acid concentration (as reaction accelerator). The concentrate and the tailing from each test were weighed and analyzed to determine Ni and Fe content as well as Ni recovery as response variables. From statistical analysis of data, a polynomial model was fitted to each response and by numerical optimization, conditions of achieving optimum concentrates suitable for ferronickel production, and suitable for hydrometallurgical processing were attained and verified for minimum acid consumption. In practice, concentrates containing almost 3% Ni, 13% Fe and Ni recovery of 88% suitable for ferronickel production, and 2.4% Ni, 16% Fe and Ni recovery of 90% suitable for hydrometallurgical processing were obtained.